March 2011
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- Parent Category: News
- Published on Friday, 25 March 2011 12:12
APA UPDATE #6 March 2011
E-NEWS AND INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
APA would like to express our solidarity to our members and partners in Japan who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country and the nuclear threat that followed.
Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on Universal Access
The 2011 Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on Universal Access will be held in Bangkok on 29-31 March 2011. The consultation will review a consolidated regional report based on an analysis of the outcomes of the UA national consultations and the 2009 UNGASS report. The three-day event will kick off with a one-day conference for CSOs and the three regional groupings (ASEAN, PIF and SAARC). The regions and the CSOs will prepare and review their progress reports. APA has prepared a letter with recommendations for the meetings highlighting the need for stronger linkages with Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV/AIDS. Read more.
MEMBER NEWS
Lend a Hand to Women Most Affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
Support JOICFP in responding to the reproductive health needs of girls, women and mothers in the hardest hit areas of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Read more.
APA Members at the UA
APA Members Raks Thai Foundation, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, International Council on Management of Population Programmes and partners International Planned Parenthood Federation South Asia Regional Office and the East and Southeast Asia and Oceania Region Office will be at the 2011 Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on Universal Access. Supecha Baotip of Raks Thai is presenting Gender and SRHR linkages during the CSO day on 29 March. The regional consultation with governments will be held 30-31 March 2011. All events will be held at the Plaza Atheene Hotel, Wireless Road, Bangkok.
44th Session of the CPD
The 44th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) is happening on 11-15 April 2011. With the theme “Reproductive Health, Fertility, and Development” the conference will be held at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA. APA members Population Action International and Family Planning International New Zealand are attending the event. Read more.
Thailand on HIV/AIDS
Raks Thai Foundation and GESTOS organised a meeting on UNAIDS’ Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV 2010-2014 on 21-22 March 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting aimed to create awareness and support for the Accelerated Country Action among key government organisations and civil society partners; and to develop commitment for joint advocacy to increase indicators of gender equality. The participants will bring the issues and commitments to the National AIDS Seminar that is happening on 29-31 March at Nonthaburi, Thailand.
To celebrate their 50 years, the Planned Population Federation of Korea (PPFK, APA member) is holding a celebration ceremony on 1 April 2011 titled “Korean Population Policy for the Future 50 Years”. The celebration will bring valuable opportunities to share Korean development experiences on population and reproductive health as well as to contemplate the way forward for the organisation. Read more about PPFK here. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is seeking input from governments and other stakeholders, including civil society, into a key analytical compilation on good and effective practices in adopting a human rights-based approach to eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity. Deadline for input is 1 April 2011. Word limit is a maximum of 3,000 words. Read more. A new report from the World Health Organization confirms a significant decline in the number of deaths from unsafe abortion worldwide. However, the data show that women in least-developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden. Read more. As part of its plans to reduce the number of maternal deaths, "the government wants to reposition the approach towards family planning by focusing on the health of the mother and the child", said Kiran Ambwani, India's family planning division deputy commissioner. By doing so, India hopes to lower its maternal mortality rate, she said. Read more. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that population explosion and lack of long-term planning were the major causes of all socio-economic challenges being faced by the country. Read more. Marie Stopes International’s (MSI) Research and Metrics team collaborated with the World Health Organisation to investigate the dynamics of IUD use in developing countries. They recently launched the reports confirming the effectiveness of the IUD, showing low failure rates and low discontinuation compared with alternative methods. These reports can be used as important advocacy tools to re-energise efforts in IUD provision to achieve the shared goal of providing accessible, affordable and safe contraceptive services. Access the MSI publications here.PPFK Turns 50
NEWS, RESOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES
Reminder: Deadline Approaching for OHCHR Inputs
Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality
India to Focus on Maternal Health Not Just Population Control
'Population Explosion' is Main Cause of Pakistan’s Socio-economic Problems
MSI Launches New Reports on IUD
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- Parent Category: News
- Published on Thursday, 10 March 2011 09:23
APA UPDATE #5 March 2011
E-NEWS AND INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
Sign On to Our Recommendations
Forty-six national, regional and international civil society organisations have signed on to the recommendations to be submitted to the UNAIDS 2011 Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on Universal Access on 29-31 March 2011. APA will bring these recommendations to the consultation and we are still accepting sign-ons. APA is pushing for more HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health integration, among others. Read the recommendations.
