UNFPA IN THE NEWS – OCTOBER 1-14, 2005

AFRICA: Maternal Deaths

African Woman and Child Feature Service ran an October 5 interview on maternal mortality in Africa with Director of UNFPA's Africa Division, Fama Ba, who said: "It is important to talk about the scope and magnitude of these needless deaths affecting over three million women in developing countries. Nearly one million children become orphans. Of the 521,000 women who die annually from pregnancy and birth-related complications, over half are to be found in Africa."

BHUTAN: Her Majesty Returns from Advocacy Campaign

Keunsel (Bhutan) reported October 4 that UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck returned to Thimphu after a two-week advocacy campaign on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in the remote northern regions of Lingshi, Gasa and Laya. During the tour her majesty met with the local people and expressed her deep concern on the community's high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Read: Keunsel

CHINA: Aging to Accelerate

Xinhua General News Service reported October 12 that that Siri Tellier, UNFPA representative in China, said that due to sharp decline of mortality rate and fertility rate, China's aging tendency will be accelerated after 2005.

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: Population issues in the PRSP

La Collecte reported October 4 on UNFPA's efforts to make sure population issues are included in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Congo. Read: www.planeteafrique.com/lacollecte

EL SALVADOR: U.N. Calls for Immediate Help on Flood and Volcano Emergencies

UN News Centre reported October 7 that the U.N. stepped up its efforts to help El Salvador confront the twin emergencies of disastrous flooding and volcanic eruptions by asking donors to contribute nearly $8 million to ensure the immediate survival of more than 50,000 displaced people now in shelters throughout the Central American country. The joint UN effort involves numerous agencies, including the WFP, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, FAO and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. United Press International also covered this story. Read: UN News Centre, United Press International

EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA: Conference on Technical Assistance

Prime-News Agency (Georgia) reported October 2 that UNFPA and the Global Fund held a joint conference to reorganize strategies and search for alternatives of technical assistance for the Global Fund projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Read: Prime-News Agency

GHANA: Expert Urges Counseling Units

Ghana News Agency reported October 2 that Samuel Badu-Nyarko, Principal of the Kumasi Workers College, advised HIV counselors to form counseling units at the community level. Badu-Nyarko said that since the 2003 inception of the distance education course on HIV/AIDS counseling and care giving by the Institute of Adult Education and UNFPA, a total of 1,056 adults have benefited from the training. Read: Ghana News Agency

GUATEMALA: Flash Appeal for People Affected by Floods

UN News Centre reported October 10 that the U.N. launched a $22-million flash appeal for Guatemala where severe flooding and mudslides caused by hurricane Stan have killed hundreds of people and inflicted an estimated damage of more than $400 million to the livestock, coffee and banana industries. U.N. organizations mobilizing assistance include UNICEF, WFP, WHO, UNDP, FAO, UNFPA, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and U.N. Volunteers. Read: UN News Centre

INDIA: Expert Says Women's Education Is Imperative

Hindustan Times (India) reported October 5 that at a UNFPA-supported workshop, "Population, Development and Gender," Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies director Professor Geshe Nawang Samten said women's education was a must to counter the problem of increasing population. Hindustan Times reported October 4 that UNFPA Project Coordinator Meena Varma said that various organizations including Grameen Punar Nirman Sanstha, UP-Bihar Healthwatch and Stri Adhikar Sangathan and academic institutes such as Banaras Hindu University will present their views at the workshop. Read: Hindustan Times

KAZAKHSTAN: Analysis of First National Census

Panorama reported October 1 that UNFPA presented an analytical report of the first national census of the Republic of Kazakhstan, conducted in 1999. Ms. Yuriko Shoji, resident representative of UNDP/UNFPA, said the report contains a wealth of information on the census data, and will serve as a useful reference and planning tool for state agencies, researchers and the wider public.

MALAWI: Mother's Day Celebration

Xinhua General News Service reported October 10 that at Malawi's Mother's Day celebration, Dorothy Lazaro, UNFPA program officer in Malawi, described childbearing in Malawi as a sad occasion. "Child birth is supposed to be a joyous occasion but to most mothers in Malawi it becomes a very sad occasion which tears families apart," she said.

MALAYSIA: U.N. Looking for Strategies to Reduce Poverty

Bernama (Malaysia) reported October 11 that UNDP is looking at strategic opportunities to work with the Malaysian government to improve the lives of people in poor countries. "We are currently working on the idea and also helping to initiate a project with 10 countries to reduce poverty in those areas," said Richard Leete, U.N. resident coordinator, and UNDP and UNFPA resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam. Read: Bernama

MALDIVES: UNFPA Representative Meets with President

Haveeru Daily (India) reported October 1 that UNFPA Director of the Asia-Pacific Division, Sultan A. Aziz, met with Maldives' President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and noted the Maldives's efficient humanitarian relief efforts in the aftermath of the tsunami. He assured the President of UNFPA's commitment to assist in development programs in the country. Read: Haveeru Daily

MONGOLIA: UNFPA Representative Updates Parliament

The Daily News (Mongolia) reported October 6 that Delia Barcelona, UNFPA representative, updated Mongolia's Parliament Standing Committee on Social Policy on UNFPA's current country program. She highlighted the high rate of maternal deaths in western provinces due to a lack of quality care and clients seeking health care at a late stage. She told parliament members that one of five pregnancies resulted in abortion and 39% of maternal deaths occur among herder families.

