Foreign Ministry defends signing of US-led declaration on women's health, families

Ardila Syakriah The Jakarta Post/Jakarta The Foreign Ministry has defended Indonesia's signing of the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family, which was rolled out by the United States, saying it was in line with the country's regulations and values. Indonesia signed the declaration during a virtual ceremony cohosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Oct. 22, days before Pompeo's visit to Indonesia.

Indonesia is a cosponsor of the declaration alongside Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Uganda and the US. The ministry issued a statement in response to The Jakarta Post article “Indonesia criticized for signing anti-abortion convention” published on Oct. 31, which it said did not reflect the complete essence of the declaration. Read also: …