dim., 12 févr. 2012 22:17:12 +0000 dim., 12 févr. 2012 22:17:12 +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 80 36 The world's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/8825 Four reports commissioned by UNFPA offer insights into socio-cultural dynamics in Asian countries, with an emphasis on how religion influences their maternal and child health. The reports explore the main challenges that health workers are facing and provide recommendations for action. Common challenges noted include harmful traditional practices, affordability and quality of care,  and  service provider attitudes. Recommendations are aimed at increasing access to and utilization of maternal and child health services by addressing affordability, staff training, policies, information, attitudes of service providers, gender inequalities, management issues and community relations. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/9143 This report of the global meeting on Skewed Sex Ratios at Birth: Addressing the Issue and the Way Forward, held in  Viet Nam in October, provides an overview of the meeting and delves into some key trends, determinants, consequences and responses on the issue. Challenges and recommendations are also included. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/4974 This publication reports on the Second United Nations Inter-agency Meeting on Engagement with Faith-based Organizations hosted by UNFPA in New York on 5 August 2009. The meeting brought together representatives of the United Nations agencies and bodies who have prior experience and continue to work with faith-based organizations, to update each other on respective developments with faith-based partnerships since the first Inter-agency Consultation in July 2008. The participants also reflected on the preceding two-day Policy Roundtable with international FBOs and discussed future scenarios of inter-agency collaboration on FBO engagement. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1294 UNFPA and UNICEF are working  towards  accelerated abandonment of female genital mutilation/ cutting within 17 countries by 2012. The focus of this joint funding proposal is to leverage social dynamics towards abandonment within selected communities that practice FGM/C. The main strategic approach is to gain the support of an initial core group, which decides to abandon FGM/C and mobilises a sufficient number of people to facilitate a tipping point and thereby create a rapid social shift of the cutting social convention norm. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/4106 This interactive workshop manual is intended for training UNFPA and other UN-related development practitioners on the basics of how to communicate, negotiate and mediate about culturally sensitive issues. It includes an important programming tool - the Culture Lens - developed by UNFPA, as well as discussion of how it relates to international development goals, and how it can be applied. It also includes case studies from different national contexts and articles/reference documents related to culture. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/2188 This publication contains rich research findings concerning global trends and the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting and its linkages with maternal and newborn health. It describes changing patterns and practices, including medicalization, and analyzes the threat FGM/C poses to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals as well as its economic and health costs. It identifies important lessons and discusses in detail case studies as well as the application of theories as a basis for accelerating the abandonment process. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/4501 This report reflects on lessons learned, issues and best practices based on the UNFPA Global Forum on Faith-based Organizations for Population and Development (Istanbul 2008). The discussions, recommendations for action and voices of critical faith-based actors, are also documented. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1383 This Youth Supplement to UNFPA's State of the World Population 2008 focuses on the interactions among culture, gender and human rights and the critical importance of culturally sensitive approaches for effective development policies and programmes. The report, which is the third in a series, addresses culture as it shapes and nurtures the lives of young people and shows how young people develop their own subcultures, which are often different from and may conflict with the dominant culture. The youth report points out the value to young people of protecting the culture in which they grew up, but it also speaks on behalf of their right to embrace their own cultures in their own ways.   http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1352 This publication reports on the inter-agency consultation hosted by UNFPA in July 2008. The meeting brought together representatives from various United Nations agencies that have some experience and insight regarding programming with faith-based organizations (defined as religious and religion-based groups or congregations, specialized religious institutions, and registered or unregistered non-profit institutions that have a faith-based character or mission, including spiritual organizations). http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1975 This publication, launched on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, contains six case studies - from Colombia, Ecuador, Nepal, the Philippines, Turkey and the United Republic of Tanzania - highlighting national initiatives to promote and protect human rights. The initiatives, supported by UNFPA, illustrate how gender, women's empowerment and cultural issues are being addressed. The purpose is to highlight some of the good work that is being done, and provide guidance and concrete examples of how to integrate human rights standards and principles - such as participation, accountability and non-discrimination - into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1181 This advocacy booklet uses real-life examples to explain how HIV prevention can save lives in diverse cultural and geographical settings. It includes chapters on youth and HIV, condom programming, protecting women and girls, linking HIV prevention with other sexual and reproductive health care, and empowering populations who are at particular risk. It also features stories and stunning photography from Belize, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1382 Culture is and always has been central to development. As a natural and fundamental dimension of people's lives, culture must be integrated into development policy and programming. This report shows how this process works in practice. The starting point of the report is the universal validity of the international human rights framework. The focus is therefore on discussing and showcasing how culturally sensitive approaches are critical for the realization of human rights in general and women's rights in particular. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/1353 This publication maps partnerships between UNFPA and faith-based organizations in the areas of population and development, including human rights, reproductive health, women's empowerment, adolescents and youth, humanitarian assistance, and HIV and AIDS. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/399 This handbook, intended primarily for development practitioners, provides practical points to consider when designing and implementing projects addressing violence against women. It is a collection of good practices drawn from ten case studies described in a complementary volume Programming to Address Violence Against Women. The approaches are based on an appreciation of culture and the role it plays in this issue. http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/386 This volume documents UNFPA's experience addressing many forms of violence against women. Intended primarily for development practitioners and others seeking to change attitudes and practices, it offers lessons that can help scale up responses. Projects in Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Sierra Leone and Turkey are discussed. Some of the principles derived from the case studies are summarized in a complementary handbook, Ending Violence Against Women.