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| Issue January to March 2001 |
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| AFRICAN AND ARAB PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET IN JORDAN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Opening Session of the Second General Conference at the Al-Hussain Cultural Center, Amman. Seated at the center is HRM Princess BASMA of Jordan. To her right are : Eng. Abdul Hadi Majali, Speaker of Jordanian Parliament - Hon. Cavaye Y. Djibril, Speaker of Parliament, Cameroon - and Mrs. Kerstin Trone, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director, New York. To the left of the Princess: Hon. Moustapha Ka, FAAPPD President, (Senegal) - H.E. Marwan Al-Hmoud, FAAPPD Secretary General, (Jordan) - and Mr. Seifeldin Abbaro, UNFPA Representative, (Jordan). |
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T he Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development, (FAAPPD), met in Jordan to review the Forum’s progress and ambitious new programmes. FAAPPD has notably advanced since its formation in 1997 in Capetown, South Africa. In the last three years, FAAPPD has established a secretariat in Senegal employing full time staff and has developed and organised a number of activities. A couple of notable activities the FAAPPD has organised are:¨ The Abidjan Workshop on harmonisation of reproductive health rights and legislation for parliamentarians for West Africa, (7th and 9th June 1997).¨ The Kampala Regional Workshop on reproductive health rights and legislation for nineteen countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Oceanic Regions.FAAPPD also participates in Asian Forum sponsored activities. The General Conference was well attended by 130 participants comprising parliamentarians from forty-nine different countries in Africa and the Arab world, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UN Economic Commission for Africa, participants from Western Asia, UNICEF, the Arab League of Nations, USAID Policy Project, African Development Bank, UNESCO, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), African Parliamentary Union, etc. Inaugural Session Princess BASMA opened the conference on behalf of His Majesty King Abdallah Hussein of Jordan. H.E. Engineer Abdul Hadi-Al-Majali, Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, H.E. Mr. Marawan Al-Hmoud, Secretary General of FAAPPD, Mrs. Kerstin Trone, Deputy Executive Director UNFPA, New York and Hon. Moustapha Ka, Deputy Speaker of Senegalese Parliament and President of the Forum, all spoke at the opening. |
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| FAAPPD - Jordan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Substantive Issues Discussed The General Conference received country reports from parliamentarians concerning the promotion of their indigenous country population development programmes since the 1994 ICPD Conference. Several delegates highlighted the teething problems of HIV /AIDS in their countries and the steps they had taken in order to tackle the epidemic. The issue of gender equality, equity and the empowerment of women was also mentioned by several delegates as were reproductive health rights and legislation. An important aspect of the conference was panel discussion on the topic, ‘The African and Arab Population in the 21 st Century: Strategies and Priorities for Accelerated Development.’ Ambassador Khaled Al-Waheishi, Director of the Researches and Population Studies Unit, League of Arab Nations,(Egypt), presented a paper on ‘Population and Development Challenges in the Arab Countries in the Twenty First Century, Migration Refugee Problems and Conflicts.’ Dr. Timothy Mutesasira, Chairperson, Parliamentary Committee on Social Services / Secretary Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Food Security, Population and Development / FAAPPD Treasurer, presented a paper on, ‘Priority Population and Development Concerns for Africa and the Arab States in the 21st Century with Special Reference to Eastern and Southern Africa: HIV / AIDS.’ Finally, Dr. Youssouf Sangare from Burkina Faso, presented a paper on, ‘The Priority Population and Development Concerns of Africa and the Arab World with Special Reference to West Africa: Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development.’The presentations by the three panelists generated a lot of discussions, occasionally with emotions and sentiments running high. The Three Year Budget Plan The Three Year Budget Plan of the Forum, (2000 – 2001), indicates priority areas of action and programming at regional and national levels that have been adopted. The priorities of the Forum during the ‘Plan’ period shall be: ¨ Population and development information, education and communication, (IEC) and advocacy, (to begin within Parliament and continue to constituent levels).¨ Reproductive health rights, legislation and policy reforms.¨ Gender equality, equity and empowerment of women.¨ Institutional capacity building, including resource for national population and development programmes.Reproductive health rights, legislation, policy and delivery of services however, remains the overriding priority of the Forum and in the medium term ie. during the next ten years. The 2001 Anman Declaration The conference issued a Declaration on Population and Development, which acknowledges the issue of sexual and reproductive health. Call for the elimination of violence against women was supported and concern was expressed for the HIV /AIDS pandemic. Amongst its many priority action areas, the conference called upon parliaments to review relevant national laws, standards and regulations as appropriate. This, in order to facilitate the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, especially in the areas of eradication of poverty, reproductive rights, gender equity, equality and empowerment of women, adolescent health and prevention of HIV / AIDS. National Parliamentarian Group Should Be SoundMr. Colin Hollis, AFPPD’s Secretary General Speaks At FAAPPD’s Conference