PACIFIC: Fiji Agrees to Be UNFPA Center for Pacific

Fiji Times reported October 6 that Sultan Aziz, UNFPA director for Asia and the Pacific, said, "We are very fortunate that Fiji has agreed to become the center for the Pacific region and we can successfully disseminate information from here to other Pacific countries." He said UNFPA developed a new program to introduce contraceptives to women. Read: Fiji Times

PAKISTAN: Flash Appeal for Victims of Earthquake

United Press International reported October 12 that the United Nations launched a $272-million flash appeal to help Pakistan recover from the recent earthquake which killed more than 30,000 people, injured some 60,000 more and left 1 million others in acute need of life-saving assistance, 2.5 million homeless and 4 million affected. UNFPA has begun trucking in medical supplies, warning that tens of thousands of women in the affected areas are currently pregnant and need adequate nutrition, medicines and antenatal care to deliver safely. Xinhua General News Service also reported on this story. Read: Xinhua General News Service

Press Trust of India reported October 10 that while praising the international community for its generous assistance to earthquake victims in Pakistan, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for greater coordination in relief efforts. The U.N. agencies, including UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, WHO, UNFPA had immediately activated their in-country capacities and dispatched relief supplies and experts. Xinhua General News Service also reported on this story.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: No Time for Complacency on HIV/AIDS

Solomon Star reported October 4 that Director of Country Technical Services Team Najib Assifi said the Solomon Islands needs to take action against HIV/AIDS now rather than later. "There is no time for complacency. This is time for action and UNFPA will work to promote condoms and any information regarding ways to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading because this issue has to be addressed now," Mr Assifi said. Read: Solomon Star

UGANDA: IDP Deaths Found to Be Above Emergency Threshold

IRIN reported October 12 that a recent health and mortality survey carried out by the Ugandan health ministry in partnership with the World Health Organization concluded that the death rate among children displaced by the conflict in northern Uganda remained above the emergency threshold. The survey, supported by WFP, UNICEFG, UNFPA and the International Rescue Committee, found that among the internally displaced persons (IDP) - 80 percent of whom are women and children - the estimated crude mortality rate and the under-five mortality rate were above the emergency threshold of one death per 10,000 per day and two deaths per 10,000 per day, respectively. Read: IRIN, Xinhua General News Service

UNITED STATES: U.S. Withholds Funding for UNFPA

The Hartford Courant (U.S.) ran an October 6 editorial that noted: "For the fourth year in a row, money approved by Congress for international women's health and family planning will not be distributed to 146 countries and territories around the world served by the United Nations Population Fund." The editorial concluded, "Withholding aid for women in such dire circumstances is a blight on a nation that prides itself on compassion." Read: Hartford Courant

The Deseret Morning News (U.S.) reported October 1 that the population is climbing at a rate that Population Institute President Werner Fornos says the earth can't sustain. Fornos mentioned that UNFPA is helping, noting that President George W. Bush has opted out of the program. Fornos added that many industrialized nations have stabilized their populations, and 15 countries have achieved negative population growth.

The New York Times ran an October 1 letter by U.S. Congress member Carolyn B. Maloney who wrote: "Your moving report about the horror of obstetric fistula is further evidence of the global damage from President Bush's refusal to finance the United Nations Population Fund. As it does in the Nigerian village you mention, the fund often supports the only health care of any kind for miles around. Yet President Bush has now withheld a total of $127 million that Congress appropriated for the fund over the past four years on the ground that it will send a message to China about human rights abuses. This is irrational and illogical. How many more women around the world must suffer from fistula and other damage to their reproductive health before this policy is reversed? In the hope of bridging this impasse, I have sponsored legislation, H.R. 2811, that would restore $34 million in financing for the fund for 2006 and subsequent years, all of it to combat obstetric fistula." Read: The New York Times

YEMEN: Gender and Development Workshop

Yemen Observer reported October 6 that the Women's National Committee (WNC) and UNFPA organized a workshop last week to address gender and development issues. 24 WNC staff members participated in a three-day training to increase awareness of gender issues and integrate them into the development program. Read: Yemen Observer

ZIMBABWE: Country Experiencing Brain Drain of Health Professionals

The Herald (Zimbabwe) reported October 11 that Zimbabwe's health care system is battling to stem the flight of skilled health care personnel coupled with the burden of infectious diseases and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. According to a UNFPA report, some countries such as the Philippines, India and Cuba produce a surplus of migrant health professionals whose remittances play a huge role in boosting local economies. Read: The Herald

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