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Published on Friday, 03 May 2013 08:39

APA UPDATE #06 MAY 2013

E-NEWS AND INFORMATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS

FROM THE SECRETARIAT

APA and Members at Regional Prep Meeting for the 6APPC

APA, along with members Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFFPD), International Council on Management of Population Programs (ICOMP) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) East & South East Asia and Oceania Region (ESEAOR) are joining the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 6th Asian and Pacific Population Conference (6APPC), 8-10 May in Bangkok. APA and AFPPD, as Bangkok-based CSO focal points, are coordinating a two-day CSO meeting around 6APPC to strengthen CSO participation in the ICPD process. For more information on 6APPC from a CS perspective, email us or follow us on Twitter @AsiaPacAlliance.

WD session: Visionary Development Goal on SRHR

The ‘Visionary Development Goal on SRHR’ session at Women Deliver at 18:30-20:30, 28 May in Room 303, is organised by APA, the European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGOs); and Women's Global Network of Reproductive Rights (WGNRR). The session presents the goal and explores how it can establish targets that advance the ICPD PoA, and related conventions, in the post-2015 development framework. To RSVP contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FROM THE MEMBERS

Raks Thai: Forum on RH Services for Migrant Workers in Thailand

Raks Thai Foundation is organizing a consultative forum on “Approaches to Provision of Reproductive Health (RH) Services for Migrant Workers in Thailand” on 14-15 May in Bangkok, Thailand. Following the consultation, recommendations will be made to the Royal Thai Government for effective RH services for migrants workers in Thailand. The forum is supported by APA under the advocacy grant program ‘Scale Up Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Asia Pacific: MDGs 2015 and Beyond’.

Positive Women Inc: Jane Bruning on New UNAIDS Dialogue Platform

Jane Bruning of Positive Women Inc is a member of the new UNAIDS Dialogue Platform on the Rights of Women Living with HIV, initiated in December 2012. The platform is meant to support effective and meaningful participation of women living with HIV in UNAIDS policy and programmatic dialogues, in particular those related to social transformation. In addition, the platform seeks to enable UNAIDS to benefit from the guidance of women living with HIV in regards to key emerging issues faced by women living with HIV.

ACPD: Attempts to Reinforce Traditional Family at the UN

"Attempt to reinforce traditional family at the United Nations" is an article by Neha Sood of Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD), published in Reproductive Health Matters. The article highlights current events at the UN Human Rights Council as they relate to the recent attempts to introduce a resolution on the protection of the family. Read the article here.

Pathfinder: Joins the ‘Raise for Women’ Challenge

Pathfinder International has been chosen to compete for a slate of prizes that are being awarded to organizations whose missions centre on advancing the status of women. The Raise for Women’ Challenge will award the top three organizations to raise the most for their cause $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000. Read more here.

PAI: Paying for Public Health Out of Our Own Pockets

According to the latest Population Action International (PAI) blog, the global burden of paying for health services continues to fall disproportionately on the consumer. Of the $67.8 billion needed for population activities in 2011, the gap between the donor share and actual funding reached $10.8 billion, and more than 63 percent of domestic spending on population activities constituted out-of-pocket spending by consumers. Read more here.

FOCUS ON ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Vietnam: Calling for Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

Vietnam is moving towards LGBT equality, as the Vietnamese Health Ministry has called for same-sex marriage to be legalized, warning that research shows stigma against lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) people can damage their physical and mental health. Read more here.

PNG: Emerging HIV Risk

A new study in Papua New Guinea has highlighted the emerging HIV risk in Papua New Guinea, as it relates to closed settings and alcohol and other drugs. Two assessments were undertaken: alcohol and injecting and other drug use and HIV; and HIV risk, prevention, treatment and care in closed settings. Read more here

Deadline: ICAAP Abstract and Proposal Submission

Proposals and abstracts for the upcoming 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11) must be submitted by 31 May. ICAAP11 takes place 18 to 22 November 2013. Read more here.

GLOBAL NEWS, UPDATES AND RESOURCES

Results: CPD 2013

The 46th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) calls on States to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants and to take a comprehensive and balanced approach to the increasingly complex issue of migration. Read more here. The 48th session theme in 2015 has been designated as “Realizing the future we want: integrating population issues into sustainable development, including in the post-2015 development agenda”.

ICPD Beyond 2014: High Level Task Force Releases Recommendations

The High-Level Task Force for ICPD is calling for intensified political will and investments to make SRHR a reality for all, with key policy recommendations for the ‘unfinished Cairo agenda’, in order to address critical gaps in the implementation of ICPD. Read more and access the recommendations here.

Scientists on Brink of HIV Cure

Researchers believe that there will be a breakthrough in finding a cure for HIV “within months”. Danish scientists are expecting results that will show that “finding a mass-distributable and affordable cure to HIV is possible”. Read more here.

Women Deliver: Win a Scholarship

Women Deliver has a contest to win free registration to the Women Deliver 2013 global conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Use your social media skill and 1) Submit a photo demonstrating how girls & women deliver Or 2) Design the next Women Deliver social media badge. Read more about the contest here.