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Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and
Development
Monthly
Information Service
No. 85–
April 2012
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AFPPD
News
1. Parliamentarians Discuss National Public Health for Emerging
Challenges
2. Japanese Parliamentary Group Wants Population to be Focus for
Development Aid
3. Asian Parliamentarians Review HIV Legislation
4. Parliamentarians at the NGO Strategizing in Kuala Lumpur
5. Global Parliamentarians to Review Population and Development
Issues in Istanbul
6. Development Cooperation on Harm Reduction
7. Indonesian Parliamentarian Study Visit on EVAW in Vietnam
8. Canadian Parliamentary Group Denounces a Motion to Study When
Life Begins
9. German Parliamentarians to Promote Study for Girls |
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1. Parliamentarians
Discuss National Public Health for Emerging Challenges |
Thailand – Hon.
Sen. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Porapan Punyaratabandhu, Secretary
General of AFPPD, gave a keynote address on
Strengthening Public Health Towards Equality in Health at
the Regional Conference of Parliamentarians on Strengthening
of National Public Health Systems for Emerging Health
Challenges organized by the World Health Organization in
Bangkok, Thailand during 19-21 March 2012. In her speech,
Hon. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Porapan Punyaratabandhu explained
about the five key actions that parliamentarians may use to
strengthen public health and ensure equity in access of
health care services in their countries. These tools
included advocacy, representation, legislation, budgeting,
and oversight.
The conference was attended by parliamentarians from South
East Asia region. Hon. Dr. Anan Ariyachaipanich, chair of
the Thai senate standing committee on public health, and Mr.
Shiv Khare, Executive Director of AFPPD, also participated.
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2. Japanese
Parliamentary Group Wants Population to be Focus for
Development Aid |
Japan – The Japan
Parliamentarians Federation for Population (JPFP) held its
Executive Members’ Meeting on 5 March 2012 to discuss
current trends and strategies to engage in national,
regional and global policy dialogue and expand its
contributions to population and sustainable development
issues. The final draft of the JPFP constitutional
amendments was reviewed and approved by the Executive
Members.
The General Assembly of JPFP also met on 15 March 2012,
presided by Hon. Yasuo Fukuda, Chair of JPFP, APDA, and
AFPPD. In an open discussion with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MOFA), represented by Mr. Masaki Noke, Deputy
Director-General of International Cooperation Bureau, Hon.
Fukuda and other members present stressed the importance of
population-related ODA and requested MOFA to develop
cross-cutting solutions for population issues in the lead up
to the Rio+20 this year and the ICPD+20 in two years. It was
affirmed that population issues should be positioned at the
central focus of development assistance of Japan.
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3. Asian
Parliamentarians Review HIV Legislation |
Thailand – 30
parliamentarians from Indochina and other regions of Asia
and the Pacific came together to discuss HIV/AIDS
legislation. The event, organized by AFPPD in cooperation
with UNAIDS, was facilitated by representatives from civil
society organizations, key affected populations, and
resource persons from the UN system. The parliamentarians
were provided with the latest information on the HIV/AIDS
epidemic with recommendations on how they can improve legal
framework in their respective countries for more effective
HIV/AIDS responses.
Parliamentarians also had the opportunity to brainstorm and
identify major legal barriers in their own countries and
propose draft short and long term individual and collective
actions to address these barriers. The action plans produced
at the meeting by parliamentarians were then taken back to
their home countries for follow up.
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4. Parliamentarians at
the NGO Strategizing in Kuala Lumpur |
Malaysia – As
part of AFPPD parliamentarians’ knowledge enhancement
programme, AFPPD will bring four parliamentarians from
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines
to participate in the “Beyond ICPD and the MDGs: NGOs
Strategizing for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
in the Asia-Pacific Region” held by the Asian-Pacific
Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) in
collaboration with UNFPA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during
2-4 May 2012. At this strategizing event, Hon. Dame Carol
Anne Kidu, member of parliament from Papua New Guinea, will
make the closing address.
The meeting aims to discuss on the issue of Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights in Asia and the Pacific
region and develop advocacy strategies for achieving the
ICPD Programme of Action and the Millennium Development
Goals beyond 2014 and 2015.
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5. Global
Parliamentarians to Review Population and Development Issues
in Istanbul |
Turkey – The 5th
International Parliamentarians Conference on the
Implementation of the ICPD (IPCI) is a landmark of Global
parliamentary movements on population and development. To
strengthen their commitments on the ICPD and the MDGs, the
IPCI will bring together around four hundred
parliamentarians from around the world in Istanbul on
24th-25th May. AFPPD will sponsor, with UNFPA and JTF,
approximately fifty parliamentarians from Asia and the
Pacific region.
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6. Development
Cooperation on Harm Reduction |
Thailand – The
Development Cooperation on ‘Harm Reduction and Drug
Treatment, a choice, a right, or a duty’ was the issue
discussed at the seminar on 23 April 2012, organized by the
Department of Rights and Liberties Protection of the
Ministry of Justice, the Royal Thai Government, and the
United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Thailand. The seminars
provide a platform for development partners to discuss and
develop recommendations on policies and their
implementation.
During the seminar, many aspects with regard to Harm
Reduction and the Right to Health were discussed as they
apply to Thailand. It was generally agreed that voluntary
treatment for drug dependency is the most cost-effective and
humane approach. Consumption of narcotic substances is still
illegal in Thailand, and there is significantly strong
stigma against people who use drugs. These issues must be
addressed in order to enhance the successfulness of human
right and public health based approaches within the country.
Hon. Sen. Dr. Jetn Sirathranont, member of the Thai Senate
Committee on Public Health, and Mr. Tammavit Tasnavites,
Programme Associate, participated as representatives of
AFPPD. Dr. Pinit Kullavanijaya, former Secretary General of
AFPPD and current Assistant Secretary of the Thai Red Cross
was a resource person at this event.
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7. Indonesian
Parliamentarian Study Visit on EVAW in Vietnam |
Vietnam –
Ten-member delegation from Indonesia, including Chair of the
Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and
Development, Dr. Ahmad Nizar Shihab, visited Vietnam to
study and share information and experiences on conducting
Vietnam national survey on violence against women using WHO
multi-country methodology. The study visit was to access the
impact seven years after the adoption of domestic violence
law. The group also visited Vietnam parliamentary social
affairs standing committee. This visit was sponsored by
UNFPA Indonesia country office.
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8. Canadian
Parliamentary Group Denounces a Motion to Study When Life
Begins |
Canada – The
Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and
Development (CAPPD), through its chair, Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry,
expressed her opposition to the parliamentary motion to
review the legal definition of personhood in Canada. The
current legislation states that “A child becomes a human
being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely
proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother.”
CAPPD in collaboration of like-minded organizations is
working to convince law-makers to oppose this movement.
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9. German
Parliamentarians to Promote Study for Girls |
Germany – DSW of
Germany organized a breakfast meeting of All Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) on SRHR on the study to examine
the commitment of the German government to girls at the
political and project level. It recommended that girls
should be more strongly taken into account as the target
group in development strategy.
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Announcements |
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Reproductive and
Maternal Health Legislations on Policy Tracking Website |
You can find
population, reproductive and maternal health related
legislation and policy statements on AFPPD Population Policy
Website.
They can be viewed at http://www.afppd-populationpolicies.org/
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