THE Indonesian Minister of Women Empowerment and Children Protection, Yohana Susana Yembise, says she learnt a lot from Fiji after her two-day visit.
The minister ended her official visit yesterday after attending the 2nd Joint Technical Working Group hosted by the Fiji Government.
The event is part of an MOU signed between Fiji and Indonesia to collaborate in the areas of women empowerment, gender equality and child protection.
The MOU was to strengthen partnership between the two countries to share information and resources for development opportunities.
“In Indonesia we have 250 million people to look after, half of the population are women and 87 million are children. The country is so vast so it is a challenge working under my portfolio. It’s not the same here. You have equality already, we don’t have equality yet. However, we have learnt a lot from Fiji. The quality of service here is well organised,”she said.
The minister is one of a few Papuan women who have achieved the high echelons of education in Indonesia. She holds a Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University in Canada as well as a doctorate from the University of Newcastle in Australia.
“Under my ministry I look after the women and children in West Papua. I want to get more Papuan women to receive the same high level of education,” said the Papua-born minister.
The minister declined to talk on the issue for autonomy by her fellow Papuans.
“I am here to do my work, to better the standards of women and children in my country,” she said.
Mrs Yembise visited Queen Victoria School on Tuesday as well as Navutukea Village in Naitasiri during her trip. She was accompanied by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar.
