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AFPPD Reviewed Advocacy Techniquesfor Working with Parliamentarians | |
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Bali, March 26-28: AFPPD has been working with parliamentariansfor the last 27 years, and has been experimenting with several approaches to reach and motivate them into action. Twenty-two parliamentarians and parliament staff from10 countries reviewed what approaches and techniques in working with parliamentarians have been most effective. Three days of intensive analysis of various approaches were evaluated by the parliamentarians themselves. Organized in cooperation with UNFPA-Indonesia and the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IFPPD), the "Regional Workshop to Review Advocacy Techniquesfor Working with Parliamentarians" gave guidance for future approaches. Mr. Zahidul Huque, Representative of UNFPA-Indonesia, and Ms. Aisyah Baidlowi, MP (Indonesia) and Chair of IFPPD, opened the workshop. | |
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Thai Minister Underlined the Threat of Increasing Population to the Environment | |
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Regional News
First Ever Pacific Men'sTraining on Violence Against Women & Gender Equality - 34 Men, 6 Pacific Countries
For the first time ever, Pacific mencame together to discuss and analyse the issue of violence against women and look at ways of working with women’s organizations to bring an end to the inequalities faced by women. This is actually a milestone in terms of work for women’s human rights in the Pacific , said Shamima Ali, Coordinator of FWCC and convenor of the training meeting.
According to Ali, this work has been more of an evolution with progress built on other milestones over the years. For us and the Pacific communities, the timing was right, because there is significant awareness on women’s rights issues and more specifically violence against women so it is timely that men be involved in this work, said Ali.
This training meetingwas unique becauseit brought together 34 men from 6 countries in the Pacific Region, and these are men who have undergone various stages of training and who are working alongside women’s organizations in their own countries. We have men from Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea; and all of them have been through an initial training with us. The men came from different backgrounds and are in positions where they can influence other men and they use the knowledge and skills in their line of work , said Ali. Participants included police officers, village chiefs, church representatives, youth workers and community workers.
Facilitating the trainingwas Stephen Fisher who is an expert on masculinities and programmes on violence against women. “For this training meeting we brought a facilitator from Australia who has a great deal of experience working in this area, and he took the participants much deeper into the issues of violence against women and women’s human rights. He has assisted us previously with programs in Fiji and Vanuatu , said Ali.
The training meeting was officially closed by the HE James Batley, the Australian High Commissioner.
Cambodia halt processing foreign marriages
The Cambodian government has halted processing all documents for marriages of its citizens with foreigners as a new step to minimize the possibility of human trafficking, officials said on Thursday. The suspension was prompted by concerns about the potential for exploitation and trafficking following a recent surge in the number of Cambodian women marrying South Korean men, said Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs You Ay.
She said that as of last Saturday, approval for all paperwork needed for marrying foreigners has been put on hold. She did not say how long the measure will last, but that it was introduced so that government agencies involved in processing foreign marriage requests "can work to strengthen their procedures."
"We are not denying our people's rights to marry foreigners, nor are we being discriminatory," she said. "But we have also seen the negative aspects out of such marriages" recently, she said, adding that the suspension affects all foreigners, not just South Koreans. She was not able to say how many Cambodian nationals have married foreigners. The South Korean connection made headlines here last month after a report by the Geneva-based International Organization of Migration said over the past four years, some 2,500 Cambodian women had married South Korean men, mostly through the services of underground matchmaking businesses. It said each man would pay up to $20,000 to marry a woman but that a bride's family would collect only about $1,000, while the rest of the money would go to brokers. Although their marriages appeared to be legal, the government has expressed concerns that brokered marriages could become a cover for human trafficking, in which women are tricked or forced into marriage.
Last month, it shut down two South Korean companies for engaging in the matchmaking business. Interior Minister Sar Kheng denounced the firms' activities as "human trafficking." "You're bound to have this type of problem when it's a business-oriented, profit-making type of environment," said John McGeoghan, an IOM project coordinator in Cambodia. He said the suspension "probably is going to upset a lot of people" but is "a good preventive measure" especially "if you want to protect these girls and have more potential for a better marriage."
