UNFPA IN THE NEWS – JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2005

REGIONAL MDG FORUM APPROVES DECLARATION OF BRASILIA ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS

Agencia Brasil reported August 4 that Ministers, congressmen and representatives of civil society from 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries met in Brasilia to discuss regional progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in preparation for the U.N. summit scheduled for September. The meeting in Brazil reviewed gender equality and sexual and reproductive health in Latin America and the Caribbean. Data from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, shows that the situation in these areas is uneven. Out of 151 countries surveyed, half of them had legislation promoting gender equality; one third had specific policies dealing with the problems; but only 13 countries (out of 151) had concrete action programs. Read: Agencia Brasil

Agencia Brasil reported August 5 the Declaration of Brasilia on sexual health and reproductive rights was approved. The document is part of a series of proposals that will be presented at the U.N. summit in September. According to Tânia Patriota, Brazil's UNFPA representative, the Brasilia forum provided an opportunity for participants to discuss the challenges they face in achieving the goals, especially in the areas of sexual health and reproductive rights. Patriota points out that one of the millennium goals is to reduce maternal mortality. "That means expanding access to healthcare. All women should be able to obtain emergency obstetric care, not just some." Read: Agencia Brasil

AFGHANISTAN: Family Planning and Reproductive Health Center Reopened

IRIN reported August 2 that at least seven major reproductive health care centers are reactivated in maternal hospitals of Kabul after funding was made available by UNFPA in August. According to Ahmad Zeya Yousufzai, executive director of Afghan Family Guidance Association, "The UNFPA funding, which is $50,000 for the next six months, is a vital bridging assistance this year until we are fully registered with IPPF in 2006 and get our budget from its core fund." Read: IRIN

AFGHANISTAN: UN Convoy Attacked

Xinhua General News Service reported August 1 that a U.N. convoy in Afghanistan was ambushed in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday, in which a driver for UNFPA and a policeman of the convoy were injured, U.N. spokesperson Adrian Edwards said. Read: Xinhua General News Service, Reuters

BOTSWANA: Goodwill Ambassador Gives Motivational Talks to Youth

Daily News (Botswana) reported August 1 that former Miss Universe, Mpule Kwelagobe arrived in Gaborone to conduct her ambassadorial duties as the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. During the visit, she is scheduled to have motivational talks with youth and meet with President Festus Mogae. Read: Daily News

Daily News (Botswana) reported August 4 that during a recent motivational conference with UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, Mpule Kwelagobe in Gaborone, various youth groups said financial constraints defeat the spirit of volunteerism. Read: Daily News

INDIA: Sting Operation Announced to Monitor Female Feticide

Times of India reported August 1 that in an effort to check one of India's worst menaces --female feticide--the union health ministry will launch on August 16 the country's first National Surveillance Cell to check and control female feticide. The ministry said UNFPA helped to finance the task force. Read: Times of India

INDONESIA: Population Report Calls for Careful Planning

Jakarta Post (Indonesia) reported August 4 that according to the Indonesian Population Projection 2000-2025 report, the government must carefully plan its development policies over the next decade, focusing on human resource improvements, to utilize a rare opportunity in boosting the nation's productivity when the population experiences its lowest dependency ratio ever. The report was prepared by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in cooperation with the Central Statistics Agency and UNFPA. Read: Jakarta Post

Antara (Indonesian news service) reported August 2 that Bernard Coquelin, UNFPA representative in Indonesia, said, "The [population report's] projection can be used to anticipate future demographic changes and enables the government to make the right policies and regulations." He also said that the government should give more attention to national policies on the elderly and their implementation, and plan special programs to ensure the empowerment and welfare of senior citizens. Read: Asia Pulse

KYRGYZSTAN: Men Found to Have Little Interest in Reproductive Health

IRIN reported August 3 that in Kyrgyzstan, where the vast majority of the population lives in rural areas, men demonstrate little to no interest in reproductive health. "I don't go to doctors. My wife goes there. It's her business. Why do I need to? I am completely healthy," explained Azamat, a 30-year-old carpenter in Kochi village of Kyrgyzstan's eastern province of Isyk-Kol. "There are several reasons why men are reluctant to learn about reproductive and sexual health," said Alessandra Pellizzeri, manager of UNFPA's "Stronger Voices for Reproductive Health" project. Pellizzeri said the apprehension is in the lack of confidentiality within rural clinics and the fear that other residents of the village would find out. Still another reason, along with a lack of education and awareness, is an acute lack of trust in female medical practitioners. Men prefer to go to male doctors, but in rural areas of the former Soviet republic, the majority of health personnel are female--the number of female doctors was 8,711 nationwide, while only 4,900 were men. Research carried out by UNFPA and financed by the Japanese government in 2003 in the north of Kyrgyzstan revealed that 44 percent of men never used condoms as opposed to 15 percent who reportedly used them often and one third of all male respondents thought that a woman had the capacity to prevent a pregnancy herself. "In December 2004 we conducted a workshop on reproductive and sexual health education and surprisingly, no men participated in the event. It is a big problem of the mentality of people living in rural areas," said Pellizzeri, acknowledging the problem. To address the issue, UNFPA conducted research and organized seminars for urologists to improve their work with men. This year it continued such education workshops among another group of urologists, as well as religious leaders, who play a significant role in men's life. Meanwhile, young people welcome such discussion, much to chagrin of their elderly peers who deem such discussion of sexual and reproductive health as inappropriate. Read: IRIN

PHILIPPINES: Former UNFPA Head Remembered

Manila Bulletin (Philippines) ran an August 4 op ed by Hern Zenarosa who remembered the late Rafael Salas, former UNFPA head, on his 77th birth day anniversary. Zenarosa wrote: "He left the government service in 1969 to organize and head UNFPA in New York with the rank of U.N. Undersecretary General. Initially a small entity in the United Nations System, the UNFPA became the largest multinational population assistance program in the world, thanks to Salas' creativity and unerring vision." Read: Manila Bulletin

UNITED STATES: Alex Sanger Speaks at Teen for Tomorrow Luncheon

Rocky Mountain News (U.S.) reported August 2 that Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains recently hosted Alex Sanger, Goodwill Ambassador for UNFPA and Chairman of the International Planned Parenthood Council, who discussed themes from his latest book in front of more than 200 PPRM supporters at the annual Teens for Tomorrow Luncheon. Read: Rocky Mountain News

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