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1. Family Planning Push in Asia Pacific
2. Male Parliamentarians Unwavering in Prevention of Violence
Against Women
3. Is
Population a Factor? Parliamentarian Session at the World
Bank Parliamentary Network
Conference
4. AFPPD Welcomes the Extension of the ICPD Programme of Action
5. Greater Cooperation Needed Between UNFPA and UNEP Say EU MPs
6. Empowering Female Parliamentarians in Pakistan
7. 80
Million People Added to the Globe in 2010
8. Another 2 Billion? Exploring the potential impact on our
globe
Upcoming AFPPD
Events
Upcoming UN
Events
1. Family Planning Push in
Asia Pacific
Bangkok
– 11 parliamentarians from Asia Pacific were among the over
100 participants welcomed to the ‘Regional
Consultation on Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific:
Addressing the Challenges’ held from 8-10 December in
Bangkok, and organized by the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and International Council on Management of
Population Programmes (ICOMP). The parliamentarians
participated in
“Advocacy and Actions for
Taking Forward Commitments to Investing in Family Planning”
a parliamentarian panel discussion organized by AFPPD to
advocate for continued and adequate investments in Family
Planning. The session was moderated by Mr. Najib Assifi,
Deputy Regional Director of UNFPA Asia and the Pacific
Regional Office (APRO).
2. Male Parliamentarians
Unwavering in Prevention of Violence Against Women
Port Macquarie –
male ministers and parliamentarians from
13 countries attended the Standing Committee of Male
Parliamentarians on Prevention of Violence against Women
Meeting, organized by AFPPD with the Parliamentarian
Group on Population and Development (PGPD), Australia
Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA) and UNFPA. Hosted by
Hon. Robert Oakeshott, parliamentarian from Australia, the
committee met on 18 December in Port Macquarie, Australia.
At the close of the meeting, committee members made personal
commitments for actions they would take to address the issue
of violence against women in the next twelve months and
signed a collective statement of commitment specifically
recognizing the need for their work to address prevention of
violence against women and children, not just women and
girls.
3. Is Population a Factor?
Parliamentarian Session at the World Bank Parliamentary
Network
Conference
Brussels – 130
parliamentarians from all over the world and representatives
from civil society, academia and international organizations
participated in the “Parliamentary Network on World Bank (PNoWB)”
annual conference, held on 4 December at the Belgian
Parliament. AFPPD organized a special session
on “Economic Development and the MDGs – Is Population
a Factor” and sponsored the attendance of 4
parliamentarians from Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and
Vietnam to the conference. The session focused on ever
increasing population size and the impact on development and
attainment of the MDGs.
4. AFPPD Welcomes the
Extension of the ICPD Programme of Action
New York - The General
Assembly decided to extend the ICPD Programme of Action and
key actions for further implementation to “ensure its
follow-up in order to fully meet its goals and objectives”
on December 22, during the sixty-fifth session. The
resolution called on governments to recommit themselves to
achieving the goals and objectives of the Programme of
Action, agreed on by 179 countries in Cairo in 1994, and
comes with no end date.
The General Assembly also
decided to convene a special session in 2014 to “assess the
status of implementation of the Programme of Action and to
renew political support for actions required for the full
achievement of its goals and objects.” The UNFPA has been
requested to review the implementation of the Programme of
Action “on the basis of the highest-quality data and
analysis of the state of population and development.” AFPPD
welcomes the UN decision and pledges to work towards its
implementation.
5. Greater Cooperation
Needed Between UNFPA and UNEP Say EU MPs
Europe - a letter from
the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and
Development (EPF) signed by 19 Parliamentarians from across
Europe strongly urging the UNFPA and United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) to take concrete steps to work
more closely together on the serious population and
environmental challenges currently facing the world has been
re-circulated in light of the UN Climate Change Conference
which took place in Cancun, Mexico, from 29 November to 10
December. Originally submitted in July of this year to
Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA and Achim
Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, the letters strongly
emphasize the need to report on the linkages between
population and climate change, take into account the need
for population sustainability in efforts to tackle
environmental degradation, and for UNEP and UNFPA to take a
leadership role through bilateral strategy and programmes.
6. Empowering Female
Parliamentarians in Pakistan
Pakistan - the Ministry
of Women Development (MoWD) held a one-day consultative
workshop entitled “Empowering Women through Legislation” on
31 December. The workshop, for female parliamentarians, was
held in collaboration with UNFPA in Bhurban. The Provincial
Ministers for Women Development and members of provincial
assemblies were in attendance as well as the Minister for
Women Development, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awas.
7. 80 Million People Added
to the Globe in 2010
At the close of 2010, the
population of the world has increased by 80 million people
during the year. According to the German Foundation for
World Population (DSW) the world’s population hit 6.9
billion at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2010.
The population is predicted to reach 7 billion during the
year 2011.
DSW runs a “population meter” on
its website which estimates the current global population
based on various annual data sources.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/124366/world-population-hit-7-bn.html.
8. Another 2 Billion?
Exploring the potential impact on our globe
“The
Next Two Billion: Can the Planet Take the Strain?” is an
hour long broadcast organized by National Geographic, and
NPR with Robert Kunzig, senior editor for the environment
at National Geographic and NPR senior science correspondent
Richard Harris on January 6, starting at 2pm Eastern Time.
Exploring compelling dilemmas such as “can we balance human
aspiration with environmental sustainability?” the case of
South Asia will be examined in depth, as a region already
grappling with rapidly growing demands on finite natural
resources.
The
January 2011 issue of National Geographic also features a
cover story on the world population, which is estimated to
reach 9 billion in the year 2045, an increase of over 2
billion from the current size. It highlights the growth
and change of the world's population, implications for
climate change and the environment, and why human population
remains such a thorny issue.
For
more information visit:
http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/special-events/2011/01/06/talk-billion
Upcoming AFPPD Events
Upcoming UN Events
-
February 9 - 18, 2011:
the Forty-Ninth Session of the Commission for Social
Development will convene in New York, at the United Nations
North Lawn Building.
-
February 16-17, 2011:
UN Commission for HIV and the Law Regional Dialogue for the
Asia-Pacific Region to take place in Bangkok, Thailand.
-
February 22 - March 4, 2011:
the Fifty-Fifth Session of the Commission on the Status of
Women will convene in New York, at the United Nations North
Lawn Building. Pre-registration for civil society members is
now open.
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
E-mail: afppd@afppd.org
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