M r. Collin Hollis, the Secretary General of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians for Population and Development, (AFPPD), addressed the second General Conference of the Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians. He informed the gathering that since the Cairo Parliamentarians Forum, (where the very concept of FAAPPD had first been initialised), up until the time of the Capetown Conference, AFPPD had provided all the necessary support for its development. As Asian Forum is the primary executing agency for the Japan Trust Fund, providing support for this conference was facilitated. Mr. Colin Hollis also assured ongoing support for FAAPPD’s development in the future. "We must all work togetherto help offer possible solutions and action." Parliamentarian Movement Growing" Late last year, I was present at the launch of the Caribbean Movement of Parliamentarians on Population and Development. In early December, I was present at the inaugural meeting of the Inter-European Parliamentarian Forum of Population and Development in Paris. With these groupings covering all major regions, we parliamentarians do have an international voice on population and develoment issues. |
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It is, therefore, a matter of deep disappointment to me that one of the first actions the new US President took was to cut funding on population issues. This is shortsighted and a tradegy. This action, for purely domestic purposes, will have a devastating impact on much of the world. I hope that there will be enough international pressure to overturn this decision. Each group working on the population issue finds the approach that best suits their purpose. In the Asian Forum, we have found that each parliament having their own group delivers the best results. In fact, one of the requirements to be a member of the Asian Forum is to have a committee within the parliament working on population and development issues. Incidentally, we have also found that these groups can only be really successful if they are bi-partisan. Parliaments, and indeed Members of Parliament, come and go, but it is important that the national groups be on a sound footing, so that regardless of elections, the national groups will continue. During the years of our existence, the emphasis of our work has changed from population questions alone, to much broader development issues; gender equity, domestic violence, food security, access to safe drinking water and the impact of HIV / AIDS. All and many more, are integral parts of the population question. I suspect we will be looking at broader issues, including the growing refugee situation, which is impacting increasingly on many parts of the globe; be it refugees caused by civil unrest or environmental refugees caused by people forced off their land.
Globalisation is an issue that impacts on all of us. Some of us see it as a threat, others as a way forward. In any case, it is an aspect of today’s life. At the Asian Forum, we plan to organise an international conference of parliamentarians on globalisation, population and development next year. The Asian Forum offers any assistance it can. We will continue to watch your progress with interest as we have since Capetown, but, prehaps more importantly, I want to stress that we are prepared to work with you and exchange any knowledge we have to ensure the issue of population and development is placed on the international agenda. Whatever today’s challenge, be it HIV / AIDS, food security, availability of fresh water and so many more, population and development issues are so often at the core. We must all work together to help offer possible solutions and action." |
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Election Of Members On The Executive Committee
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| UNFPA - New Director | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Thoraya Obaid, UNFPA’s New Executive Director
N ew Year – Dr. Thoraya Obaid took over as the new executive director of UNFPA on the 1st of January 2001, in place of Dr. Nafis Sadik. Ms. Sadik worked for UNFPA for thirteen very productive years before being replaced by Dr. Obaid.Ms. Obaid previously worked as the Director of the UNFPA’s Division for Arab States and Europe since December 1998. Before joining the Fund, she was Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 1993 to 1998. She was the Chief of the Social Development and Population Division from 1992 to 1993 and Senior Social Affairs Officer, with various responsibilities, from 1975 to 1992. Helping governments establish programmes to empower women has been a central focus of Ms. Obaid’s work, both at ESCWA and the UNFPA. At ESCWA, she provided technical assistance to counter gender inequality as an integral part of social development programmes. In 1975, she set up the first women’s development programme in Western Asia. It helped governments establish national organisational units for women. Ms. Obaid studied English literature and cultural anthropology at Mills College in California and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she was awarded a Ph.D. She is married and has two daughters.
