| UNFPA IN THE NEWS – SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2005
THE FIGHT TO END FISTULA
The New York Times ran a September 28 front-page story on Dr. Kees Waaldijk, a Dutchman who has operated on 15,000 fistulas in 22 years in Babbar Ruga Hospital and others in rural Nigeria. The presence of fistulas point to the broader plight of millions of African women: poverty; early marriage; maternal deaths; a lack of rights, independence and education; a generally low standing. A larger share of African women die in childbirth than anywhere else in the world. Two years of global fundraising by the United Nations Population Fund, an agency devoted in part to improving women's health, has netted only $11 million for the problem. Despite recent strides, said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA's Executive Director, "at the current rate of action it will take decades to end fistula." Read: The New York Times
AFGHANISTAN: Media Development Workshop
Internews (U.S.) reported September 27 that in early September, NAI, a media development organization that Internews Afghanistan helped found, launched a five-day workshop for 20 Kabul-based radio, TV and print journalists to provide them with information about family planning and train them how to effectively incorporate the issues into their reports. The workshop, which included seven women journalists, was funded by UNFPA in Afghanistan. Read: Internews
AGHANISTAN: UNFPA to Launch Video Segment against Child Marriage
UN News Centre reported September 29 that UNFPA has produced a public service announcement video against child marriage, to air on television and radio. The 80-second video, supported by the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, will be broadcast twice a day, in the evenings, for three months. Read: UN News Centre AFRICA: Migration Overwhelms Health-Care Systems
UN News Centre reported September 28 that the loss of workers to migration is overwhelming the developing world's health-care systems as qualified personnel leave for wealthier industrialized countries, according to a new report released by UNFPA. Coupled with a resurgence of infectious diseases and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, migration is "exacerbating" an already "acute" shortage of health care workers in Africa. The report, International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said that poor countries, many of them with the fewest health-care workers but highest infectious disease burden, are "subsidizing" the health-care systems of wealthier countries. Read: UN News Centre
CARIBBEAN: Reporters Called on to Submit Entries for Media Awards
Antigua Sun reported September 28 that Caribbean reporters working in the region, and those living in Caribbean communities in the U.S. and Europe have been invited by UNFPA to submit an article covering the theme "Gender Equality, Reproductive Health and Millennium Development Goals." On December 6, UNFPA Caribbean Media Awards will recognize the writers, editors and broadcasters for work. Read: Antigua Sun CARIBBEAN: UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Featured in Essence Magazine
Essence (U.S.) October 2005 issue featured UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and former Miss Universe, Wendy Fitzwilliam, and detailed her advocacy for people in the Caribbean living with HIV/AIDS.
GHANA: Minister Concerned about Population Growth
Ghana News Agency reported September 28 that at a workshop sponsored by Ghana and UNFPA, a Central Regional Minister expressed concern about the soaring rate of the country's population growth, saying problems such as maternal mortality, morbidity, and adolescent reproductive health posed challenges to socio-economic development. Read: Ghana News Agency
KENYA: Malaria Contributes to Rise in Maternal and Infant Mortality
The Nation (Kenya) reported September 30 that malaria is contributing significantly to the increasing rate of maternal deaths in the country, Secretary for Health and Population Services Wesley Sangala said. "The most recent UNFPA 2004 Report projects the maternal death rate at around 1,800 per 100,000 live births and malaria is contributing significantly to this as well as to neonatal mortality," he said. Read: The Nation
MONGOLIA: Prime Minister Meets with New UNFPA Representative
Xinhua General News Service reported September 29 that when meeting with UNFPA's new resident representative in Mongolia, Mrs. Delia Barcelona, Prime Minister of Mongolia, Ts. Elbegdorj, said that he hopes to promote cooperation with UNFPA. Today (Mongolia) also reported on this story on September 28.
NEPAL: Delivery of Reproductive Health Care Grows More Difficult
IRIN featured a September 28 interview with Sultan Aziz, Director of Asia-Pacific Division of UNFPA who spoke about Nepal's state of reproductive health. For health organizations and UN agencies like UNFPA, the challenge for healthcare delivery has become even more difficult given the escalation of the nine-year-old armed conflict between the Maoists and the government. Read: IRIN
NIGERIA: School Feeding Program Part of MDG Strategy
Daily Trust (Nigeria) reported September 28 that Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo pointed out that the school feeding program is part of government's strategy of achieving the second and third goals of the Millennium Development Goals that were identified by various U.N. agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, FAO, UNFPA and UNDP.
