UNFPA IN THE NEWS—MARCH 18-24, 2006

ARMENIA: Ambulance Car Presented

ARMINFO News Agency reported March 23 that the Armenian Association of Wives of Diplomats and UNFPA presented the Shirak region with an ambulance car equipped for gynecological aid. Garik Hayrapetian, UNFPA representative, said all the regions in the country will be provided with ambulance cars by 2009, according to the UNFPA five-year country plan.

CAMEROON: Lack of Potable Water Remains a Problem

Cameroon Tribune reported March 22 that the lack of potable water remains the most acute problem in new neighborhoods of Yaounde . The story cited UNFPA statistics that found more than one billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water and three billion lack of access to basic sewage systems. Read: Cameroon Tribune

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: Government gives bulding to UNFPA

La Collecte   ran a story on March 22 on the Government's donation of a building to UNFPA.
Read: La Collecte

CUBA: Sexual Education in the Schools

United Nations News reported March 20 that the Caribbean has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections in the world. The story noted that Cuba is an exception in the region that has logged a significant reduction in the rate of new infections due to sexual education workshops in schools supported by UNFPA.

ECUADOR: Flood Aid

UPI reported March 21 that U.N. agencies have gone to the aid of about 17,000 families directly or indirectly affected by flooding and landslides in Ecuador from the continuing heavy rain. At the request of Ecuador 's government, the United Nations sent an inter-agency assessment team to the affected provinces of Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Rios, and Manabi, consisting of staff from the World Food Program, World Health Organization and UNFPA. Read: UN News Centre

GHANA: Fistula Prevention Program

Ghana News Agency reported March 22 that every year it is estimated that 500 cases of fistula are reported. The story reported that a sensitization forum by Pathfinder International, in collaboration with UNFPA, was held with the media. The theme of the training was "On strengthening fistula prevention and access to treatment in Ghana ." Read: Ghana News Agency

KAZAKHSTAN: Discussion to Advance Demographers

CASPIONET reported March 21 that UNFPA Assistant Representative Aida Alzhanova visited Prague to discuss with officials from Charles University the possibility of training demographers from Kazakhstan.

KENYA: HIV Prevention Efforts

African Woman and Child Feature Service reported March 23 on HIV prevention activities funded by UNFPA in the Samburu District. The activities include training people to carry out mobile VCT work. At the moment there is an innovative condom distribution system which is supposed to work hand in hand with the mobile VCT strategy. “The best strategy to intervene in the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS in areas like Samburu is coming up [with] plans that fit well with the way of life of these people," says Judy Karogo of UNFPA. Read: African Woman and Child Feature Service

KENYA: FGM Campaign Intensified

The Nation reported March 24 that UNFPA has intensified its Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) campaign by funding programs designed to change the way the Samburu community regards FGM and the status of women in the society. With funding from UNFPA, local organizations such as Saidia run awareness workshops for morans and young girls that teach them about the negative effects of FGM. The next phase of the campaign is expected to target their parents.  Read: The Nation

MOZAMBIQUE: Equipment Donated for 2007 Census

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique reported March 23 that UNFPA donated equipment valued around $440,000 to the Mozambican National Statistics Institute to prepare the 2007 population census. Read: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique

NIGERIA: A Long Walk to Recovery

Thisday ran a full page story on  March 18 on the prevalence of obstetric fistula, stating that  the condition is a key indicator to assess a country's maternal health care system.The story noted that UNFPA estimates that 800,000 women are suffering from fistula in Nigeria and that at  least 20,000 new cases occur each year. Statistics also show that 1 in 18 women in the country stand the risk of dying from complications from childbirth. This is in contrast to Europe's 1 in 2,400.

NIGERIA: Old Cleavages Threaten Nigeria's 2006 Head Count

Thisday reported on March 20 that as Nigerians prepare for a headcount this week, the controversy surrounding the census highlights the constant struggle for influence among  the country's three major ethnic groups. The paper writes that all signs point to the fact that the exercise will reignite the country's ethnic, regional and religious tensions often associated with it. The story noted that the census is done with technical assistance from UNFPA.

ROMANIA: Generation and Gender Survey

Voluntar bulletin and other newspapers reported March 22 that UNFPA and the National Institute of Statistics will collaborate on the Generations and Gender Survey in Romania, a programme developed in 30 countries across the world. The purpose of the survey is to study the dynamics of two of the most important relations within families: child-parent and woman-man. The research aims at explaining how and why people form and dissolve families and have children. These two types of relations are measures of the fertility behaviour, one of the three components that determine the dynamics of population. Next to mortality and migration, fertility allows the identification of demographic trends and the estimation of population development.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: U.N. HIV/AIDS Envoy Calls for New U.N. Agency

The Press Trust of India reported March 19 that during a briefing with reporters in Lesotho and Swaziland , Stephen Lewis, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said it was "impossible to traverse the continent of Africa without an enveloping sense of horror and despair at the carnage amongst women." He called for an agency on the scale of UNICEF, arguing that while the current agencies dealing with women's affairs including UNIFEM and UNFPA are performing well, a larger organization is needed. 

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