Source: The Associated Press, 04 April 2008
International News
Ipas calls for further investigation of U.S. government censorship of abortion information
A federally funded Johns Hopkins University project, Popline, made a recent decision to remove an Ipas publication on abortion and human rights from a vast database of publications maintained as an international web-based resource for health researchers and the general public. Administrators further decided to block searches on the term “abortion” for visitors to the website, a decision reversed on April 4th by the Dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health when the issue reached the media. The Ipas publication, the Winter 2008 issue of A: The Abortion Magazine, was not re-instated.
Ipas regards the singling out of this publication for exclusion from more than 26,000 items on the Popline database that relate to abortion as another instance of excessive and politically-motivated government interference in free speech and academic freedom.
“As Americans, we count on decisionmakers at every level in our government to hold the line in protecting basic principles. Countless government-funded programs and publications have been subject to the same intimidation and censorship by this Administration, which has even extended to intrusion in science-based work of the World Health Organization. Such interference must end,” says Ipas President Elizabeth Maguire. “We call on members of the press to continue to investigate these issues so that we can see both the causes and consequences of these government actions.”
“Each year, more than 19 million women around the world are so desperate to end an unwanted pregnancy that they risk unsafe abortions because they can’t access safe services; more than 66,000 die and millions more suffer needlessly,” she adds. “This tragic reality will not go away no matter how many more attempts are made to suppress information about the problem and the solutions.”
There is no basis for the actions in a careful reading of standard contract provisions and legislation governing funding by the agency involved, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Similarly, the Bush Administration executive order known as the Mexico City Policy or the Global Gag Rule has no bearing in this case, because it applies to foreign private organizations.
The Ipas publication affirms women’s access to safe abortion as a human right. It does not promote abortion, maintaining that a woman’s decision to have an abortion is hers to make in accordance with her right to life, health, bodily integrity, nondiscrimination, privacy, liberty, and religious freedom. The publication features, among other things, articles by lawyers on the application of human rights treaties to abortion; an interview with the lawyer who filed the court case leading to decriminalization of abortion in Colombia; an interview with a lawyer who documented the consequences of abortion restrictions in Argentina and Mexico; an article on the plight of poor women in Ireland denied access to abortion even in cases of severe health problems; and an article on teaching human rights in medical and nursing schools.
Ipas, an international non-profit organization based in North Carolina, receives no U.S. government funds. The organization works globally to reduce maternal deaths and injuries due to unsafe abortion and to advance women’s sexual and reproductive rights. Ipas programs in every region train health providers, distribute reproductive health technologies, undertake research, and advocate on behalf of women’s access to safe abortion, family planning, and related reproductive health care. Ipas’s President, Elizabeth Maguire, served as Director of the Office of Population at USAID from 1993-1999.
For more information visit the IPAS website at www.ipas.org
MDGs in South Asia: Off track – World Bank
Progress Toward Nutrition, Health, Education, and Other Development Goals (MDGs) Off track in South Asia
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2008 — A new World Bank-IMF report warns that most countries in South Asia will fall short on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight globally agreed development goals with a due date of 2015. Though much of the world, including South Asia, is set to cut extreme poverty in half by then, prospects are gravest for the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality, with serious shortfalls also likely in primary school completion, nutrition, and sanitation goals.
“In this Year of Action on the MDGs, I am particularly concerned about the risks of failing to meet the goal of reducing hunger and malnutrition, the ‘forgotten MDG’,” said Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank. “As the report shows, reducing malnutrition has a ‘multiplier’ effect, contributing to success in other MDGs including maternal health, infant mortality, and education.”
The Global Monitoring Report: MDGs and the Environment—Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development stresses the link between environment and development and calls for urgent action on climate change. The report warns that developing countries stand to suffer the most from climate change and the degradation of natural resources. Arguably, few regions in the world are more at risk from climate change in terms of adverse impact on the poor than South Asia and the region faces a large potential health risk from climate change through increased malnutrition, diarrhea, and malaria. To build on hard-won gains, developing countries need support to address the links between growth, development and environmental sustainability.
