December 2010
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- Parent Category: News
- Published on Thursday, 16 December 2010 10:13
APA UPDATE #21 December 2010
E-NEWS AND INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
Season's Greetings
APA secretariat would like to thank all members and partners for supporting our work to ensure everyone’s right to health is fully achieved through the promotion and inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights. We wish you all a healthy 2011.
APA at the UNIFEM (Part of UN Women) regional NGO consultation
APA Secretariat attended the UNIFEM (Part of UN Women) East and Southeast Asia Consultation on UN Women with Regional NGOs on 15 December 2010, Bangkok. The consultation aimed to seek the view of regional NGOs on the mandate of UN Women, identify priorities and needs for UN Women to address in the region and to come up with sub-regional recommendations for UN Women HQ.
APA at Thailand’s National Health Assembly
APA Secretariat attended Thailand’s Third National Health Assembly (NHA) Sharing and Learning Programme on the Healthy Public Policy Process this December in Bangkok, Thailand. The Healthy Public Policy programme provides comprehensive understanding on NHA by exchanging knowledge and experience to build a network of public policy processes to promote ‘Health in All Policies’ in Asia and the Pacific.
MEMBER NEWS
UNFPA – ICOMP Regional Consultation on FP in Asia and the Pacific
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Council for the Management of Population Programmes (ICOMP, APA member) held a three-day regional consultation on Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific- Addressing Challenges. The consultation focus on the urgent need for governments in the region and the donor community to continue, as well as increase investments in family planning as a critical element to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially universal access to reproductive health. A Call for Action was drafted on the final day of the consultation. Read more.
Outputs online: International Youth Forum in Seoul
Outputs of the 21st International Youth Forum (IYF) such as the Youth declaration are now available online. The National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea (NCYOK, APA member) is the coordinating body of the 21st IYF under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Korea held in August in Seoul. Read more.
Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
The Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (PGPD) in Australia launched a sub-committee: Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women in November. Participants at the launch committed to time-bound and targeted actions towards the elimination of violence against women through the communique signing ceremony. The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA, APA member) serves as Secretariat to the PGPD. Read more.
NEWS, RESOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES
Progress in Addressing Unsafe Abortion – But Too Many Women Still Die
Although new estimates from the World Health Organization indicate a substantial 48% decrease in the number of women dying from unsafe abortion, unsafe abortions have not decreased. Too many preventable deaths and injuries of women from unsafe abortion still occur and women in developing countries remain especially susceptible. Read more.
New Study Debunks Research Suggesting Abortion Leads to Mental Health Problems
In a new analysis, Julia Steinberg, University of California, San Francisco and Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher Institute show that the findings of a 2009 study which claimed that women who had reported an abortion were at an increased risk of several anxiety, mood and substance use disorders, compared with women who had never had an abortion—are not replicable. Read more.
Guide to European Population Assistance Funding
The German Foundation for World Population (DSW) released the new online Guide to European Population Assistance Funding. The Guide is an interactive online database of European funding programmes and development policies designed as a functional aid for resource mobilisation covering 31 European donors and 42 grant programmes. Read more.
How Effective is European Aid to the Health Sector?
Join the second round of online discussion of DSW and the Action for Global Health (AfGH) Network. This round’s topic is: 'How do we deliver aid to health? The impact of harmonisation and alignment on health spending in developing countries.' Post your answers to the following questions by Friday, 17 December 2010. The online discussion is between October 2010 and April 2011 focusing on Aid Effectiveness in the health sector. Register for this discussion.
Global Fund and MDG5
‘The Global Fund Exploring New Ground: Investing in Health Systems and MDG 5’ commissioned by International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, presents an overview and analysis of recent developments in the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and their potential for advancing MDG5. Read more.
Trade Agreements Should Not Hinder Efforts Towards Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) calls on all countries to ensure efforts towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support are not impeded by bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Read more.
Activism through Art
The Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) is sponsoring the Global Creative Contest, an art contest designed to showcase young people's creative expressions of three important issues related to HIV and AIDS: comprehensive sexuality education, stigma and discrimination, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Now open for submission. Deadline is on 30 January 2011. Read more.