PACIFIC REGION: Population and Development Secretariat Endorsed
Fiji Times reported September 30 that the Fijian Cabinet endorsed the establishment of the Pacific Parliamentary Assembly on Population and Development Secretariat in Fiji. Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase said the PPAPD was funded by UNFPA and was being implemented by the South Pacific Commission's project, "Improving Political Support for Population and Development." Read: Fiji Times PHILIPPINES: High Population Density in Baguio
Manila Times reported September 25 that the latest study by the regional Population Commission, in coordination with UNFPA, revealed that Baguio's population per square kilometer is 4, 389, or 17 times higher than the national average. Read: Manila Times
SRI LANKA: Officials Assess Progress on Tsunami Destruction
Siber News reported September 28 that Sultan A.Aziz, Director, Asia and the Pacific Division of UNFPA visited the Trincomalee district accompanied by Lubna Baqi, UNFPA's Sri Lanka representative and Country Director for Maldives, and Rainer Frauenfled, Country Co-ordinator of the Sri Lanka Project Implementation Facility of the United Nations Office for Project Services to view the destruction caused by tsunami nine months ago. The officials assessed the urgent needs for the recovery from the natural disaster. Read: Siber News
UGANDA: Muslim Leaders Call for Reproductive Health Education for Youth
New Vision (Uganda) reported September 27 that at a UNFPA-sponsored workshop, Muslim leaders in Uganda said, "To fight HIV/AIDS among the youth, sexual reproductive health education should be introduced in our schools."
UNITED STATES: UNFPA Denied U.S. Funding for Fourth Straight Year
Sacramento Bee (U.S.) ran a September 30 editorial that noted: "A day after President Bush told the United Nations General Assembly of the U.S. commitment to anti-poverty and health programs, the State Department told Congress it would not release $34 million in appropriated funds to the U.N. agency. That brings the four-year total of blocked funds to $127 million." The editorial concluded: "The logic of the U.S. policy is absurd. It assumes that a dollar given for a good purpose frees another dollar for a bad one. By that logic, why give about $2 billion a year to Egypt, since funds for valid defense and economic purposes can free other money to finance torture of political dissidents? There's abundant evidence that family planning aid works. It's shameful that the president doesn't act on those facts rather than cater to small-minded groups that ignore them." Read: Sacramento Bee
Kansas CityStar (U.S.) September 28 editorial noted, "Despite an opportunity to elevate the status of women and improve the finances of poor families, Bush soon after his U.N. speech halted U.S. appropriations to the United Nations Population Fund for the fourth year." The editorial concluded: "The president's refusal to acknowledge family planning as a cornerstone of his anti-poverty fight will handicap the effort. He should not isolate the world's leader from the multination approach that works most effectively." Read: Kansas City Star
The Lincoln Journal Star (U.S.) ran a September 26 editorial that noted: "It may be beneficial in this case, as a letter sent by UNFPA-allied groups to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urges, to 'do the right thing by the world's women' and restore funding to the world's top provider of family planning and maternal health needs." Read: Lincoln Journal Star
The Toledo Blade (U.S.) ran a September 24 column by Rose Russell who wrote: "If UNFPA had the additional funding, more Third World women's lives could be improved with access to the medical help that would be provided. Family planning does not just mean abortion, and it's too bad the two have become synonymous. It's widely recognized that the lives of women in any society improve when they have access to good health care and education. In turn, whole societies improve. But apparently, key members of this administration, like the Reagan and former Bush administrations, were absent from class on the days those lessons were discussed." Read: Toledo Blade
UNITED STATES: U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Calls for Voluntary Donations
Los Angeles Times (U.S.) reported September 29 that U.N. Ambassador John Bolton told Congress that U.N. member countries should consider making donations to some of the world body's agencies voluntary -- rather than mandatory -- to prod the organization into improving its efficiency. Arguing for replacement of mandatory funding of U.N. agencies with voluntary support, Bolton noted that many U.N. programs -- such as UNICEF, the World Food Program and the U.N. Population Fund -- already rely on donations to fund their work. Read: Los Angeles Times
UZBEKISTAN: Economic Transition Causes Decline of Health
Inter Press Service reported September 28 that as Uzbekistan still grapples with changes as a result of the economic transition from the Soviet system, infant and maternal mortality rates have declined over the past decade to 41 out of 1,000 live births, according to UNFPA statistics. Read: Inter Press Service
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