“Developing countries need more foreign aid and domestic resources to reach the MDGs. High economic growth and a stable macroeconomic environment remain essential for reducing poverty and increasing investment in health and education.” said Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF Managing Director.
Progress toward the MDGs differs dramatically across countries, regions, and income groups, the report says. While most of the poverty reduction between 1990 and 2004 took place in East Asia and Pacific, South Asia would contribute the most to global poverty reduction in the next decade. However, South Asia is likely to fall seriously short in some areas, including primary education, gender parity in tertiary education, and child mortality goals. South Asia will likely not reach the goal of halving malnutrition rates. In fact, South Asia has the world’s highest incidence of child malnutrition and the child malnutrition rate in India is double the African average.
”Given South Asia’s recent, rapid economic growth, the lack of progress in reducing child malnutrition is all the more troubling,” said Shanta Devarajan, Chief Economist of the Bank’s South Asia Region. “It points to the need for a concerted effort to attack the problem at its roots—including better water, sanitation, pre-natal care for pregnant women, and nutrition and healthcare for newborns.”
With stronger efforts by the countries themselves and their development partners, most MDGs remain achievable for most countries, the report says. With this in mind, the report lays out an integrated six-point agenda, with strong, inclusive growth at the top. The agenda also calls for more effective aid; a successful outcome to the Doha round of trade talks; more emphasis on strengthening programs in health, education and nutrition; and financing and technology transfers to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“This year’s high level meetings in connection with the MDG halfway point provide an opportunity to agree on priorities for action and milestones for monitoring progress,” said Zia Qureshi, lead author of the report.
UN News
UN Human Rights Council Moves Forward on the Right to Safe Water and Sanitation - Resolution - Independent Expert on Water & Sanitation
On 28 February 2008, the UN Human Rights Council, the primary United Nations body for human rights issues adopted by consensus a Resolution on 'Human Rights and Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation.' Through this Resolution, the Council established a new 'Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.' The Independent Expert will work for 3 years on two primary tasks. First, to identify, promote and exchange on best practices related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and, in that regard, to prepare a compendium of best practices; and second, to carry out further clarification of the content of human rights obligations, including non-discrimination obligations, in relation to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
WOMEN & WATER - RIGHT TO WATER
Worldwide, over 1.1 billion individuals lack access to an affordable supply of clean water for their basic needs. Over 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. Many communities living in slums and low-income neighbourhoods in urban and rural areas are charged unaffordable prices for drinking water, spend several hours daily collecting water or have no alternative but to use contaminated water from rivers or unprotected wells. Clean sanitation facilities are frequently unavailable, inaccessible or insecure. Women and children bear the brunt of this neglect. Development-related evictions and relocations – a constant threat for slum-dwellers – can significantly reduce the access of the affected people to water and sanitation. The imposition of cost recovery for water services has slowed down extension of access and has led in some situations to mass disconnections. In several countries, well-intentioned efforts to resolve the problem have failed due to entrenched traditions of top-down management, discrimination and corruption. Such efforts will continue to fail until marginalised communities have the opportunity and capacity to genuinely participate in decision-making and to hold governments fully accountable.
The laws and policies of many countries provide scant protection for marginalised groups and often lack enforcement mechanisms. Water services can be disconnected without notice and without provision of an alternative water supply despite the dire threats to life and health. Water prices can be arbitrarily increased even where water costs constitute the bulk of an individual or family budget. There are an insufficient number of monitoring bodies to ensure the equitable implementation of water policies and provide redress for violations.
Many of the people denied such basic necessities live in countries with sufficient water supplies and finances or where the bulk of public subsidies do not primarily benefit the poorest members of society. Thus, the argument of scant resources cannot explain away these gross inadequacies. Rather, it is clear that a combination of discrimination, the lack of political will, the exclusion of communities, and inadequate legal structures result in such conditions. Most countries lack a proper system of monitoring and accountability to ensure the equitable implementation of water policies and provide redress for violations.
The international community has affirmed the human right to water in a number of international treaties, declarations and other documents. Most notably, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted in November 2002 a General Comment on the Right to Water setting out international standards and obligations relating to the right to water.