Tokyo – Dr. Obaid met Mr. Yoshio Yatsu, a Japanese Minister for Agriculture and the Chairman of AFPPD, plus other parliamentarians, including Dr. Taro Nakayama, the Chairman of the Japanese Parliamentarian Federation on Population, (JPFP).She also visited JOICFP to meet other family planning NGO’s and government officials. Mr. Kunio Waki also had detailed discussions with officials from AFPPD and APDA. |
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| AFPPD Events 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Asian Forum Will Organise:
I. AFPPD’s 29th Executive Committee Meeting, 3rd of
May 2001, Auckland, (Australia).
II. South East Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on violence against women with UNFPA / CST, BH and Japan Trust Fund on the 19th - 21st June, Bangkok. III. Afro - Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on population and development with UNFPA and Japan Trust Fund, October 2001, Tokyo. |
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Canada Supports UNFPA’s Reproductive Health Programme Ms. Daniele Testeline of the Canadian Development Agency, (CIDA), stated during her intervention of UNFPA’s recent board meeting that reproductive health commodity security is to figure most prominently on UNFPA’s top list of priorities. Although the field of population and reproduction has many aspects and is therefore hard to define, she feels that UNFPA has a comparative advantage in this area and that success would easily be within reach. She does believe, however, that UNFPA would benefit from ‘carving out its own niche’, and by clearly identifying its areas of operation by conveying a clear mission statement that pertains directly to its core business. She went on to say that CIDA is in full support of the importance to be given to reproductive health. "When the lives of millions of women, men and children are at risk, we must let go of our fears to better collaborate so that UNFPA may more successfully fulfill its mission." Ms. Testeline declared. "Our delegations are in full support and would like to underscore the importance of giving the highest priority to addressing the unmet demand for quality, reproductive health services." |
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| Manila - Tokyo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parliamentarian’s Session At The ARH Conference, April 2001 - Manila
Asia Pacific’s first
conference on the subject of reproductive health attracted approximately one thousand
participants, The Philippine Legislative Committee for Population and Development and the AFPPD, managed a session that was dedicated to legislation and ARH. This particular session drew quite a crowd and parliamentarians were required to give in depth explanations in response to several questions that arose. The Asian Forum also sponsored three parliamentarians: Dr. Ziaul Haque Mollah from Bangladesh, Lady Carol Kidu from Papua New Guinea and H.E. Im Run from Cambodia. Ms. Marina Mathier was also a speaker on the panel. |
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Mongolian Parliamentarians Visit Japan
Tokyo - A four member parliamentarian delegation of Mongolian parliamentarians visited Japan in order to obtain first hand knowledge about Japanese family planning programmes, demographic history, health policy and to also promote mutual understanding. The visit was sponsored by the Asian Population and Development Association, (APDA), in Japan in co-operation with the Committee of Parliamentarians on Population and Development in Mongolia, (a member of AFPPD). The group visited a family planning clinic, JICA International Training Center and JOICFP where they met the Executive Director, Mr. Yasuo Kon. They also called on Mr. Yutaka Fukushima, the Deputy Minister of Japan. |
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 The Mongolian Delegation at JOICFP with Mr. Yasuo Kon, Executive Director, (13th November, 2000). |
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 Courtesy call to Mr. Yutaka Fukushima, Sr. State Secretary for Health and Welfare, (13th november, 2000). |
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| Manila | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHO - WPRO And IMPO Parliamentarians Meeting On Tuberculosis - Manila
Parliamentarians Discussed Strategies For An Effective TB Control
Programme
M anila - more than thirty-five parliamentarians, including Government Ministers from ten countries in the Western Pacific Region, gathered in Manila,Philippines, to discuss strategies to fight tuberculosis, (TB), on the 2nd and the 3rd of April, 2001.The meeting was organised by the Western Pacific regional office of the World Health Organisation, (WHO), in collaboration with the International Medical Parliamentarians Organisation, follows World TB Day, (March 24th). Prevention Programmes Parliamentarians also addressed the accessibilty of DOTS and TB prevention programmes, particularly for poor communities. People are particularly susceptible to TB infection in cramped and overcrowded conditions.
