|
1. Global
NGO meeting with UNFPA in New York
New York-
International and regional NGOs, along with
UNFPA officials met on 16 – 17 February in
New York to exchange views as well to review
the outcomes of ICPD +15, as well as taking
forward the ICPD agenda and arrange linkages
with Beijing +15 and MDGs.
Ms. Thoraya
Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA opened
the meeting. The first issues discussed were
the outcomes of ICPD +15. The first day of
the consultation was chaired by Ms. Purnima
Mane, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director for
Programme. Presenting the outcomes were Mr.
Werner Haug, UNFPA Director of the Technical
Division, Sivananthi Thanenthiran from the
Asia Pacific Resource for Women in Malaysia,
and Ms. Safiye Çagar, Director of the
Information and External Relations
Divisions. AFPPD also made statements along
with the European Forum of Parliamentarians
for Population and Development.
The second day
of the Consultation was dedicated discussing
how regional NGOs and parliamentarians can
to work together to advocate for the ICPD
Programme of Action, as well as major events
in 2010. Dr. Gill Greer, Director General of
International Planned Parenthood Federation
(IPPF) served as the Chair. Speakers
included Ms. Thanenthiran, Ms. Jill
Sheffield of Women Deliver, and Ms. Safiye
Çagar of UNFPA and Dina Mahnaz Siddiqi of
Bangladesh.
2. Reproductive Health Debate heats up in
Philippines
MANILA,
Philippines – With the free condom
distribution by the Department of Health (DoH)
on Valentine’s Day, the controversy with the
Catholic Church is heating up.
Public Survey
shows that the majority of people support
free distribution of contraceptives to
prevent STI and AIDS infections. However,
the Catholic Church calls it ‘immoral’ and
the debate goes on until the election.
Senator Manual Villar, who is a supporter of
Church also admitted that “it is up to the
conscience of people to use contraception or
not”
3. US bill
to makes violence against women factor in
foreign assistance
Senators
Joseph Biden and Richard Lugar introduced a
new legislation in the US Senate early
February. This new legislation, the
International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)
would make Violence Against Women a priority
of the US government and an enhanced factor
of its foreign policy and assistance
programs. The bill is a five year,
one-billion dollar plan authorizing projects
in a number of countries with severe levels
of violence against women. If passed it
would require the US government to respond
to critical outbreaks of gender based
violence, such as former rape camps of the
1994 Rwanda genocides. Furthermore, the bill
would require all US funded international
programs to incorporate training to prevent
and respond to violence against women and
girls. (Inter Press Service).
4. UNESCO
releases guide on sexual education
UNESCO in
partnership with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and
WHO has developed the International
Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education.
This guide aims provide a framework to
develop a framework to ensure young people
have access to medically accurate and age
appropriate information to make safe and
healthy decisions. It serves as a practical
resource for decision makers and
professionals working within educational and
health fields which maps out core concepts
of sexuality education in an age appropriate
schematic for each grade level. The goals of
Guidance include giving students
accurate information, having students
explore values and encouraging youths to
make responsible and informed decisions.
(UNESCO)
5. Australia
to host UN NGO conference on global health
Australia will
host a major annual United Nations
Conference on global health issues. The 63rd
UN Department of Public Information/
Non-Government Organization Conference will
be held in Melbourne from 30 August to 1
September 2010. This will be the first time
Australia has hosted a UN event this size
and only the third time this Conference has
been held outside of New York. With a major
aim of this year’s Conference being the
attraction of participation of NGOs in the
Asia-Pacific region, the Conference will
bring together NGO representatives worldwide
to discuss global health as it relates to
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
These goals include reducing child
mortality, improving maternal health and
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
preventable diseases (United Nations)
6. Parliamentary Networks meet in New York
UNFPA
organized a strategic review meeting in
partnership with the Regional and
International Parliamentarian Group networks
in New York on 18-19 February. The meeting
was opened by Ms. Mari Simonen and chaired
by Ms. Safiye Çagar, Director of Information
and External Resource Mobilization Division,
UNFPA.
The
achievements of the parliamentary advocacy
in 2009 including ICPI / ICPD. Addis Abba
was reviewed and plans for the year 2010 to
2011. Regional Parliamentary groups
presented their future plans including ICPI
in Panama in 2011.
From
Asia-Pacific Regional Offices of UNFPA Ms.
Deressa Galanne and Mr. Shiv Khare from
AFPPD attended.
7. New
Zealand Parliamentarians’ Launches Report on
Maternal Health in the Pacific
New Zealand
Parliamentarians’ group on Population and
Development (NZPPD) calls on the New
Zealand, Australian and Pacific Island
governments to take immediate action to
improve the maternal health situation in the
Pacific. The report, Making Maternal
Health Matter is the result of an Open
Hearing on Maternal Health held by NZPPD in
September 2009. The report brings together
key messages during the hearing, with
recommendations from NZPPD on where urgent
action is needed.
Quoting Dr.
Jackie Blue MP, NZPPD Chair, “…access to
family planning services and contraceptives,
more midwives and better facilities, to name
a few are urgently needed. It also requires
the political willingness to prioritize and
invest in this area” (www.fpi.org.nz)
8. World
Hunger to ‘one billion’
One billion
people throughout the world suffer from
hunger, a figure which has increased because
of the global financial crisis, says UN’s
Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) that
figure was a record high, which has also
been contributed by persistently high food
prices. The UN said almost the entire
world’s undernourished live in the
developing countries, with 642 million
people, living in the Asia Pacific region.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the next worst-hit
region, the figure stands at 265 million.