For more information, follow this link to COHRE http://www.cohre.org/water or to download the relevant UN documents in either word 'downloaddoc' or PDF 'downloadpdf' formats, follow the links below.
General Comment 15, United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2002) downloaddoc[en] downloadpdf[en]
UN Report Cites Major Gains in Treating Children With AIDS & Mother-To-Child Link
3 April 2008 – A United Nations report released today shows progress in treating children with AIDS and preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, but urges greater efforts to stem the tide of the global epidemic. According to Children and AIDS, there were some 2.1 million children under 15 living with HIV in 2007, most of whom were infected before birth, during delivery or while breastfeeding. And young people aged 15-24 still account for about 40 per cent of the new HIV infections among all people over 15 in 2007.
In addition, an estimated 290,000 children under 15 died from AIDS last year, and 12.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa lost one or both parents to the disease. “Today’s children and young people have never known a world free of AIDS,” said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which along with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) produced the report. “Thousands lose their lives to the disease every year, and millions have lost parents and caregivers,” she stated. “Children must be at the heart of the global AIDS agenda.”
The report examines progress and challenges in four key areas – preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children (PMTCT), providing paediatric treatment, preventing infection among adolescents and young people, and protecting and supporting children affected by AIDS. Among other findings, the report says that by the end of 2006, 21 countries, including Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa and Thailand, were on track to meeting the target of 80 per cent coverage for PMTCT by 2010, up from only 11 countries in 2005.
Also, the number of HIV-positive children in low- and middle-income countries receiving antiretroviral treatment rose by 70 per cent from 2005 to 2006. While the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretrovirals to reduce mother-to-child transmission increased by 60 per cent during the same period, it is estimated that only 23 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women are receiving antiretrovirals. “We are making progress but still face many challenges,” said Dr. Kevin DeCock, Director of WHO’s HIV Division. “Critically, we must provide antiretroviral treatment for women who require it for their own health, which will save their lives but also assure a future for their children. To achieve all this, health systems and their most precious component, the health care workforce, must be strengthened.”
Progress has been made in many countries with regard to the protection and care of children affected by AIDS and on their access to social services, as well as in school enrolment rates for children who have lost both parents to the disease. At the same time, AIDS-affected children are still more likely than other children to fall behind in school and to live in poorer households, according to the report. UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot noted that while important gains have been made in addressing treatment needs for children and in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. “However, much more needs to be done to prevent HIV amongst young people and adolescents if we are to make a major change in the direction of the epidemic,” he stressed.
The report urges more resources for prevention, treatment and protection efforts, implementing new initiatives and scaling up those that have already been tested and proven effective.
To see the full story visit the UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26191&Cr=hiv&Cr1=aids
Resources/Opportunities
Women PeaceMakers Program - The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
Now Accepting Applications for the 2008 Women PeaceMakers Program
- 2008 Women PeaceMakers Application
- Becoming a Woman PeaceMaker
- 2008 Peace Writer Application
- Becoming a Peace Writer
2008 Women PeaceMakers Conference: "Crafting Human Security in an Insecure World." Sept. 24 - 26, 2008
Application Deadline: May 23, 2008
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) in San Diego, California, is currently accepting applications for its Women PeaceMakers Program (WPM). The WPM program is designed for leaders from conflict-affected countries around the world who are transforming conflict and assuring gender-inclusion in post conflict recovery through in human rights advocacy and peace building efforts they lead. These are women whose stories and best practices will be shared internationally; they are women who will have a respite from the frontlines work they do.
Four Women PeaceMakers are selected each year to spend two months in residence at the Institute. They will receive a small stipend while having their unique peacemaking stories documented, through both film and narratives that will be available to inspire others around the world. Women PeaceMakers in residence will have the opportunity to engage with the community through a series of public panels and to meet with other activists and leaders involved in human rights, political action and peacemaking efforts.
The institute is also accepting applications for Peace Writers. Peace Writers document the stories of Women PeaceMakers for publication. Writers will interview the Women and engage in extensive research to become familiar with the histories of their conflicts and peacemaking efforts.
For more information about the program and an application please visit the IPJ web siteat http://peace.sandiego.edu or contact Erika Lopez, Women PeaceMakers Program Officer, at erika.lopez@sandiego.edu.
