UNFPA IN THE NEWS – SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 1, 2004

STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2004

The Star Tribune (U.S.) ran a September 27 editorial that noted: “Ten years ago this month, world leaders made a promise: By the year 2015, they resolved, poor women in every country would have access to reproductive health care. Fulfilling that pledge, they knew, would avert millions of maternal and infant deaths. It was an indisputably great idea, but how much progress has been made toward the destination? Far too little.” The editorial noted: “The progress can be measured in dollars, as UNFPA's just-released annual report seeks to do: At Cairo, it notes, wealthy countries pledged $6.2 billion annually for reproductive health by 2005. As things stand, they're giving only half of the promised yearly sum. Meanwhile, developing states are showing real commitment: By 2003, they were mustering $11.7 billion a year for reproductive-health programs.” Read: Star Tribune, The Star (South Africa)

Ghana: The Ghanaian Chronicle September 30 story mentioned that at the launch of UNFPA’s State of World Population 2004 report in Ghana, UNFPA Representative, Makane Kane, described the progress of the ICPD Programme of Action as "uneven" and called for "reinforced action to achieve greater success." He said the urgent need to "marshal and consolidate efforts could not be overstated" and explained that it was to meet this need that the UNFPA had drawn up a ten-year report, to review the progress already made, and to redefine "new challenges, opportunities and priorities." Read: Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana News Agency

Philippines: BusinessWorld (Philippines) September 30 story mentioned that urbanization, a rapid rural-to-urban migration, will continue, according to UNFPA’s 2004 world population report.

WHO REPORT ON MATERNAL HEALTH

UN News Centre reported September 28 that the campaign by the World Health Organization includes the distribution of “Beyond the Numbers – Reviewing Maternal Deaths and Complications to Make Pregnancy Safer,” a manual for health planners and providers. The $10 million project also involves training decision-makers, national health planners and medical service providers in high-priority countries. The story mentioned that the initiative is being carried out in collaboration with more than 20 regional and international agencies, including UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank. Read: UN News Centre

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND HIV/AIDS

A September 29 column by Rina Jimenez-David in The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted, “Violence against women is both a cause and a consequence of HIV/AIDS," found a joint report by UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNIFEM, titled “Women and HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis.” While the true extent of violence against women around the world is unknown, current research indicates that violence at the hands of spouses or intimate partners "ranges anywhere from 10 to 69 percent, and one in four women may experience sexual violence from a partner in her lifetime." The figure doesn't even include violence at the hands of strangers.

ASIA AND PACIFIC: Leaders Lacking Knowledge of HIV/AIDS

PNG Post-Courier (Papua New Guinea) reported September 27 that politicians in the Asia-Pacific region know little about the effects of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic on the youth in their countries at recent a meeting sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund and the Asia Forum for Parliamentarians on Population and Development.

CAMBODIA: Surviving Genocide

The Tampa Tribune (U.S.) ran a September 26 column on Cambodia’s political climate by Rosemary Goudreau that told of how Tum May survived the genocide that decimated Cambodia. Goudreau mentioned that Tum now works at the United Nations Population Fund and added that the Bush administration refused to support the U.N. family planning organization despite bipartisan backing for it in Congress. Read: Tampa Tribune

GHANA: A Draft Policy for Aging Population in the Works

Ghana News Agency reported September 27 that a draft policy on ageing, aimed at setting the tone for meeting the needs and solving the problems of the aged, is being reviewed by the Cabinet, said President John Agyekum Kufuor. In a speech read on his behalf by Eddy Akita, Minister of State in Charge of Fisheries, President Kufuor said his government was working hard to ensure that the draft policy was approved and sent to Parliament by December. Akita read the speech at the opening of a four-day Helpage International Africa Regional Workshop, which is being attended by about 30 representatives of aged organizations from 15 countries, UNDP, DFID, UNFPA, UNECA, AU and WHO. Read: Ghana News Agency

KAZAKHSTAN: 20th Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on Population and Development

A number of the national mass media, including Panorama and Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, Kazakh national TV and radio channel, reported on the 1st of October that UNFPA positively appraised efforts undertaken by Kazakhstan to achieve ICPD PoA goals, as stated by the UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Mr. Kunio Waki on the 20th Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development held in Almaty on the 28-29 of September. The meeting was organised by the Asian Population and Development Association and the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and supported by UNFPA, AFPPD and IPPF to review the progress achieved towards ICPD PoA.