"TB treatment shouldn’t differentiate between the rich and the poor. We have to ensure everyone has access to DOTS," said Dr. Omi. "Parliamentarians can be a voice of the poor through advocacy for TB control."Parliamentarians from Cambodia, China, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam all attended the meeting, along with observers from bilateral and multilateral donor agencies including the Asian Development Bank, AusAid, UNAIDS and USAIDS. Dr. Taro Nakayama, President of IMPO, stressed the need for continued engagement with parliamentarians for sustained results. Dr. M. Dayrit, Secretary of Health, Philippines, also stressed the importance of parliamentarian involvement.
Dr. Ian Smith, WHO/HQ and Dr. Dong II Ahn, WHO/WPRO presented ‘Global and Regional Tuberculosis Situation,’ followed by a talk from Dr. Jacques Jeugmans, Senior Social Sector Specialist of the Asian Development Bank on ‘Health and Economic Development,’ with focus on the impact of TB. Dr. Jong Kul Lee, Republic of Korea, spoke on parliamentarians as the voice of the poor for health issues and Dr. Aviva Ron, Director, Health Sector Development, WHO/WPRO on TB and poverty reduction. The parliamentarians, in small groups, discussed the extended role of parliamentarians in poverty reduction, promotion of TB control to a level of priority in National Development Agendas and the role of parliamentarians in International Health co-operation. The significant outcome of this group discussion were the case studies and the commitment of parliamentarians on the follow-up of this meeting. Senator Rodolfo Biazon, Philippine Senate and Dr. Mariquita Mantala, Director of the Dept. of Health, Philippines, presented a case study on successful TB DOTS expansion through increased political commitment. Parliamentarians not only drafted individual country commitment on the fellowship, but also a call for action. The IMPO, WHO - WPRO parliamentarian meeting came to a successful conclusion with remarks by Prof. Dr. Prasop Rattanakorn, Secretary General, IMPO and Dr. Shigeru Omi, Regional Director, WHO - WPRO. |
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AFPPD |
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UNFPA Officials At AFPPD
M r. Kunio Waki, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, Mr. Nizamudin, Director of UNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Division and Mrs. Sheila Macrae, UNFPA’s County Director, (Thailand), all visited AFPPD’s new secretariat to discuss Asian programmes and new initiatives. They were received by Sen. Ms. Malinee Sukavejworakij, Vice Chairperson in the Senate Committee on Public Health of Thailand and also, Mr. Shiv Khare, the Executive Director of Asian Forum. AFPPD At The Asian UNAIDS Meeting Political Support And Advocacy For HIV And AIDST he fifth Asian AIDS workshop, held in Bangkok under the title of ‘ Going To Scale: From Pilot Projects To National Responses’, was organised by the Japanese Government and UNAIDS.A session was devoted to political support and advocacy for HIV and AIDS. Asian Forum members, Jon Ungphakoun from Thailand and J.R. Neveus Acosta from the Philippines, spoke on the issue, upholding a generalised and informative discussion. They successfully unveiled the role of parliamentarians to government officials and brought awareness to the need of stronger political commitment. Mr. Shiv Khare, Executive Director of AFPPD, also provided some background on the Asian Forum and its fight against AIDS and HIV. |
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AFPPD LOST A GOOD FRIEND Dr. Apenisa Kurisaqila, Hon. Speaker of Fiji, admired by all Fijian communities, sadly passed away last month due to a heart attack. "He was one of the dynamic parliamentarians in the region", the Chairman of AFPPD, Mr. Yoshio Yatsu, said in a condolence message. "He was Founder of the Pacific group of parliamentarians within AFPPD", recalls Mr. Colin Hollis, Secretary General of AFPPD, "parliamentarians from the Pacific countries looked to him to lead". Dr. Kurisqila was Vice President of Asian Forum, he was involved with IMPO, (International Medical Parliamentarians Organisation). He was also a medical doctor by profession. |
