1. APDA conducts capacity-building project for Afro-Asian parliamentarians
The Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) of Japan in cooperation with UNFPA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan organised an important parliamentarians’ capacity-building workshop in Tokyo from 7-10 July. The workshop is designed for African and Asian parliamentarians to strengthen their capacity on enhancing accountability and aid implementation for population and related programmes. Parliamentarians were briefed by Mr Yoshihisa Ueda, Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr Takahisa Kusano, Director-General of JICA, and other experts. Parliamentarians’ role in good governance was also discussed.
2. South Asian parliamentarians give full support for universal access to RH services
South Asian parliamentarians, media professionals and senior policymakers gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal from 28-30 July for the SAARC Parliamentarians Conference on “Advocacy to Achieve Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services and Commodity Security.” The opening session was chaired by the Hon. Mr Uma Kant Chaudhary, Health Minister of Health, Nepal and addressed by H.E. Dr Ram Badan Yadav, President of the Republic Nepal, Mr Najib Assifi, UNFPA Representative in Thailand and Deputy Director of UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office, Mr Jayanti Tuladhar, UNFPA Regional Technical Adviser, and others from UNFPA. Hon. Mr Subash Nembang, Speaker of the Nepal Constituent Assembly, gave the closing address.
The meeting was organised by UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office in collaboration with AFPPD. For more information, please contact Mr Jayanti Tuladhar at tuladhar@unfpa.org.
3. AFPPD and UNAIDS mobilise parliamentarians for 9th ICAAP
The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) will be held in Bali, Indonesia from 8-12 August 2009. AFPPD with UNAIDS is mobilising parliamentarians from Asia-Pacific countries in a couple of events. On 10 August, a major symposium brings together eminent ministers and MPs from Australia, India, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam to explore ways to “Translate political commitment into action on HIV/AIDS.”
A satellite session the next day features a unique panel of Asia-Pacific women parliamentarians, who will address the worrisome trend of feminisation of HIV/AIDS and discuss ways to reduce gender inequities and women’s vulnerability to HIV infection. Several other interesting sessions will also feature parliamentarians. Over 30 parliamentarians will be at ICAAP. For more information, please visit www.icaap9.org.
4. Parliamentarians workshop on harm reduction
AFPPD is collaborating with Response Beyond Borders in organizing a parliamentarians’ workshop on harm reduction on 8 August evening at the Hyatt Hotel in Bali. Dr JVR Prasada Rao, Director of UNAIDS Asia-Pacific Regional Support Team, will chair. This is an on-going effort by AFPPD to further parliamentarians’ involvement in this area.
5. 20th World Population Day
The World Population Day 2009 was observed worldwide. This year it received special attention in the US and from UN agencies other than UNFPA, such as the World Bank. Ms Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, called on all leaders to make the health and rights of women a political and development priority. “Investing in women and girls,” said Ms Obaid, “will set the stage not only for economic recovery, but also for long-term economic growth that reduces inequity and poverty.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his belief that “investing in women’s health, especially reproductive health, can not only save the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleash an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year.” All Asian countries observed the Day with special events. (UNFPA)
6. Indian health minister asks parliamentarians to get involved
The Government on India on 23 July ruled out any new laws or measures for enforcing family planning programmes and called for increasing public awareness instead. Health Minister Hon. Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad asked members of parliament to create awareness in their constituencies.
The Minister said in Rajya Sabha that the issue of Family Planning had not been discussed for the past 32 years and now was time to take the issue seriously and change people's mindset. ''We will not make laws...no new law or force will enforce it...But we have to publicise and launch a campaign for population control,'' Mr Azad said. Asserting that no religion was against family planning, the Minister said the notion in the country that one particular religion did not want family planning, was wrong. (UNI).
7. China and India conduct reports on poverty reduction
IPS reported on 14 July on studies by the Chinese and Indian governments on their progress toward the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and the various government programmes to reduce poverty and curb rapid population growth. China vows to achieve the MDGs by the 2015 deadline, while India is not optimistic on its own prospects.
8. AFPPD Executive Member promoted to Minister of Finance of Malaysia
AFPPD congratulates Hon. Dato’ Seri Haji Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Chairman of AFPPD-Malaysia and Executive Member of AFPPD, for his promotion from Deputy Minister of Finance to Minister of Finance (II) of Malaysia.
9. Philippine RH Bill has public support
An opinion piece by the Center for Reproductive Rights on 7 July on ABS-CBN News and the Philippine Inquirer highlighted the status and significance of the country’s pending Reproductive Health Bill. The Philippine Inquirer reported that multiple surveys have found widespread support for the liberalisation measure, which is opposed by the politically influential Catholic Church.
10. Solomon Islands drops female MP proposal
The Government of the Solomon Islands has dropped a proposal to reserve seats in the national parliament for women in next year's general election, reports ABC. The government said it does not have enough support to pass the measure in its current form. It was meant to give women 10 seats in the parliament, which has had only one female MP in its 31-year history since the nation's independence. (PacNews)
11. PNG minister pleas for women quota in parliament
Papua New Guinea’s women’s representation in parliament is 0.9%, compared to Timor Leste (29%), Afghanistan (27%) and Nepal (33%) in the Asia-Pacific region. The statement on special measures for women’s parliamentary representation was presented in PNG parliament in mid-July. Community Development Minister Dame Carol Kidu said: “We can either continue to be one of the countries at the bottom of the list of women’s parliamentary representation globally, or we can choose to change this and take temporary measures to ensure that women are allowed their constitutional right to participate in the parliamentary processes of Papua New Guinea.”(PacNews)
12. UK parliamentarians warns of risks of unchecked population growth.
The UK All Party Parliamentary Group launched the 2009 update for their Report: “The Return of the Population Growth Factor: Its Impact on the Millennium Development Goals” in the House of Commons on 14 July. The update reveals that since the original publication family planning has continued to suffer decline, which could put in jeopardy the UN medium population projection in 2050. The findings thus suggest with increasing urgency that the current rates of population growth will make the MDGs difficult or impossible to achieve.
The MPs warn that the failure to prioritise family planning in overseas development aid is resulting in population growth levels that present a serious threat to health, economic development and the environment in some of the poorest countries. (UK APPG)
13. Advocate links population, poverty and climate change
In an opinion piece published in The Christian Science Monitor on 10 July, Worldwatch Institute Vice President Mr Robert Engelman emphasized the links among climate change, poverty reduction and the ability of women to determine their own fertility. “People increasingly understand that the subject is only one part of most of today's problems and that "population control" can't really control population,” said Mr Engelman, “handing control of their lives and their bodies to women – the right thing to do for countless other reasons – can.” Mr Engelman was a speaker at AFPPD’s 9th General Assembly in 2008, which focused on the linkages between population and climate change.
14. Top UN climate change official addresses Spanish parliamentarians
In an address to the Spanish Parliament Commission for Climate Change, Mr Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, highlighted the leadership shown by Spain in recognising the critical importance of adaptation for the poorest and most vulnerable nations. He recognised Spain’s leadership on climate change and the commitment demonstrated by Spanish parliamentarians. Mr de Boer called on governments to provide the “legal, tax, standards and regulatory structures” that would enable people to take action on climate change “not just because they believe it is right, but because it makes commercial and economic sense for them to do so.” (UNFCCC)
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