Commitment from Asia Pacific Rim to finish the agenda on family planning, HIV and the environment
APA members will strengthen efforts to raise awareness on the neglected needs and to adequately address them by campaigning to finish the ICPD agenda on family planning, HIV and AIDS and environmental issues by 2015.
This is one of the main outcomes of the APA Advocacy goals and Action plan developed during the 9th APA Conference and meeting series held in Chiang Mai in late 2008. This Conference was made possible by support by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. With representation from over 50 organisations and 10 countires, including NGOs from developed and developing countries, Government and overseas development agenciew, UN agencies, the exergy present and the experiences shared made for a powerful conference that strengthened collaboration and resolved a more focussed campaigning.
APA members expressed a strong commitment to reduce maternal mortality by campaigning on the importance of providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and supplies in poverty reduction strategies. APA members further emphasised the important linkages between SRHR, HIV and AIDS, environmental issues and the pivotal role that young people played in any ongoing discussions. Furthermore, increasing involvement of the new and emerging donors in the Asia Pacific Rim such as China and India were seen as important parts of any future strategy to increase financial support in the future.
The recommendations and commitments will be translated into different symposiums, skills building sessions, campaigns and advoacy messages at upcoming international conferences such as ICPD reviews, ICAAP Bali and APCSRHR in China.
Chiang Mai was chosen for the venue of the conference as it had a strong focus on the Sexual and Reproductive Health needs of Migrants, Refugees and Internally Displaced Populations living and working within the Asia Pacific Region. Within a 200 km radius of Chiang Mai, lie the countries of Laos, Burma, China and Cambodia making it ethnically diverse and a hot spot for many groups to congregate for access to basic supplies and essential services. With a passionate and articulate group of presenters that ranged from local outreach NGOs to UN representatives, the conference provided a strong base for tying the advocacy needs of migrants, refugees and migrants to the Advocacy goals and Action plans of APA.
During the afternoon, a donor session was held with representation from the Packard Foundation (Sono Aibe), USAID (Sandra Jordan), and the Gates Foundation (Oying Ramon). The panel discussion addressed donor trends and current challenges in suppoting migrants and refugees and their reproductive and health rights including HIV and AIDS. The panel also discussed the challenges presented by the phasing-out of donors in particular areas and by the lack of commitment by some donors to appropriate investment in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.
Outcomes from the Conference and Meeting series have been translated and adopted into the 2009 - 2010 Asia Pacific Alliance Advocacy Plan which can be downloaded by following this link here.