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Visitors To The Asian Forum Now that Asian Forum has opened a new office, AFPPD has had the pleasure of receiving some very important visitors:
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| Mr. Jon Ungphakorn, a Senator representing AFPPD Thailand, was at the RCM Thematic Working Group on HIV/AIDS on the 3rd of April at the UN Center. This group reviews work conducted on HIV/AIDS in the region. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iranian Delegation |
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| THE IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN STUDY VISIT
An Iranian parliamentarian study group comprising of six members and sponsored by UNFPA Iran, visited Thailand on the 26th to the 30th of March. |
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NZ Parliamentarian Group A New Zealand group has increased its membership amongst New Zealand parliamentarians. Membership of the Parliamentarians for Population has now reached thirty-eight members from all eight political groups. Caribbean Movement’s NewsletterThe newly formed Caribbean Movement of Parliamentarians for Population and Development, (CMPPD), has issued its first newsletter. The CMPPD plans to devote itself to promoting adolescent health, gender equality / equity and male responsibility / participation in family planning programmes. Information about the CMPPD can be found at www.unfpacaribbean.org |
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| DSW Germany Working For Political Support
T he German Foundation on Population, (DSW), based in Hanover, is increasing its political support and advocacy. The DSW is also involved in EU-Asian initiatives on reproductive health.Ms. Caroline Kent recently visited the Asian Forum secretariat to exchange information. According to her and the DSW’s publications, there is a broad consensus on population policy commitment in Germany. DSW, in co-operation with Friedrich – Ebert – Stiftung, (a social-democratic political foundation in Germany), organised an informal and open exchange of representatives from industrial and developing countries for the UN’s Special General Assembly focusing on population. Support From The Federal Parliament German parliamentarians wholly agree that rapid population growth urgently needs to be tackled. This belief was reflected in the unanimous agreement reached in June 1999, to pass a parliamentary resolution governing stronger support for the Cairo Programme of Action. Prior to this development, DSW had numerous consultations with representatives of individual parties. |
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Parliamentarian Group In Sweden The All Party Swedish Group for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights was formally established in December 2000. In Zambia, thirteen Members of Parliament are now working with RFSU, (Swedish Family Planning Association), and the Zambian FPA on a twinning project with Swedish parliamentarians. This partnership focuses on the promotion, at all levels, of sexual and reproductive health and rights and also the related issue of gender and development. The latest study tour to Zambia in September 2000 gave parliamentarians from both countries, the opportunity to spend time with peer educators, teachers and health providers at the Kafue Youth Project. |
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PPAT Training On Advocacy Elected Village Leaders Advocacy Programme Gaining Momentum
Under this programme, camps are conducted for village level elected representatives. On the 27th of March, the District Level Sensitisation Workshop took place in Alwar, Rajasthan. |
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Japanese Parliamentarian Federation Has 135 Members The Japanese Parliamentarian Federation on Population and Development, (JPFP), has one hundred and thirty-five members, all of whom are parliamentarians in Japan. JPFP is a member of AFPPD under the Chairmanship of Dr. Taro Nakayama, MP. It is an active parliamentarian group, working for the cause of reproductive health, population and resource mobilisation. JPFP also has a secretariat with the Asian Population and Development Association, (APPA), Japan. |
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