APA at the UN Women East and Southeast Asia Regional Consultation with CSOs
APA secretariat attended the UN Women East and Southeast Asia Regional Consultation with Civil Society Organisations on 3-4 March 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Consultations with a broad range of stakeholders are being held to identify strategic and sustainable policy and technical support that UN Women shall provide. Read more.
10th APA Conference Report Now Online
The APA Secretariat is pleased to announce that the 10th APA Conference and Meetings: Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for the MDGs Report is now available online. The report features live links to enable readers to go directly to web pages and references for easier online navigation. Read the report.
MEMBER NEWS
New Women’s Partnership Helped Raise Funds on International Women's Day
Marie Stopes International Australia (MSI Australia, APA member) along with the savvi Group, an online emporium, have today joined forces to help raise sexual health awareness and funds for women in need on International Women’s Day. Read more.
Burnet Institute Celebrated 25 Years
APA Member Burnet Institute’s 25th anniversary celebrated their contributions made to global health and the role the many supporters of the Institute had played. Read more.
ARHA Dinner to Honour Founder and Patron Marie Coleman
On 20 March 2011, the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA, APA member) will be hosting a dinner in honor of patron and founder Marie Coleman. The dinner is open to members, guests and the public. Read more.
PAI Celebrated International Women’s Day
On International Women's Day, Population Action International (PAI, APA member) celebrates family planning as one of the most effective ways to better women's lives by improving maternal and child health, preventing HIV infection, enhancing girls’ education and reducing poverty. Yet, millions of women around the world still need access to contraception. Read more.
NEWS, RESOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES
Building Women’s Global Meaningful Participation in the HLM on HIV and AIDS
In the processes leading up to the High Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV and AIDS in June 2011, a virtual consultation led by ATHENA Network and Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) is ongoing to ensure the broadest possible engagement and representation of women (and girls wherever possible). Deadline to participate in the survey is 13 March. Read more.
Opportunity to Comment on Draft UNAIDS Budget and Accountability Framework
Now is the chance to comment on a draft outline of the new UNAIDS unified budget and accountability framework (UBAF) outline. Stakeholders are also invited to send their written comments on the draft outline of the UBAF by email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. not later than 16 March. Read the draft outline and explanation of the process.
Nepal Advances as US Backslides on Women's Rights
As the U.S. Congress launches one of the most vicious attacks against women’s health in recent history, the Supreme Court of Nepal has officially issued a ruling unequivocally recognizing a woman’s right to abortion as a crucial component of her reproductive rights. Read more.
Women in the Philippines Marched for RH, Marched for Life on International Women’s Day
On the 100 year celebration of International Women’s Day, women and supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill headed by the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network marched to the Philippine Congress. Read more.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Understanding of Legal Professionals about Safe Abortion
Asia Safe Abortion Partnership has completed "A Study of Knowledge, Attitudes and Understanding of Legal Professionals about Safe Abortion as a Women’s Right”. The study was conducted in Pakistan, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Indonesia. The reports are now available on ASAP website.
The Right to Contraceptive Information and Services for Women and Adolescents
UNFPA and the Center for Reproductive Rights are launching the briefing paper The Right to Contraceptive Information and Services for Women and Adolescents. The paper provides practical guidance for activists, scholars, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, governments and other actors working in the area of sexual and reproductive health to integrate human rights into programmes and policies on contraceptive information and services. The formal launch will be on 23 March 2011, 11am-12.30pm at the UNFPA Conference Room 5D, 605 Third Avenue, New York City.
GCWA Calls for Steering Committee Members
The GCWA is currently calling for applications for civil society seats, as well as one UN seat on its Steering Committee. Applicants are encouraged to be from the Asia & the Pacific region or from the Africa region. Deadline is 13 March. Read more.
PRB Data Sheet on World’s Women and Girls 2011
Check out Population Reference Bureau’s (PRB) The World's Women and Girls 2011 Data Sheet. The data sheet features the latest information on a wide variety of indicators on the socioeconomic status of women and girls in more than 180 countries, with a focus on demography, reproductive health, education, work, and public life.
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