On 18 October, AFPPD in cooperation with UNFPA with support from the Government of Japan will organise a satellite session on ‘engaging men and boys in prevention of violence against women and girls’ at the 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights in Beijing, from 18-20 October. This is a follow-up action to the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Engaging Men in Prevention of VAWG in Bangkok. Ms Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, will give a keynote address and a panel of male parliamentarians who are also members of the Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians on violence prevention will also give presentations. All those attending APCRSHR are invited to join us.

AFPPD was represented by its Secretary-General Dr Pinit Kullavanijaya, Senator of Thailand, and AFPPD Executive Director Mr Shiv Khare at both the Asia Pacific NGO Forum: ICPD+15 and the Asia-Pacific High-level Forum on ICPD at 15. Organised by UNESCAP and UNFPA, the High-Level Forum on ICPD+15 reviewed the progress of national level implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. It was address by Ms Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, Ms Nobuko Horibe, Director of UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, and Mr Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
The NGO forum on 15 September was organized by IPPF ESEAOR and partners. Dr Pinit gave a presentation on his experience working with civil society and urged parliamentarians and policymakers to increase cooperation with NGOs in order to enhance impact regarding pertinent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues related to the achievement of the ICPD and MDG goals. AFPPD Executive Director also spoke.

On 21st September 2009, the New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development (NZPPD) held an 'Open Hearing on Maternal Health in the Pacific' at the New Zealand Parliament. The submissions cover a range of issues relating to maternal health, including maternal deaths, family planning, sexually transmissible infections (STIs), obstetric and postnatal care, unintended teenage pregnancy and the status of women in the Pacific.
A broad range of individuals and organisations made both written and oral submissions to the Open Hearing, including Pacific midwives and other reproductive health professionals, Pacific parliamentarians, the United Nations, New Zealand’s International Aid and Development Agency (NZAID), academics, research organisations and development charities. For further information, please contact the NZPPD Secretariat based at Family Planning International: international@familyplanning.org.nz.

Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said on 28 September that he remains firm in supporting the passage of House Bill 5043 or proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act even if it means the Catholic church and pro-life groups will not support his presidential bid for 2010.
Aquino said the bill can pave the way for parents' education in taking responsibility for the growth of their children. The country’s population can balloon to more than 92 million, according to a forecast by the National Statistics Office. “Whatever they say about my position on the RH bill, I am sticking to it despite the pressure from certain quarters. If I get the support or not of the Church and pro-life groups [for my presidential bid in 2010], it is secondary for my advocacy to get everybody educated on reproductive health,” he said. (The Inquirer)

More than 90 parliamentarians, UNFPA country staff, WHO, ADB and others assembled in Bali on the heels of the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to review the state of maternal health and rights in the Asia-Pacific region, evaluate programmes and projects that are making a difference, and share knowledge and experience with members of parliament to seek their involvement to improve policies, programmes and effective implementation. This was an effort to develop country-level initiatives where parliamentarians can make a difference.
Among the prominent leaders and experts who shared their experience were Dame Carol Kidu, Minister of Community Development of Papua New Guinea and Mr John David Tangi, Speaker of the Parliament of Cook Islands, along with Mr Anand Grover, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Flavia Bustreo of WHO and Mr Ian Anderson of ADB. Ms Nobuko Horibe, Director of the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office, and Mr Sugiri Syarief, Chair of BKKBN, also addressed the opening. The conference produced country action plans and parliamentarians are committed to ensure their implementation at the country-level.

Viet Nam has experienced an unusual rapid rise of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) over the last few years. While in 2000 the SRB was at normal levels and was estimated to be 106.2 male births per 100 female births, it increased to 112.1 in 2008. The current growth of 1 point per year since 2006 means that the SRB might cross the 115 mark within three years, according to the report “Recent change in the sex ratio at birth in Viet Nam”, published by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. One of the main factors behind this rise relates to the steadily increasing access to affordable sex-determination and sex-selection technology, which has allowed couples to pursue their desire for one or more sons. (UNFPA)