INFORMATION SERVICE

October 2005

UNFPA launches State of World Population 2005 Report   

The UNFPA launched the State of World population 2005 Report, on October 12, around the world. Dr. Thoraya Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, launched the report in London, while in Bangkok it was launched at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand. Mr. G. Giridhar, UNFPA Representative in Thailand, gave the welcome remarks and read the launch statement from Dr. Thoraya Obaid. The panel presentations were made by Mr. William Ryan, Information Officer for Asia and the Pacific Region, UNFPA; Dr. Siripon Kanshana, Inspector General, Ministry of Public Health; Dr. Pawadee Tonguthai, Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University; Dr. Juree Vichit-Vadakan, Chair, Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, National Institute of Development Administration; and Mr. G. Giridhar, UNFPA Representative in Thailand. Lively question and answer session lasted more than one hour.

Parliamentarians discuss population and RH issues in Seoul

Parliamentarians from Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand, including Dr. Virapong Skolkitivat, Senator of Thailand and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Health, exchanged their perspectives on the issues of population and reproductive health in Asia at the seminar that marked the 10 th anniversary of the release of the State of the World Population Report, on October 12, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The seminar was hosted by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea (PPFK) and the UNFPA.

WHO General Programme of Work discussed

For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) discussed the direction of its General Programme of Work with a select group of NGOs and UN agencies from South-East Asia and Western Pacific, from September 27 to 28, in Bangkok. The meeting, entitled “South-East Asia/Western Pacific-based Partner's Consultation on WHO's 11th General Programme of Work”, also discussed the recommendation, on stronger “political commitment and political will” for health-related issues, from the International Medical Parliamentarians Organization (IMPO). Mrs. Pascal Brudon, General Programme of Work Task Manager, WHO headquarters, convened the meeting, which was also attended by senior officials from the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WHO-WPRO) and Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO). Mr. Shiv Khare, Executive Director of AFPPD, represented the IMPO and AFPPD at the forum.

IAPG co-organizes SRH and MDG meeting in Brazil

More than 200 participants, including parliamentarians, attended a regional forum, entitled “the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the 2005 World Summit”, on August 4, 2005, in Brasilia, Brazil. Hosted by the Brazilian Special Secretariat for Women's Affairs at the Brazilian Federal Senate facilities, the forum was held ahead of the 2005 World Summit which was scheduled to take place from September 14 to 16, at the UN headquarters in New York. The Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG) was one of the forum's organizers, aside from the UNFPA, UNIFEM, UNAIDS, IPPF, and the Brazilian Family Welfare Society (BEMFEM), with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and the Brazilian Senate. At the conclusion of the forum, the participants from the nine Latin American countries unanimously adopted the “Brasilia Declaration” which calls for political commitment on the inclusion and recognition of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the outcome document of the 2005 World Summit as an essential element for achieving the MDGs.

World Summit includes RH

World leaders gathered at the 2005 World Summit, on September 14 to 16, at the UN headquarters in New York. They committed themselves to “achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015, as set out at the International Conference on Population and Development, integrating this goal in strategies to attain the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, aimed at reducing maternal mortality, improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, promoting gender equality, combating HIV/AIDS, and eradicating poverty.”

Cambodia's Lower House approves EVAW bill

The National Assembly of Cambodia unanimously approved a bill on domestic violence, aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence and preventing domestic violence, on September 16. The law was initiated by the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

Steering committee for IPCI to meet in Tokyo

Representatives from the UNFPA and regional parliamentary groups working on population and development, who are members of the Steering Committee of the 2006 International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI 2006), to be held in Bangkok, will meet on October 17 and 18, in Tokyo, Japan. The Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) of Japan will host the Steering Committee's meeting.