Mr. Waki noted that there had been noticeable positive social, economic and political changes in many regions of the world, however, stressed the need for stronger linkages between population and the broader social and economic contexts. There has been a number of laws adopted in Kazakhstan, which have laid a more supportive environment for achievement of ICPD. Mr. Nurtai Abykaev, the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, marked the great importance of the Forum being held on the tenth ICPD anniversary in Almaty, host of the “Health for All” Declaration. The Forum adopted the Declaration, which will be reflected on at the meeting of Parliamentarians on Population and Development in Strasbourg in mid-October 2004

LIBERIA: Discussion on Adolescent Development and Teen Pregnancy

The Inquirer (Liberia) reported September 28 that the Children Assistance Program (CAP) has conducted a two-day focus group discussion on adolescent development and teenage pregnancy. The CAP reproductive health training program sponsored by UNFPA was held for 60 adolescents at the Jah Tondo and Wilson Corner Youth Friendly Centers. At the opening of discussions, UNFPA representative, Bernice Dahn said early sex may lead to teenage pregnancy as well as contracting of sexually transmitted infections which also may lead to their early death. Read: The Inquirer

NEPAL AND INDIA: Early Marriage Not By Choice

In an op ed by Bindu Chaudhary that ran in The Telegraph (Nepal) on September 28, Chaudhary mentioned that according to UNFPA’s State of the World Population 2003, sixty percent girls in Nepal and fifty percent girls in India get married before they turn 18, in spite of legislation against early marriage. Early marriage is not by choice, but due to different socio-economic factors. Read: The Telegraph

PAKISTAN: Female Adolescents More Vulnerable to Maternal and Infant Mortality

Daily Times (Pakistan) reported September 26 that UNFPA found that female adolescents are more vulnerable to maternal and infant mortality. The latest UNFPA report stated that in the age group between 15 and 19, about 17 percent of females are married, and in the age group between 20 and 24, about 54 percent of females are married. There is also an urban and rural difference in adolescent marriage practices. About 15 percent of urban girls below 19 years of age are married whereas 42 percent of rural girls under age 19 are married,” the report said. The report claimed that the use of contraceptives is extremely low among married adolescents and 22 percent reported unmet need. Read: Daily Times

PAKISTAN: Country Rated High Risk at Spreading HIV/AIDS

Kerala Next (Pakistan) reported September 30 that Pakistan is a "high-risk" country for the spread of HIV/AIDS due to several socio-economic, demographic and behavioral factors, according to a recent UNFPA report, “Pakistan Population Assessment, 2003.” The report says that about 0.1 percent of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS. However, the country is considered to be at high risk for a number of reasons including the widespread cultural denial of behaviors that spread HIV and sexually transmitted infections in general: low literacy rate and a poor educational environment; pervasive poverty; gender issues; and a young population (63 percent being under 25 years), says the report. Read: Kerala Next

PAKISTAN: Government Urged to Do More for People Living with HIV/AIDS

The Daily Times (Pakistan) September 26 story mentioned that Faryal Gohar, a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund, said the government should set a up a proper system for the treatment of HIV patients. Read: Daily Times

SUDAN: Hepatitis E Continues to Rise

IRIN reported September 29 that the number of reported cases of suspected Hepatitis E in western Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur has risen to 6,861, including 87 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update on the outbreak issued September 28. The story mentioned that UNFPA warned after the outbreak was first reported that unless immediate action was taken to stem the disease in Darfur, it could spread quickly among the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people living in camps with poor sanitation. It said while Hepatitis E usually had a fatality rate of one to four percent, the virus was several times more lethal when it infected pregnant women. In one camp where the virus had been detected in West Darfur, UNFPA said, six of the eight people who died were pregnant women. Read: IRIN

UNITED STATES: Funding UNFPA to Empower Women

The Asheville Citizen-Times (U.S.) September 26 editorial concluded: “Empowering women with the knowledge and the means to control their reproductive health is essential to controlling the world's population. That's what the U.N. Population Fund is about. We can have an impact by making sure our president knows we support the fund and want to see the $34 million Congress made available given to it.” Read: Asheville Citizen-Times

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