CANBERRA CONFIRMS NEW FIVE YEAR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP WITH RI 

    Jakarta - The Australian Government on Friday (13/6) confirmed a strengthened five year development partnership with Indonesia to help tackle poverty and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity, Australian Embassy news release has said. It said the first program to be funded under this strengthened development partnership was a $49 million maternal and neonatal health program. 

   This four year program will make pregnancy and childbirth safer for women in Indonesia's poorest areas by funding programs such as: Increased access to trained midwives during pregnancy and childbirth; Improved management of maternal and neonatal health services; and Increased funding for community level support structures for new and expecting mothers.  

   The program will be targeted to help mothers in Indonesia's poorest areas such as Nusa Tenggara Timur and other eastern Indonesian provinces. The aim of this program is to significantly reduce the number of women who die needlessly during pregnancy and childbirth by ensuring that in target areas 75 per cent of women and newborns with complications receive appropriate care.   

  The Australian Government on Friday (13/6) also signed new partnership agreements with Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, the two largest Muslim organizations in Indonesia. The Australian Government on Friday announced additional funding of $900,000 for Nahdlatul Ulama and $1.5 million for Muhammadiyah to progress their important work in disaster preparedness.  

  Under the strengthened five year development partnership with Indonesia, Australia will provide up to an expected $2.5 billion in development assistance to Indonesia between 2009 and 2013. This funding commitment to assist with the development of Indonesia follows the $1 billion Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development forged after the 2004 tsunami. 

    It is Australia's largest development assistance program and will be implemented in line with Indonesia's Medium Term Development Plan and Australia's budgetary process. Australia and Indonesia are determined to work in partnership to create a better life for around 100 million people who live in poverty on less than US$2 a day. (Antara, 16/6/08)