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1.
Asian Parliamentarians Meet US Congress
Washington DC, U.S.A. – Close to
50 parliamentarians from the European
Parliamentary Forum on Population and
Development (EPF), the Asian Forum of
Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD),
the Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians
on Population and Development (FAPPD), and the
Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population
and Development (IAPG) attended the
Parliamentarians’ Forum on, “Delivering
Solutions, Delivering Resources, Delivering
Leadership: The Role of Parliamentarians in
Advancing Maternal Health” to generate
discussion on political commitment and financial
investment for fulfilling the MDG 5 from a
parliamentary perspective. The parliamentary
session, which was held during the first day of
the conference, concluded with a Parliamentary
Statement that called for additional USD12
billion a year to be invested in women and girls
to actively work towards the establishment of a
global funding mechanism for family planning,
maternal and child health with other
international donors.
The Parliamentarians also visited
U.S. Congress and breakfasted with members of
the U.S. Congress. Hon. Ms. Qadriya Yazdanparast,
MP from Afghanistan, had a separate meeting with
Hon. Ms. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House
of Representatives. The US Congress also hosted
a reception dinner which parliamentarians
attended.
2.
Parliamentarians Push for G8
Ottawa, Canada - The 6th Annual
Parliamentarians’ Summit on “Balancing the
Scales of Women’s Lives in the Countdown to
2015” was held in Ottawa, Canada from 10 -11
June, 2010. The event was hosted by the Canadian
Association of Parliamentarians on Population
and Development (CAPPD) in close cooperation
with the Parliamentary Centre. On this occasion,
the four parliamentary networks; EPF, AFPPD,
FAAPPD and IAPG facilitated the participation of
40 parliamentarians from the regions. The
summit, attended by approximately 150
participants, addressed the theme of women and
development in the context of extreme poverty
with a specific focus on maternal health and
combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as
malaria and tuberculosis. The summit concluded
with the adoption of a Parliamentary Appeal to
G8/G20 Heads of State and Governments, calling
for a “pooling new funding a total of 24 billion
under an international funding mechanism,
specifically for MDG5, which will provide
targeted assistance for sexual and reproductive
health and rights, family planning and access to
safe abortion, when and where its legal, and
therapeutic abortion.” The appeal was later
submitted to Canada’s Prime Minister, Hon. Mr.
Stephen Harper, host of the 2010 Heads of State
Summit. AFPPD sponsored five parliamentarians.
3. Three AFPPD
Alumni on New UN Commission for HIV and the Law
The UNDP and UNAIDS have jointly
formed a Global Commission on HIV and the Law.
The new 14 member Commission has three members
from Asia. Hon. Dame Carol Kidu, MP and Minister
for Community Development in Papua New Guineau,
Mr. Jon Ungphakorn, former Senator for Bangkok
and Vice-Chairperson of the Thai Foundation for
AIDS Rights in Thailand, and Hon. Mr. Charles
Chauvel, currently serving his second term in
the House of Representatives in New Zealand, are
all active alumni of the AFPPD. The Secretary of
the new Commission, Mr. JVR Prasada Rao from
India, is the former regional Director of UNAIDS,
Asia Pacific region in Bangkok, Thailand.
Hon. Mr. Charles Chauvel recently
attended the AFPPD Indigenous Asia-Pacific
Regional Seminar on Climate Change hosted in
Manila, the Philippines in March 2010. Hon. Dame
Carol Kidu is a long term member of the AFPPD,
and was recently a speaker at the AFPPD session
at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia
and the Pacific (ICAAP). Mr. Jon Ungphakorn has
been an active participant and resource person
at many AFPPD events.
4. Afghan
Parliamentary Group on Population Forum
The National Assembly of
Afghanistan has created a National Committee on
Population and Development. Six MPs have been
appointed to the newly established
Committee, the Hon. Dr. Niamatullah Miakhail,
Hon. Tahira Mirzada, Hon. Al.haj. Mohammad Abdo,
Hon. Dr. Noshafarin Shahab Dawlati, Hon.
Obaidullah Helali, and Mr. Nezamudind Adel. The
new Afghan Committee on Population and
Development will also be a member of AFPPD.
5. Training in
Indonesia for NGO Capacity Development
AFPPD in cooperation with DSW
Germany is holding a national training in NGO
Capacity Development in Jakarta from 7 - 8 July
2010. Approximately 30 NGO representatives will
be in attendance. AFPPD is keen to bring
parliamentary groups and NGOs closer together
and enhance their capacity.
6. Philippine
Court Refuses to Stop Sex Education
Manilla, Philippines - A Quezon
City court has refused to give a temporary
restraining order to halt the teaching of sex
education in selected schools by the Department
of Education. A group of 30 parents, led by
defeated Senator Jo Imbong, had filed a petition
with the Quezon court last month. The final
hearing will be on 28 July 2010.
7.
Parliamentarians at AIDS Conference in Vienna
Parliamentarians will be
attending an International AIDS Conference to be
held in Vienna, Austria, from 18 - 22 July 2010.
AFPPD and associated networks, along with
European Forum and UNFPA, will bring together
more than 30 parliamentarians, and UNAIDS will
send more than 20 parliamentarians from the Asia
Pacific region. European Forum, in cooperation
with UNFPA, will organize a parliamentary side
event on AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health
and Rights (SRHR) on 18 July at le Méridien
Hotel.
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