Good Practice South-South Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) This International partnership and developmental program began as a South-South Cooperation policy in Indonesia which aims to revitalize their Family Planning Program. In 2011, a bilateral partnership started in the Philippines with the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (formerly ARMM, now BARMM) as a pilot area. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Badan Kependudukan dan Keluarga Berencana Nasional (BKKBN), the National Family Planning Coordinating Board of Indonesia, and POPCOM in August 2012 and was later named South-South Triangular Cooperation. The objective was to share and apply good practices on population, family planning, adolescent reproductive health and gender mainstreaming between the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines.The major strategies included training, field exposure, internship, action planning, implementation of action plans and exchange visits which were conducted over the years. One of the rewarding results of the Cooperation is the strong commitment given by the pilot local government units made evident by the local policy issuances that support the implementation of the initiatives under the SSTC. As a fruitful output of the cooperation, the Fatwa on Model Family in Islam was developed and issued which provides for the legal opinion of esteemed religious leaders about early marriage, pre-marriage counseling, gender and health education for young people and gender-based violence. With the promising results of the SSTC Initiative between Indonesia and the Philippines, the Cooperation has been renewed for another five years with the signing of a new MoU between BKKBN and POPCOM last 5 July 2019 in Banjarmasin City, Indonesia. Highlights of activities in 2019 were: • • Training of Speakers’ Bureau on the Official Ruling (FATWA) on the Model Family in Islam; First drafting of the Comprehensive Gender and • • • Health Education for the Youth (CGHEY) Module in Davao City participated by DepEd-BARMM, Bureau of Madaris, Ministry of Health-BARMM, POPCOM XII, BARMM Interim Office, POPCOM Central Office (CO), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).The module aimed to educate Muslim Youth on Adolescent Health and Development. After-Action Review on the Fatwa Dissemination on Model Family in Islam was held. It was followed by “Knowledge Sharing for ARMM Youth in Indonesia,” and Updates on the CGHEY Module Seminar on RPFP with Islamic perspective was conducted for the Muslim Religious Leaders in Tawi-Tawi Knowledge Sharing Program of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Youth Leaders of the Philippines in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia The SSTC initiative indeed worked well because of the passion of Indonesian and Filipino partners to learn from each other and their openness to adopt good practices. It is noteworthy that the cultural and religious similarities of the two countries has made the SSTC implementation smooth and mutually beneficial. Some of the major lessons learned were the following: 1) the government sector and the religious sector can harmoniously work together towards a noble end that of empowering the families and the whole community; 2) Muslim religious leaders play a critical role in the successful implementation of development programs and various advocacy activities at the national, regional and local levels; and 3) local leaders, program implementers and religious leaders have stake in the improvement and promotion of the total well-being of young people who can be tapped to empower their peers through the provision of information and life skills. Sharing of experiences and technical expertise between the Philippines and Indonesia through the SSTC has enhanced local leadership and governance that paved the way for the achievement of health reforms and better health outcomes. 58 58 2019 2019 Annual Annual Report Report Responsible Responsible Parenthood Parenthood and and Reproductive Reproductive Health Health Act Act of of 2012 2012