Inter-parliamentary Co-operation

EPF is the European regional network of parliamentarians interested in population and development . In Asia, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) was established in 1981; in the Americas, the Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG) was established in 1983 and in 2012 the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (APFPD) was created in Johannesburg.


 AFPPD - Asia
Formed in 1981, AFPPD membership and programmes have increased multi-fold since then. AFPPD currently has twenty-two National Committees and has full-time office support in Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. AFPPD conducts regional and national seminars, conferences, and study visits as a means to help parliamentarians increase their level of knowledge, obtain more information on population and development, and enhance their involvement and motivation in the areas surrounding ICPD issues. AFPPD gives emphasis, for the most part, to national level activities including review of legislation, monitoring programme implementation, and advocacy at the constituency level. AFPPD also provides due importance to the participation and involvement of women parliamentarians and gender equality AFPPD was registered with the Department of Skills and Labour, Government of Thailand on the 20th of October 1994 as an international non-governmental organization.
Link:
www.afppd.org 


 IAPG - The Americas
The IAPG is a regional network of parliamentarians in the Western Hemisphere who are committed to population, development and human rights issues. The IAPG’s programs seek to empower parliamentarians through a series of workshops and seminars, by disseminating technical information and providing special assistance, including comparative legislative analyses. Additionally, the parliamentary groups collaborate with civil society groups, local and regional NGOs, and various United Nations agencies. The IAPG promotes open dialogue among parliamentarians, and between parliamentarians and the executive branch, to facilitate their active participation in approving, applying and monitoring laws and programs that empower women and create an environment favorable to implementing the sexual and reproductive health programs specific to each country in the region. Since its founding in 1983, the IAPG has played a key role in mobilizing the parliamentary network, thereby facilitating improved understanding of population and development issues by creating opportunities to exchange ideas and experiences, by disseminating information, by developing networks and providing training to its members.
Link:
www.iapg.org
 

APFPD - Africa
On 3 and 4 December 2013, the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development was established at the Africa Regional Consultative Meeting of Parliamentarians on Population and Development in Johannesburg. At the meeting 38 members of parliament (MPs) from 28 African countries working to promote the ICPD Programme of Action elected an Interim Executive Committee of 10 members from the five African geographical sub-regions. Once in place, a permanent secretariat of the Forum is to be hosted within a continental, sub-regional or willing national parliament.