Tokyo—The Japanese parliamentarian scene has drastically changed following the general election at the end of August. Many population programme supporters from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan have lost the election but many from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) have won. Two prominent victories are the re-elections of AFPPD and APDA Chairman and former Prime Minister of Japan Mr Yasuo Fukuda (LDP) and also Mr Chiaki Takahashi from the DPJ.

Bangkok—Over 40 participants including 22 parliamentarians from 16 Asia-Pacific countries met in Bangkok from 6-7 September for the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Engaging Men in Prevention of Violence against Women. Parliamentarians, advocates and UN experts shared their insight and policy experience in involving men and boys to prevent gender-based violence. The meeting culminated in a statement of commitment adopted by all delegates present, who pledged to do all they can to prevent and end violence against women and girls in their country. A standing committee of male parliamentarians on preventing gender-based violence was formed and the Hon. Sir Dr Puka Temu, Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, was elected its chairman. The meeting was organised by AFPPD and UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand.

Berlin—Dr Pinit Kullavanijaya, Senator of Thailand and Secretary-General of AFPPD, represented AFPPD at the Global Partners in Action NGO Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development, held in Berlin from 2-4 September. Over 400 delegates attended the first global NGO gathering on ICPD+15, which was successful in refocusing population and reproductive health and its linkages with the environment, climate change, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, violence against women and other cross-cutting issues. The need for forward-looking population and family planning programme also received support. In a five point Berlin Call to Action ending the forum, the delegates urged the international community to meet the 2015 deadline for achieving the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with UNFPA, will organise the Asia-Pacific High-level Forum on ICPD at 15 to be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok on 16-17 September. The participants of this Forum will comprise of high-level government delegations from Member and Associate Member countries of ESCAP and representatives from civil society organizations. In conjunction with the official Forum, the IPPF ESEAOR with partners will convene the Asia Pacific NGO Forum: ICPD+15 which will take place on 15 September 2009 at the UN Conference Centre. This NGO forum aims to provide a platform for discussion among NGOs regarding pertinent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues related to the achievement of the ICPD and MDG goals. (IPPF)

More than 90 parliamentarians, UNFPA country staff, WHO, ADB and others assembled in Bali on the heels of the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to review the state of maternal health and rights in the Asia-Pacific region, evaluate programmes and projects that are making a difference, and share knowledge and experience with members of parliament to seek their involvement to improve policies, programmes and effective implementation. This was an effort to develop country-level initiatives where parliamentarians can make a difference.
Among the prominent leaders and experts who shared their experience were Dame Carol Kidu, Minister of Community Development of Papua New Guinea and Mr John David Tangi, Speaker of the Parliament of Cook Islands, along with Mr Anand Grover, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Flavia Bustreo of WHO and Mr Ian Anderson of ADB. Ms Nobuko Horibe, Director of the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office, and Mr Sugiri Syarief, Chair of BKKBN, also addressed the opening. The conference produced country action plans and parliamentarians are committed to ensure their implementation at the country-level.

The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific was a truly remarkable event, with more than 3,000 people in attendance, including people living with HIV, people from vulnerable and marginalised groups, NGOs, governments, UN officials, minister and parliamentarians. They gather to deliberate how best to make HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support more effective.
AFPPD, UNAIDS, and the Asia-Pacific Leadership Forum arranged the participation of more than 25 ministers and parliamentarians in two high-level events. The satellite session “Women Parliamentarians Addressing Feminisation of AIDS” featured a diverse panel of women MPs from Papua New Guinea, Japan, Australia and the Philippines. The symposium “Translating Political Commitment into Actions” drew on the experience of MPs and ministers from Australia, India, Nepal, PNG, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Kyung-wha Kang. This ICAAP saw the largest parliamentarian presence ever and their participation was effective in raising awareness and promoting policy change.

Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN) organised a discussion with Members of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal on ICPD at 15 in July 2009 in Kathmandu. Mr Narahari Acharya, MP, and Ms Pratima Rana, MP, and several others spoke at the seminar. They agreed to form working groups on SRH, a women caucus to address women’s health issues, and work towards a target for allocating 10% from the national budget to the SRH sector. Dr Giridhari Sharma Paudel, Deputy Director-General of (FPAN), pledged to continue working with parliamentarians

Mr Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Leiataua, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa (and Vice Chair of AFPPD) and his Niuean counterpart Mr Atapana Siakimotu, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Niue have called for more support to youth programmes in the Pacific region as the world commemorates International Youth Day, 12 August. Both speakers are currently serving as Parliamentary Champions for youth advocacy for the Pacific Parliamentary Assembly on Population and Development (PPAPD and the Forum of Presiding Officers and Clerks (FPOC) and they both had the pleasant experience of engaging in dialogue with young people from around the Pacific during the Pacific Youth Festival held in Suva, Fiji last month. (PPAPD)

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, reaffirmed on 5 September its support for comprehensive sexuality education as an essential component of efforts to protect the health and rights of young people. 
“We are mandated by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to provide support to governments to protect and promote the rights of adolescents to reproductive health education, information and care,” stated Ms Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director. “We have been supporting national efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health education and services for young people for decades and we will continue to do so.” (UNFPA)

The Washington Post reported that new research has revealed that economic prosperity may not be linked to an inexorable decline in fertility. For decades, the rate at which women were having babies in many of the world’s most highly developed countries slowly declined and it stoked increasing concern among policymakers, demographers and social scientists about the long-term impact on societies. The new analysis has found that in many countries, once a nation achieves an especially high level of development, women appear to start having more babies again. (Washington Post)