1. African Parliamentarians Call for Action in Green Revolution

Ghana – A group of senior African parliamentarians is supporting former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s call to action at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) held in Accra from Sept 2-4. “The AGRF is the most bold and holistic approach to getting Africa’s agriculture really on course,” said Dr. Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Cocoa Affairs, in the Parliament of Ghana. The moderator of the meeting, former British MP, Tony Worthington and AFPPD alumni, emphasized that agricultural parliamentary committees need to be better supported to play their roles, through capacity building initiatives.

AGRF Chair Kofi Annan during a discussion on the theme: “Mobilizing Parliamentarians for Action,” challenged the MPs by saying “if politicians don’t lead, the people will make them lead.” H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, echoed the sentiment in a speech summarizing the second day at the AGRF, “Parliaments must lead the way and help spearhead the achievement of the green revolution at country levels.”

  2. Parliamentarians Discuss Emerging Economies

Bangkok - Approximately 35 parliamentarians from six Asian emerging economies and two European nations discussed the possibilities of the role of parliamentarians in the promotion of the ICPD agenda through their overseas development programs. MPs from India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Germany, Spain were joined by UN and civil society members for the two day consultation which took place in Bangkok from August 30-31. Entitled “Emerging Economies and Population: Reproductive Health Programmes” the event was supported by the Gates Foundation and organized by AFPPD in cooperation with European Parliamentary Forum (EPF), and concluded in a parliamentary statement urging emerging economy governments to increase funding levels for national population programmes and promote technological exchange and knowledge sharing in health related programmes.

  3. World Youth Conference in Mexico

Mexico – The World Youth Conference took place from August 23-27 in León, Mexico, and was organized by UN agencies, civil society organizations, governments and hosted by the government of Mexico. Young people from over 100 countries were brought together discuss issues that are currently facing youth from around the globe such as poverty, sexual reproductive health, investment in youth, and youth initiates, putting together recommendations in the form of an NGO Statement that was handed over to the government representatives at the forum. The conference culminated in formulation of the Guanajuato Declaration which will be presented at the UN MGD Summit in New York later this month.

  4. UN/DPI meeting in Melbourne Ignores SRHR

Melbourne – Despite the high hopes of the over 2,200 representatives from NGO and civil society groups associated with population, reproductive and maternal health and HIV/AIDS that participated in the UN DPI/NGO meeting held in Australia, the conference yielded disappointing results for many. In spite of extensive advocacy efforts, the final outcome document excluded the topic of universal access to RH by 2015 or related language.

While commending the UN for the production of a document which covers so many needy areas, ignoring SRHR “runs contrary to an internationally accepted MDG goal" stated Ian Howie, Board Member of Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (AHRA) and former Country Representative of the UNFPA. “Ensuring commitment to MDG 5b – ensuring universal access to reproductive health services - will not only save women's lives but also improve the lives of their children, families and greater communities" added Sumie Ishii, JOICFP.

Participants from 70 countries had gathered to discuss the role of global health as it relates to the MDGs from August 30 – Sept 1 in Melbourne. AFPPD affiliates the All Party Parliament Group on Population and Development of Australia and the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development, along with others, also played a significant role at the conference.

  5. ARHR Encourage NGO/MP Alliance at UN/DPI Meeting

August 30 - The Australia Reproductive Health Alliance (AHRA), Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development, set up a panel discussion at the UN/DPI meeting in Australia. Hon. Senator Claire Moore, Chair of AFPPD Standing Committee on Women, and Sen. Judith Troeth, both spoke on the panel entitled “How to set up effective NGO and Parliamentary Alliances to Facilitate Political Support for Achieving the MDGs, ” along with NGO representatives former CEO Jane Singleton and Lynne Jordan from Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia (SH&FPA) and facilitated by ARHR current CEO, Mary Mertin-Ryan.

  6. Bangladesh Parliamentary Study Visit

Bangkok - Eight parliamentarians from Bangladesh undertook a study visit to observe first-hand the success of the family planning, reproductive and maternal health programs in Thailand from August 23-25. They took this opportunity to visit the AFPPD Regional Office, where they were briefed by Hon. Dr. Pinit Kullivanijaya, Senator of Thailand and AFPPD Secretary General. Following that, at a meeting with MPs and Senators of the Thai Parliament, views were exchanged with the Standing Committee on Education and other related issues.

  7. Groundbreaking Indian Parliamentary Debate on Population

New Delhi -The Parliament of India recently held a debate on the issue of population stabilization in the country. Taking place on 4 of August, it is the first time in 33 years this topic has been discussed by parliament. The population of India currently stands at 1,198 million, approximately 17% of the world’s population. The debate garnered support for the introduction of stronger measures to curb population growth. A full copy of the debate is now available with the AFPPD policy tracking unit.

  8. 2011 Declared Population Year in Pakistan

Islamabad – Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yusef Raza Gilani has announced that 2011 will be “Population Year” in Pakistan, in recognition of the role that population plays in the overall economic prosperity of the country. A parliamentary campaign has been launched in which parliamentarians will be engaged in creating awareness at the grassroots level, emphasizing the responsibility that parliamentarians have as role models for their constituencies.

Pakistan has a population which consists of 48 percent youth, who hold the potential to contribute positively to the national economy if they are given the opportunity to receive proper training. The Ministry of Population Welfare, headed by Hon. Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, has plans to launch a number of projects aimed to create awareness, sensitize and advocate for the importance of family planning.

  9. ‘Unite to SAY NO to Violence’ Campaign in Central Asia

Tajikistan – Twenty-three representatives of the National Federation of Taekwondo and Kickboxing of Tajikistan gathered for the “UNiTE to SAY NO to Violence” campaign, organized by UNIFEM and UNFPA from 18-31 July. The representatives, who are Local Goodwill Ambassadors, conducted a training of local sportsmen on the principles and skills of conducting educational and enlightening work and promotion of the prevention of violence against women, as well as the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and good family relationships.

  10. Australian Anglican Church States Overpopulation May Break 8^th Commandment

Australia - The Anglican Church has linked overpopulation to the 8^th Commandment “thou shalt not steal.” The governing body of the Anglican Church in Australia, the General Synod, recently released a discussion paper recommends that the federal government should stop encouraging population growth through financial incentives that are currently given , such as the AUD$ 4,000 “baby bonus” given to Australian mothers every time they have a new baby. The report states that “in the context of unsustainable global population growth, it is inconsistent and arguably irresponsible to provide financial incentives for population increase.” As we have a duty to care for the whole of creation, this also includes the “needs of future life on earth,” and if they are not taken into account, it could be a case of breaking the 8^th commandment.

 MDG Summit in New York - The UN will organize an MDG summit on 20-22 September to accelerate the progress towards the MDG 2015 deadline. Political leaders, parliamentarians and civil society members will gather under the overarching objective of “making it happen by 2015.”

Youth Drive MDGs – UNFPA, IPPF and the Inter-Agency Network for Youth Development are organizing a panel discussion at the MDG summit in New York on Sept 22. The panel will make the case for prioritizing social investment in young people to accelerate progress to the MDGs, as many of the targets and indicators directly relate to young people’s health and development.