Symposium on Human Population Growth and Global Carrying Capacity
On 25 - 26 May 2011, a major international symposium Population Footprints will be held in London. The symposium will provoke debates on human population growth and global carrying capacity. It will feature topics such as ‘How should paradigms of gender and sexual rights be developed to meet the current challenge?; Causes and effects of migration; Medium term implications of differential global patterns and trends in ageing and shifts in cultural dynamics; 'Fair' and sustainable level of carbon emission for each person.’ Read more.
- Details
- Parent Category: News
- Published on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 07:51
APA UPDATE #20 December 2010
E-NEWS AND INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
UNIFEM launches UNiTE Campaign
APA Secretariat attended the Asia-Pacific Regional Launch of the UN Secretary General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign on 25 November 2010 in Bangkok. UNIFEM (part of UN Women) organized the launch which coincided with the observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The event was graced by Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha and Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Read more.
APA welcomes the appointment of new UNFPA ED
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Babatunde Osotimehin as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). APA welcomes the appointment of Mr. Osotimehin and looks forward to future collaborations with UNFPA.
MEMBER NEWS
Webinars mark World AIDS Day
A compelling new series of online seminars featuring New Zealanders living with HIV has been launched to coincide with World AIDS Day. The webinars (web-based seminars) aim to raise awareness on AIDS and create a more supportive world for people living with HIV. The webinars are supported by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF, APA member).
Positive women on HIV Stigma
As part of the webinars mentioned above, Jane Bruning of Positive Women (APA Member) held a session on HIV Stigma – The Impact of Stigma on People Living with HIV/ AIDS on World AIDS Day. Read more on the session.
Take Action. No Discrimination. Get Informed.
“Take Action. No Discrimination. Get Informed,” is the message of a two-minute video clip by Family Planning NSW, in partnership with the Heterosexual HIV/AIDS Service (Pozhet). Family Planning NSW is a member of Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia (SH&FPA, APA member).
Two trainings in November
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD, APA Member) provided the Parliament Staff Training on Population Policy Tracking and Monitoring. Twenty-five staff members of national parliamentary committees from 14 Asia-Pacific countries attended the training in Bangkok on 7-10 November 2010. Thereafter, the Young Parliamentarians’ Consultation on ICPD Issues was organized from 27-28 November. Approximately 40 young parliamentarians (defined as 35 years of age or younger) from 14 countries in the region were joined by UN representatives and experts from the field of population and development. The young parliamentarians committed to fight for reproductive health rights, HIV/AIDS, mother and child rights and other contemporary population challenges.
NEWS, RESOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES
Adding it Up, Fact Sheets and Updates
Following the release of new maternal and neonatal mortality estimates earlier this year, the Guttmacher Institute has released a fact sheet updating several key findings from the 2009 report Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health. They also released an updated regional Adding It Up fact sheets with new estimates particularly for South Central and Southeast Asia countries. The Facts on Satisfying the Need for Contraception in Developing Countries were also updated to reflect the new mortality figures. Read more.
Call for Submission: Global Commission on HIV and the Law
The Global Commission on HIV and the Law is calling for submissions for the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue that will take place on 24-25 February 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Deadline of the call for submission is on 20 December 2010. Read more.
Population, Health and Environment toolkit
The Population, Health and Environment (PHE) toolkit serves as a comprehensive and inclusive central location for information and resources on PHE and integrated projects for practitioners, program managers and health, conservation and development professionals. Integrated approaches may include components such as family planning and reproductive health, basic health services, education and outreach, sustainable livelihoods, coastal and natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. Read more.
World Bank opens call for nominations
The World Bank has opened the call for nominations for the new World Bank-Civil Society Consultative Group on Health, Nutrition and Population (CSCG-HNP). Deadline for receipt of all nominations is 6:00 p.m. EST December 15, 2010. Read more.
Pope Benedict: Use of condoms acceptable "in certain cases"
Pope Benedict XVI has commented in an interview for the book 'Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times' that using condoms can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of HIV. AIDS organizations and activists, conservative Catholics, the Vatican and other groups have various reactions. Read the editorial of the Economist.
Behind Bars
‘Behind Bars’ – a collection of interviews published online by the International Planned Parenthood Federation - exposes how criminal laws on HIV transmission are affecting people’s working and private lives all around the world. Read more.
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