UNIFEM Materials
UNIFEM knowledge products related to the themes of the 52nd Session of the CSW:
Priority Theme: Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Review Theme: Women’s Equal Participation in Conflict Prevention, Management and Conflict Resolution and in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding
Violence against Women
Dates for the Diary
JUNE 2008
HARVARD UNIVERSITY JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
LEADERS IN DEVELOPMENT: MANAGING POLITICAL & ECONOMIC CHANGE
JUNE 9 - 20, 2008
During times of great change, leadership is critically important. This is particularly true today in developing and newly industrialized countries where the pace of political and economic change is accelerating rapidly. Today's leaders face an increasingly complex tapestry of economic, political, and social challenges.
Leaders in Development is designed for leaders in public affairs whose responsibilities place them at the center of these issues. During the program, participants will:
- Sharpen problem solving, analytic, and strategic action skills to help them plan, introduce, and sustain major policy and institutional reform.
- Consider new ways to strengthen representative politics and open markets, and manage the challenges of globalization.
- Share experiences with their counterparts in other countries in a collective search for effective responses to change.
Participants return to their countries with enhanced understanding of the tasks of leadership in promoting reform, greater knowledge of changes taking place internationally, and a renewed commitment to working with others to develop their societies.
For more information, follow this link here
JULY 2008
G8 Summit 2008, 7-9 July 2008, Tokyo, Japan
The G8 Summit 2008, which will include global health as a focus theme, will take place in Tokyo, Japan. An outline of the summit, including preliminary and fixed dates of minister meetings, as well as additional information, can be found at the official website.
Preparatory Ministers Meetings:
April 5-6 2008, Tokyo: Development Ministers Meeting
May 28-30 2008, Yokohama: TICAD IV – Tokyo International Conference on African Development
June 13-14 2008, Osaka: Finance Ministers Meeting
June 26-27 2008, Kyoto: Foreign Ministers Meeting
AUGUST 2008
International AIDS Conference – Mexico 2008
The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now, underscores the continued urgency of the pandemic and reminds us of the responsibility we have to take individual and collective action. For scientists, researchers, people living with HIV and other civil society leaders and professionals working in the field of HIV/AIDS, AIDS 2008 is an ideal opportunity to meet new colleagues and learn from the experiences of others engaged at the local, national and international levels. Join us in México City and help bring us closer to the goals of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. For more information about this conference visit the IAC Website.
SEPTEMBER 2008
Global Course: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform (Sep 15-27 2008), Bangkok, Thailand
The course explores key elements in designing efficient, equitable and financially sustainable population policies and reproductive health programs in the context of health sector reform and Millennium Development Goals. After attending the course, participants learn to recognize how the changing international and national policy environments affect their work in population and reproductive health and to identify the linkages among health, gender and poverty.
This two-week course is designed for staff from governments, donor agencies, international organizations, the World Bank, and NGOs working in the health sector. In addition, it targets staff from training and research institutions, as well as academics and researchers working in the areas of health, public administration and social sector reform.
The course is a face-to-face learning event and will be held at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The sessions will consist of presentations, readings, case studies and group work. Participants must have a good working knowledge of English to participate.
Information about how to apply and fees can be found through the website which you can access by following this link here.
OCTOBER 2008
ASIA PACIFIC ALLIANCE CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - Week Beginning 5th October 2008
NOVEMBER 2008
The AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development, November 14 - 17, 2008, South Africa.
You can expect to be enlightened, provoked and inspired by an exceptional group of thoughtful, forward-looking and fiercely committed women and men. You can expect to move beyond simply talking to getting involved in global action plans and campaigns that will emerge out of the Forum, but will last well beyond it. You can expect to work hard and gain an abundance of new skills, new knowledge, new colleagues, and new ideas for the long road ahead. You can expect to be welcomed, nurtured, fortified and challenged by a group of like-minded activists, academics and practitioners. And finally, you can expect to have more fun than you thought was possible at a conference!
For more information, visit the AWID Website.
Contributions and feedback are welcome - please send to email apa secretariat, phone (+64 4) 801 2621.