The Republic of Indonesia, home to over 240 million people, is the world's fourth most populous nation. Ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse, the Indonesian people are broadly dispersed across an archipelago of more than 13,000 islands. Rapid urbanization has given rise to one megacity (Jakarta) and to 10 other major metropolitan areas. And yet about half of Indonesians make their homes in rural areas of the country. Indonesia, a signatory to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, has committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, recent estimates suggest that Indonesia will not achieve by the target date of 2015 MDG 4 - reduction by two-thirds of the 1990 under - 5 infant mortality rate (number of children under age 5 who die per 1,000 live births) - and MDG 5 - reduction by three-quarters of the 1990 maternal mortality ratio (number of maternal deaths within 28 days of childbirth in a given year per 100,000 live births). Although much has been achieved, complex and indeed difficult challenges will have to be overcome before maternal and infant mortality are brought into the MDG-prescribed range. Reducing Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in Indonesia is a joint study by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Indonesian Academy of Sciences that evaluates the quality and consistency of the existing data on maternal and neonatal mortality; devises a strategy to achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to maternal mortality, fetal mortality (stillbirths), and neonatal mortality; and identifies the highest priority interventions and proposes steps toward development of an effective implementation plan. According to the UN Human Development Index (HDI), in 2012 Indonesia ranked 121st out of 185 countries in human development. However, over the last 20 years the rate of improvement in Indonesia\'s HDI ranking has exceeded the world average. This progress may be attributable in part to the fact that Indonesia has put considerable effort into meeting the MDGs. This report is intended to be a contribution toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The complementary feeding period from 6 to 24 months is a crucial part of the first 1000 days of development. It marks the transition from exclusively milk-based liquid diet to the family diet and self-feeding. During this period, healthy food preferences and feeding practices are formed. The papers in this book were presented at the 87th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop in Singapore, May 2016. Divided into three parts, they provide updates and recommendations, as well as insights into strategies and interventions, from all around the world. The first part addresses the role of complementary feeding in healthy development, focusing on food types and the timing of solid food introduction. The second part examines determinants of growth restriction and discusses effective interventions in infants and children in low- and middle-income countries. The last part focuses on development and 'programming' of behavioral and psychological aspects to prevent childhood obesity in high socioeconomic settings.

The population of Asia is growing both larger and older. Demographically the most important continent on the world, Asia's population, currently estimated to be 4.2 billion, is expected to increase to about 5.9 billion by 2050. Rapid declines in fertility, together with rising life expectancy, are altering the age structure of the population so that in 2050, for the first time in history, there will be roughly as many people in Asia over the age of 65 as under the age of 15. It is against this backdrop that the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) asked the National Research Council (NRC), through the Committee on Population, to undertake a project on advancing behavioral and social research on aging in Asia. Aging in Asia: Findings from New and Emerging Data Initiatives is a peer-reviewed collection of papers from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand that were presented at two conferences organized in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, Indonesian Academy of Sciences, and Science Council of Japan; the first conference was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, and the second conference was hosted by the Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi. The papers in the volume highlight the contributions from new and emerging data initiatives in the region and cover subject areas such as economic growth, labor markets, and consumption; family roles and responsibilities; and labor markets and consumption.

Over the past decade, Indonesia has implemented significant health sector reforms that include decentralizing responsibilities for service delivery, designing incentives for health providers, increasing the supply of midwives in remote areas, and analyzing demographic and epidemiological transitions causing changes in the patterns of disease prevalence. Financial protection against catastrophic expenditures has improved substantially, and legislation has been enacted to improve the quality of physician training and patient care.Despite the progress, substantial challenges remain and include comparatively low resources for the health sector, limitations in the supply of providers at the primary and hospital levels, inefficient payment systems, shortcomings in the quality of maternal and child and adult care, lack of oversight and effective licensing in an expanding private health sector, and ineffective planning for and recruitment and retention of health workers.Given the slow pace in improving health outcomes and limited evidence linking health performance and the health workforce, the need to make more information available about past experiences to inform future policy changes is pressing. Few studies have been undertaken to measure the actual impact of the reforms and the remaining challenges. 'New Insights into the Provision of Health Services in Indonesia: A Health Workforce Study' begins the process, providing real time evidence-based inputs to facilitate the Government of Indonesia's comprehensive health sector review. The authors' analysis of panel data from households and health providers will assist the government's assessment of the impact of past health work force policies and its consideration of policy changes.