APA UPDATE #27 January 2012

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

FROM THE SECRETARIAT

Join the E-discussion on Meeting the HIV Needs of Women and Girls!

APA Secretariat is inviting contributions to an e-discussion the first week of February focused on the HIV needs of key affected women and girls and setting priorities to meet the targets of the 2011 Political Declaration. The e-discussion is linked to the upcoming Asia-Pacific High-level Intergovernmental Meeting (HLM) on the Assessment of Progress against Commitments in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the MDGs (6-8 February 2012). Contribute to the discussion by signing up to the Asia Pacific Community of Practice on HIV, Gender and Human Rights (HIV-APCoP) here.

New Factsheet on Women and Girls and the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV!

 APA Secretariat, in collaboration with APCASO, has developed a new factsheet addressing the impact of the 2011 Political Declaration on women and girls, including key affected populations.    Part of the InFocus series, this factsheet the zooms in on what the Declaration means for the lives of women and girls in Asia and the Pacific in the context of the challenges they face and policy and programme responses needed to overcome these, and highlights the three targets and elimination commitments that are most crucial for women and girls.   Read the factsheet here.

Members of the New APA Task Force on Resource Flows

APA Secretariat is pleased to announce the following members of the new APA Task Force to guide the follow up research on resource flows for SRHR , and thanks them for volunteering their time and expertise: Suzanna Dennis and Suzanne Ehlers Population Action International (PAI); Shiv Khare, Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development  (AFPPD); Sean Mackesy-Buckley, Family Planning International, New Zealand;  and Joanne Ramadge, Sexual Health and Family  Planning (SH&FPA) Australia.

ASEAN Workshop on Human Rights and Development

APA Secretariat will be participating in the “Workshop on Human Rights and Development in ASEAN” from 30-31 January 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The workshop aims to give an overview of the human rights framework and how it is being used as an approach to development, as well as any challenges in the implementation of the human rights based approach to development in the ten ASEAN nations.

FROM THE MEMBERS

Jane Bruning Speaks at HLM Side Event on Meeting the Specific Need of Women and Girls in the HIV Response

Jane Bruning (APA Member) will speak at the side event ‘The Gender Agenda: Ensuring National HIV Responses Meet the Specific Needs of Women and Girls’ at the Asia-Pacific High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Assessment of Progress against Commitments in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the MDGs.  Jane Bruning is on the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS PCB, for Asia Pacific, on behalf of APN+ and the National Coordinator of Positive Women Inc, New Zealand.

Pathfinder Develops New Tools for Advocacy Initiatives

Pathfinder International has developed a new  series of advocacy tools: 1) setting advocacy priorities; 2) assessing the political environment for advocacy; and 3) mapping an advocacy strategy.  The 'Straight to the Point' series is intended for organizations that want to include in-country advocacy and public policy work among their programmatic strategies, and lead the user through the three essential steps to developing an advocacy initiative. 

SPOTLIGHT ON ASIA PACIFIC 

First South Asia Reproductive Rights Case Development Workshop

Apply now for the first South Asia Reproductive Rights Case Development Workshop taking place in July 2012, in Kathmandu, Nepal, and organized by Center for Reproductive Rights. The workshop will bring together lawyers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to learn about international and comparative law in reproductive rights, to share experiences and lessons learned through litigation, to develop new litigation initiatives, and much more. Deadline for applications is 29 February 2012. Read more here.

GLOBAL RESOURCES, NEWS AND UPDATES

Gates Announces Family Planning Remains a Priority

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has identified that family planning is a key priority for the year ahead in the annual letter from Bill Gates.  Read the letter here.

Increase in Global Proportion of Unsafe Abortions  

Findings from a new study indicate an inverse association between the proportion of women living under liberal abortion laws and with the abortion rate. According to ‘Induced abortion: incidence and trends worldwide from 1995 to 2000’ by Sledge, the proportion of abortions that are unsafe has increased since 1995, such that nearly half of all abortions worldwide were unsafe in 2008.  Read more here. 

Registration Open for the AIDS 2012 Conference 

Registration for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) is now open. Applications for the AIDS 2012 Global Village, Youth Programme, Workshops, Satellites and Exhibition are being accepted. Abstracts can submitted under the following five programme tracks: Basic Science; Clinical Science; Epidemiology and Prevention Science; Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science; Implementation Science, Health Systems and Economics.  Read more here. 

Calling For Nominations of Inspiring Ideas and Solutions for Women!

Women Deliver is spotlighting the top 50 inspiring ideas and solutions that deliver for girls and women. Nominate the most innovative, impactful, and promising advancements in overcoming gender inequality.  Deadline for nominations is 10 February. Read more here.

Calling for Nominations for the 2012 Red Ribbon Award!

The global call for nominations for the 2012 Red Ribbon Award is open. The award will be given to ten organizations that have shown outstanding community leadership and action on AIDS, and will be presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington DC in July 2012.  The five categories are: Prevention of sexual transmission; Prevention among people who use drugs; Treatment, care and support; Advocacy and human rights; Stopping new HIV infections in children and keeping mothers alive; women's health. Deadline for applications is 29 February.  Read more here.