UNFPA IN THE NEWS – JULY 24-30, 2004

ARMENIA: HIV/AIDS Growth Due to Shortage of Latex Contraceptives for Men

Arminfo News Agency reported on July 28 that HIV/AIDS is spreading in Armenia because there is a shortage of quality condoms. Since May 2004 UNFPA Armenia and the Union of Young Doctors of Armenia have implemented a campaign to raise public awareness and provide high quality condoms to prevent against HIV/AIDS.

CANADA: Support for UNFPA

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin ( Ontario ) editorial on July 28 noted: “global perception of the United States as a cooperative and compassionate team player is probably waning at this point,” since defunding UNFPA again. It further states: “in any case, wouldn't a more constructive approach be to affect change from within rather than complain about the problems from the sidelines? Withholding funds, though meant to send a stern message to country leaders, only serves to make it impossible to aid those who need it most.”

ETHIOPIA: Djibouti Worries Over Aids Spread From Ethiopia

Africa News reported on July 30 that while Ethiopia faces an HIV/AIDS epidemic, its neighbor, Djibouti fears that Ethiopian prostitutes could fuel an increase in their own country. Aicha Ibrahim from UNFPA stated that those who have sex rarely use condoms. "Use of the condom is not automatic, not systematic, even if they are available in pharmacies," Ibrahim said. To curb the disease’s spread, the government is focusing on prevention.

GAMBIA: World Population Day

The Independent (Gambia) reported July 26 that as a part of efforts to observe 10 years implementation of the United Nation's International Conference on Population and Development, National Population Secretariat in collaboration with the UNFPA in Gambia has convened a national conference in Tendaba, with over one hundred participants drawn from all the five divisions.

PHILIPPINES: Economic Growth Needs Effective Family Planning Program

Agence France-Presse reported July 27 that Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's ambitious economic reform package outlined in her state-of-the-nation address has little hope of success unless she implements an effective national population program, analysts said. The story mentioned United Nations Population Fund representative in the Philippines Zahidul Huque said even a growth of four to five percent in the economy would be irrelevant if the country failed to look at ways of reducing its population growth.

SOUTH AFRICA: Cost and Custom Limit Use of Female Condoms

Inter Press Service reported on July 28 that although popular among South African women, the higher cost of female condoms is limiting its use. The female condom is unique in that it is the only form of contraception which women themselves can control that protects them from HIV/AIDS and other STIs. UNFPA funds programs in Malawi , Lesotho and Swaziland that distribute the female condoms.

UNITED STATES: Editorials Continue Support for UNFPA

The Post-Standard (U.S.) July 29 editorial noted the Bush administration’s anti-abortion bias promotes global abortion. The administration’s decision to withhold funding, which would not go to promoting or financing abortions, is based on faulty evidence. It further stated that UNFPA has helped persuade China to abandon its one child policy, and thanks to its work has helped infant and maternal mortality decrease and the ratio of abortions to live births has dropped below the U.S. level. Read also: Capital Times, Wisconsin State Journal, Houston Chronicle, Denver Post, Sheboygan Press, Free Lance-Star, Charleston Gazette.

UNITED STATES: UNFPA an Election-Year Issue

"There are three things my brother is going to do when he's elected president," Peggy Kerry told a Boston event at the Harvard Club by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Feminist Majority, reported The Washington Times July 27. Mr. Kerry will restore $34 billion to the United Nation's population fund for family planning, she pledged, and the Democrat will make sure that "CEDAW," an international treaty to eliminate discrimination against women, is ratified in the Senate. "He will also appoint pro-choice judges to the Supreme Court," she said, as the crowd of more than 300 women cheered. At least three and perhaps as many as four justices could retire in the next few years, NOW leader Kim Gandy and other speakers said. United Press International’s July 26 story also noted that Peggy Kerry pledged her brother would restore the $34 million "that was stolen" from the U.N. Population Fund by the White House. Read: Washington Times

ZIMBABWE: Saving Women’s Lives by Ox-Drawn Carts

Zimbabwe Standard reported July 25 that in Zimbabwe expecting mothers are officially transported to health centers in novel ox-drawn ambulances that can travel, at most, at about 10km per hour. Faced with an unprecedented health crisis, the country has become host to this pilot project, the first of its kind in the world, where the use of ox-drawn ambulances is being explored by a health task force made up of UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and Ministry of Health. Read: Zimbabwe Standard

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