INFORMATION SERVICE

March 2007

Special Edition

2.5 Billion Increase in World Population by 2050, Family Planning Must Expand

The world's population is on track to surpass 9 billion persons by 2050, according to the newly released 2006 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections, which also predict that the number of elderly persons will hit 1 billion.

According to the 2006 Revision, the world population will likely increase by 2.5 billion over the next 43 years, passing from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion in 2050. This increase is equivalent to the total size of the world population in 1950, and it will be absorbed mostly by the less developed regions, whose population is projected to rise from 5.4 billion in 2007 to 7.9 billion in 2050.

In contrast, the population of the more developed regions is expected to remain largely unchanged at 1.2 billion, and would have declined were it not for the projected net migration from developing to developed countries, which is expected to average 2.3 million persons annually.

As a result of declining fertility and increasing longevity, the populations of more and more countries are ageing rapidly. Between 2005 and 2050, half of the increase in the world population will be accounted for by a rise in the population aged 60 years or over, whereas the number of children will decline slightly. Furthermore, in the more developed regions, the population aged 60 or over is expected nearly to double, whereas that of persons under age 60 will likely decline.

The projected population trends also depend on achieving a major increase in the proportion of AIDS patients who get anti-retroviral therapy to treat the disease and on the success of efforts to control the further spread of HIV.

Otherwise population will double, fertility in the less developed countries as a whole is expected to drop from 2.75 children per woman in 2005-2010 to 2.05 in 2045-2050. To achieve such reductions, it is essential that access to family planning expands in the poorest countries, the Population Division said, pointing out that without this, the world population could increase by twice as many people as those alive in 1950.

Largest Gathering of Asia RH and Sexual Health NGOs to be in India

On the 29th to 31st of October this year, Hyderabad, India will receive more than 1,500 population, reproductive health and rights, women rights, HIV and AIDS and related NGOs, government officials, donors and UN representatives, and parliamentarians to review the status of sexual and reproductive health programme, achievements, failures, and exchange information and new comers will receive skills training in the above field. This will be on the occasion of the 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive, and Sexual Health and Rights.

Earlier conferences in Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur were able to generate new energies and provide directions. The Hyderabad conference will deal with Expanding and Empowering the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Movement; Moving Beyond Tokenism – Enabling and Realizing Young People’s Potential in Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health; Equalizing Sexual Relationships: Gender, Sexuality and Sexual Diversity; Responding to Emerging Issues in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Technology, Ethics and Policy; Addressing Unmet Need for Sexual and Reproductive Health Services; and Making Pregnancy Safe and Wanted: A Non-negotiable Entitlement for Women.

The AFPPD, through parliamentarians’ participation, will highlight the “politics of sexual and reproductive health and right policy, regulation and legislation”. NGO and others wishing to participate in this exciting gathering may visit http://www.4apcrsh.org or contact Ms. Francesca Barolo, Coordinator of APCRSH, at 4thapcrsh@gmail.com

3,500 Delegates, Expected to Participate the 8th ICAAP in Sri Lanka

More than 3,500 delegates from over 60 countries in Asia and the Pacific are expected to participate in the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 19-23, 2007.

This four-day congress, which will bring together politicians, government officials, medical experts, academics, people living with HIV/AIDS, community workers and the media, will discuss a wide range of issues, with regard to this deadly epidemic confronting this region.

With the theme "Waves of Change - Waves of Hope", the congress aims to enhance the local, regional and global response to HIV/AIDS. AFPPD with APA will host a dialogue with parliamentarians and NGO, and partner with IPPF South Asia office, in organizing Health Minister’s Round Table.

Online registration is now available at their website http://www.icaap8.lk. Registration will close by May 31, 2007.

Childbirth Kills One Woman Every 7 Minutes in India

A woman dies every 7 minutes in India because of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, according to a government report released on 10 March. The number of women dying each year from pregnancy and childbirth is 77,000, the Registrar General of India said in a report, three times higher than a government target.

Some 301 women in 100,000 births die each year due to "pregnancy-related complications" despite the government's goal of bringing the mortality rate below 100, said the registrar general. Rundown maternity services and near-absent mother-and-childcare centers and rural health facilities contributed to the huge death rate of mothers.

The mortality rate has actually climbed in many states during the past five years, the report added. In 1999, there were 220 deaths per 100,000 live births in Uttar Pradesh, less than half the current rate.

Moldovan Law Aimed at Combating Domestic Violence

With more than a quarter of Moldova's women over 15 years of age having experienced domestic violence, parliament's decided to adopt a law aimed at preventing and combating the problem, along with setting up rehabilitation centers and providing other support services for the victims. In Moldova, 27 per cent of women over 15 years of age have experienced violence in the home at least once, according to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey carried out by the Government with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), UNICEF and the UN Population Fund.

First Meeting of Women Members of Bolivian Constituent Assembly

On 20-21 January 2007, UNDP, the Union of Parliamentary Women of Bolivia (UMPABOL), UNIFEM, and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), organized the "First Meeting of Women Members of the Constituent Assembly and Parliamentarians" in La Paz, Bolivia. The international meeting provided an opportunity for exchange of best practices on gender mainstreaming in constituent assembly processes and for strengthening the collaboration between women leaders and constituent assembly members. It resulted in a signed agreement in which parliamentarians and constituent assembly members in attendance affirmed their commitment to ensuring that women's rights will be coherently and effectively addressed in the new Bolivian Constitution. They agreed to include a National Women's Rights Coordinator within the framework of the constituent assembly process.