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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.

PPFK Turns 50

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.

NEWS, RESOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES

Reminder: Deadline Approaching for OHCHR Inputs

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.

Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality

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.

India to Focus on Maternal Health Not Just Population Control

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.

'Population Explosion' is Main Cause of Pakistan’s Socio-economic Problems

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.

MSI Launches New Reports on IUD

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.