Just 15 million people are left hungry in
the developed world.
Director of
FAO, Jacques Diouf stated that the ‘silent
hunger crisis” poses a serious risk for
world peace and security. He also urgently
called for a forging of a broad consensus on
the total and rapid eradication of hunger in
the world and to take the necessary actions.
The AFPPD
holds that FAO does not see the linkages to
hunger with population size and growth. As f
befiore the financial Crisis, there was no
hunger. “They should face reality.”.
9. Victory
for Women in Spain of Battle over New
Abortion Law
Marysa
Navarro-Aranguren, Chair of the Board of
Catholics for Choice, welcomed the victory
on 24 February for women in Spain, after the
senate voted to ease the country’s
restrictions on abortion, rejecting the
opposition of the Catholic Church over
access to safe and legal abortion. Navarro
stated that the Spanish government has done
the right thing, and that despite statements
from the Vatican, it is possible to
“support…abortions and be a good Catholic”.
The new law
recognizes a woman’s right to abortion,
legalizing it up to 14 weeks of gestation,
as well as allowing 16 and 17-year olds to
have abortions without parental consent.
In a
predominately Catholic society, there is a
strong and widespread support in Spain for
legal abortion. Sixty-two percent support
the basic right to abortion during the first
trimester of pregnancy, leaving the decision
up to women and their doctors. (Catholics
for Choice)
10. EPF
elects new President and Vice President and
inducts new member
The European
Parliamentary Forum on Population and
Development (EPF) had its Council meeting on
28 February 2010 in Brussels, attended by 30
Parliamentarians all active on population,
Development and global health issues at
national, European and international levels.
In this meeting, the PEF elected Hilde
Vautmans MP, Belgium as EPF President and
George Tsereteli MP, Georgia and Chantal
Gill’ard MP Netherlands as Vice Presidents.
The EPF Council also welcomed as a new
associate member the Catalonian All-Party
Parliamentary Group on Population and
Development. The Autonomous Community of
Catalonia in Spain with its regional
Parliament created its own official
development aid budget and policies which
currently amounts to close to US$ 60
million.
On 1 March,
EPF organized two additional simultaneous
events, the first being a Parlliamentary
Conference within the context of Action for
Global Health (AFGH) in the European
Parliament, hosted by the Green Group in the
EP and Eva Joly, MEP, President of the EP
Development Committee entitled “Delivering
the Right to Health with the Health of the
MDGs” and the second being the EPF
delegation to the 54th session of
the UN CSW in New York focusing on “The
Future of Women in the UN”
11. Parliamentarians act on their pledge on
Women’s Day
International
Women’s day is on 8 March. While there is
much to celebrate, violence against women,
affecting up to 70% of women worldwide,
remains a major obstacle to achieve women’s
rights.. AFPPD is asking parliamentarians
around the world, especially male
parliamentarians, to join this drive that
will raise awareness and inspire others.
12. World
Youth Conference in Mexico
The World
Youth Conference is going to be held in
Mexico City from 24 – 27 August in Mexico
City. The Ambassador of Mexico, Cecilio
Garza visited AFPPD in February to discuss
possible involvement of Youth
Parlimentarians as well as the regional
youth conference in Bangkok in preparation
of the Mexico Conference. Organizers are
also planning an International Young
Parliamentarians meeting during the Youth
Conference in Mexico.
13. Asia
Europe Parliamentary ASEP meeting
Belgium- The
Asia- Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP)
Meeting organized by the Asia-Europe
Foundation will be held in Belgium on 30 May
until 21 June to discuss economic, political
and cultural Issues.
14. Finnish
MP Meet with AFPPD
Eleven member
delegation of Members of Parliament from
Finland are visiting Thailand, Cambodia and
Laos from 3-5 March. Mrs. Sirno Minna,
Finland MP and Chair of All Party Parliament
Group of Population and Development met with
Senator Dr. Pinit, Secretary-General of
AFPPD and Shiv Khare, Executive Director of
AFPPD to exchange views on possible
cooperation in the Parliamentary of Thailand
on 3 March.
15. Senator
Dr. Pinit Kullavanijaya attends OECD High
Level Parliamentary Seminar
Senator Dr.
Pinit Kullavanijaya Secretary General of
AFPPD participated on OECD Parliamentary
Seminar on Sustaining Global Recover on 18
February. Chaired by Mr. Anthony Gooch,
Director of Public Affairs and
Communications Directorate of OECD, the
seminar focused on the impacts that world in
the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Stefano, Head of the Division for Employment
and Analysis Policy in OECD discussed how
the financial and economic crisis has turned
into a social crisis from unemployment. Rolf
Alter, Director for Public Governance and
Territorial Development of OECD, and Grant
Kirkpatrick, Acting Head of Corporate
Affairs also of OECD iterated how
transparency and integrity are central to
the health of the world economies and their
stabilities and emphasized the need for
regulatory reform.
--------------------------------------
This
E-Newsletter is published by
Asian Forum of
Parliamentarians on Population and
Development (AFPPD) Phyathai Plaza Bldg.,
Suite 9-C Phyathai Road, Ratchathewi
Bangkok,10400 Thailand |
