UNFPA IN THE NEWS – DECEMBER 10-16, 2005
FINAL MEMBERS JOIN THE U.N. ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
UN News Centre reported December 15 that Prof. Candido Mendes of Brazil and Prof. Pan Guang of China have become the final members of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's high-level group on the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between Islamic and Western societies and overcoming misconceptions which potentially threaten world peace. The story noted that Dr. Nafis Sadik of Pakistan , former head of UNFPA, is also a current member of the group. Read: UN News Centre
AFRICA : African Parliamentarians Discuss Abandoning Female Genital Mutilation
Awareness Times reported December 15 that parliamentarians from all regions of Africa met in Dakar to discuss violence against women, abandoning female genital mutilation and the role of national parliament. The story noted that r epresentatives from WHO and UNFPA attended the opening of the conference. Read: Awareness Times
ALBANIA : Health Ministry Reports Projects for 2006
SeeNews reported December 12 that Albania 's Health Ministry said it plans to launch and partly complete 35 million euros worth of projects funded by foreign donors next year. The story noted one of the projects, a one million euros family planning project, was funded by UNFPA.
ANTIGUA : Minister Proclaims Opposition to Abortion
Antigua Sun reported December 12 that during a UNFPA-sponsored workshop on reproductive health and gender equality, Minister of Labor, Public Administration & Empowerment Dr. Jacqui Quinn Leandro proclaimed that she is pro-life and does not support abortion, although she leaves room for certain situations in which abortions are unavoidable. At the workshop, Harold Robinson, UNFPA representative for the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean , said achieving the target of universal access to reproductive rights is a key component of the gender equality agenda, which is one of the Millennium Development Goals. Read: Antigua Sun
BANGLADESH : Workshop Calls on Media to Portray Women Positively
United News of Bangladesh reported December 12 that experts at a UNFPA-sponsored workshop titled "Women in Media" called for positive portrayal of women in the media instead of their stereotype projection. The story noted that UNFPA Country Representative Shuneeta Mukherjee presided over the workshop.
In a December 13 story, Financial Express reported that at the workshop, Special Envoy to the U.N. Secretary General on fistula, and HIV/AIDS in Asia, former Execurive Director of UNFPA Nafis Sadik urged the media to focus on positive things of women development rather than victims of violence and all kinds of exploitation. "Media, especially electronic media, has played a vital role in raising mass awareness on women rights", said UNFPA Assistant Representative Nurul Amin. Read: Financial Express
BOTSWANA : UNFPA Calls for Overhaul of Attitudes on Violence against Women
Daily News reported December 16 that during the commemoration of the International Day of Violence against Women and Children, UNFPA appealed for the overhaul of social norms and attitudes that condone discrimination and violence against women and girls. Alla Moyo from UNFPA said the first step to change the norms and attitudes is through awareness raising, behavior change and social mobilization. The second step is legal protection by strengthening legal systems and the rule of law. Read: Daily News
GHANA : Polygamy Attributed to Cultural Practices
Graphic Ghana reported December 15 that at the Northern Region stakeholders' consultation workshop for the development of the 5th Country Program of UNFPA, Ghana 's Northern Regional Population Officer Alhassan Amadu said the growing incidence of polygamy in the area to deep-seated socio-cultural practices. Assistant Country Representative of the UNFPA in Ghana Emmanuel Tofoatsi explained the goal of the workshop was to ask stakeholders to review the program. Read: Graphic Ghana
MEXICO : The Advancement of Women is Key for Development Progress
La Crónica reported December 16 that development progress is inextricably linked to the empowerment of women. This topic received special attention in UNFPA's “2005 State of Population Report ,” which revealed that gender discrimination undermines the effectiveness of development policies. Read: La Crónica
PAKISTAN : U.N. Agencies Provide Radios for Awareness Programs
Business Recorder reported December 11 that UNICEF signed an agreement with FM-100 to create awareness about hygiene, health, water, sanitation and environmental issues among quake victims in Muzaffarabad. The story noted that together, UNICEF and WHO would distribute 15,000 radio sets and that UNFPA pledged 10,000 more sets.
PHILIPPINES : 6 Provinces Boast of Progress
Manila Times reported December 14 that after five years of adopting UNFPA's pilot project on population and reproductive health issues, six provinces boasted of the campaign's success. Dr. Zahidul Huque, UNPFA representative, said the issues on population, health and poverty should be confronted systematically to pave the way for national and local development. Huque said the six provinces—Aklan, Cagayan North, Capiz, Cotabato, Iloilo and Nueva Vizcaya—presented different approaches to address the country's reproductive health problems. Read: Manila Times
PHILIPPINES : Manila Standard Awarded for Reporting
Manila Standard reported December 12 that it won two of the three top awards in the first annual PopDev (Population Development) Media Awards. The story noted that the PopDev Awards, which honors the most deserving print journalists and columnists who have written about the country's population problem, was organized by UNFPA and the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population Development Foundation Inc.
SUDAN : Reproductive Health Care in Post-War Sudan
Women's Enews reported December 11 story on the status of reproductive health care in post-war Sudan noted that only a few years ago, UNFPA was on the verge of expulsion from the country because the government felt reproductive health and contraception were a conspiracy against Islam. Not only is it one of Ahfad University 's main partners in teaching and providing reproductive healthcare, it is one of the largest international agencies in the country. Of the $13.5 million the fund will spend in Sudan between 2002 and 2006, $10.5 million will go toward reproductive health programs and assistance. Read: Women's Enews
THAILAND : Reproductive Health Care
Thairath featured a December 13 story that noted the Thailand 's Department of Health Ministry of Public Health plays a key role in reproductive health and has been receiving funding support from UNFPA. The department splits reproductive health into 10 main components – family planning, mother and child health care, violence against children and women, adolescent health, cancer in reproductive health organs, sex education, infection in reproductive health organs, post-abortion care and pregnancy complication, difficulty in getting pregnant and the state of well-being after the reproductive years. Read: Thairath
VIETNAM : Chairwoman Calls for Review of Migration Laws
Vietnam News Service reported December 16 that at a UNFPA-sponsored National Assembly review, Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu, chairwoman of the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee, said Vietnam needs a separate law on migrants, who often face discrimination when they move to larger cities in the country. Read: Vietnam News Service
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