jeu., 24 mai 2012 12:53:32 +0000 jeu., 24 mai 2012 12:53:32 +0000 http://www.unfpa.org UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. UNFPA – because everyone counts. en-us serrano@unfpa.org (Alvaro Serrano) gruber@unfpa.org (Kimberly Gruber) http://www.unfpa.org/images/unfpalogoxs.gif http://www.unfpa.org 80 36 The world's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10799 For centuries, female genital mutilation or cutting has been practiced throughout much of Africa. But dealing as it does with a very intimate subject, FGM/C was often spoken of, if at all, only in whispers. Today the movement against it is open, public and highly visible. And FGM/C seems to be out in the open and on its way out. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10804 UNITED NATIONS, New York -- While commending the work of a United Nations commission trying to improve access to life-saving medicines, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that much remains to be done to save the lives of the 800 women and more than 20,000 children who die every day from preventable causes.  “Every two minutes, a woman dies at what should have been a joyful moment [childbirth]. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10795 UNITED NATIONS, New York—Affordable, life-saving medicines and health supplies with the potential to save millions of lives are not reaching the children and women who most need them.To help change this, members of the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children will today review and finalize recommendations to help increase access, reduce costs, and increase demand for 13 products. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10701 ACCRA, Ghana --- Sixteen-year-old Sahada was pulled out of school when her family arranged a marriage for her. But it wasn’t what she wanted. “I wanted to remain in school and learn,” she said through a translator. “My family took me from school and told me it is time to be married.” In spite of her resistance, Sahada was kidnapped into marriage with a man from another village. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10779 UNFPA disclosed that its Philippine office raised $28.5 million in the year to date, and that the money will be used to promote reproductive and maternal health, one of the country’s Millennium Development Goals. “For the current seventh country programme, which started this year and will end in 2016, around $28.5 million has been mobilized and we are expecting more,” UNFPA country representative Ugochi Daniels told reporters in a press conference. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10776 ST. PETERSBURG -- UNFPA and the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States signed a cooperation agreement on advancing reproductive health and rights in the region. The agreement was signed by Regional Director Thea Fierens on behalf of UNFPA and by the Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, on behalf of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. A former governor of Saint Petersburg, Ms. Matvienko is the first woman in the country’s history to hold what is considered to be the third most influential political tenure in the state. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10730 UNITED NATIONS, New York – The number of women dying of pregnancy and childbirth related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released today by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, UNFPA and the World Bank. "This shows that the enhanced effort of countries, supported by UNFPA and other development partners, is paying off. But we can’t stop here. Our work must continue to make every pregnancy wanted and every childbirth safe," said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10809 BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo --- On 2 March, a series of early morning explosions in the Mpila munitions reserve shattered a densely populated neighbourhood in this capital city. The blasts were catastrophic—over 286 people were reported dead, 3,000 were injured and 15,000 people instantly became homeless. The exact cause and circumstances of the explosions are still under investigation by a judicial inquiry. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10759 BANGKOK—Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, and Dr. Paijit Warachit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, met today to discuss Thailand’s progress and challenges in promoting better reproductive and sexual health, especially among adolescents and youth. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10747 SHASHEMENE, Ethiopia – One of the key strategies for reducing maternal mortality is making sure trained midwives attend births and can refer women with complications to timely obstetric care. It’s one of the strategies that Ethiopia has embarked on and which is contributing to the steep declines in maternal deaths in that country. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10729 In this blog entry, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof references his piece about fistula survivors that was published on 13 May, which was Mother's Day in the United States and some other countries. He argues that the day should celebrate all moms, including those who nearly die giving life, and are left with a terrible injury. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10719 UNITED NATIONS, New York—Leading actors from the international development community will meet in Istanbul on 24 -25 May to discuss strategies to speed up achievement of the Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10707 In this opinion piece written on the occasion of Mothers' Day, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin talks about how his own remarkable mother shaped his attitudes toward women, human rights and empowerment. "She would say that Providence has put me here to accomplish an important mission in the world," he writes. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10685 NEW DELHI--- During his recent trip to India, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin engaged government officials, civil society representatives, corporate icons and movie stars in discussions about some of the Fund’s fundamental issues—from family planning and gender inequity to opportunities for young people and India’s role in international forums. His three-day visit was packed with back-to-back meetings across both Mumbai and New Delhi, and included a visit to a National Council of Educational Research and Training campus, where a UNFPA-supported  workshop for adolescents was underway.   http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10679 UNITED NATIONS, New York—The Hellosmile Project, a joint campaign to prevent cervical cancer, initiated and led by TOKYO FM Broadcasting, and which includes UNFPA and other partners, will be officially launched in the United States this week.