International Parliamentary Conference on the Implementation of the ICDP Programme of Action
Bangkok, Thailand 21-22 November 2006.
 Around 300 parliamentarians, NGO representatives and UN officials from over 100 countries assembled at the UN Conference Centre, Bangkok, on November 21 and 22, 2006 to review, discuss, and plan new initiatives in population and development, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS-related issues.
The Third International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD) was organized by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, with the cooperation of African, Arab, European and inter-American regional parliamentary groups and Parliamentarians for Global Action. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Thai National Assembly are the local co-hosts.
Adequate funding, effective policies and laws, and political commitment are all critical to success for population programme. Parliamentarians from developed and developing countries were recently asked to assess progress and obstacles in these areas; this global survey provided the basis for discussions.
Action by national lawmakers determines if countries meet global calls to sharply reduce maternal deaths, halt the spread of HIV, halve extreme poverty and provide universal access to reproductive health care by 2015.
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, of Thailand, opened the conference. Keynote speakers were UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid, ESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-su, and International Planned Parenthood Federation Director-General Gill Greer. AFPPD Chairman Yasuo Fukuda presided. Other eminent speakers were Mr. Lester Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute, and Dr. Joe Speidel, Adjunct Professor, University of California – San Francisco.
“Parliamentarians are key advocates for people’s rights and needs,” said Ms. Obaid. “This conference took stock of progress made and help them to mobilize action and resources for countries to achieve international development goals to reduce poverty, improve maternal and reproductive health, combat HIV/AIDS and advance gender equality.”
European input into IPCI 2006
Three hundred Parliamentarians, UN officials, experts and NGOs gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, on 21-22 November 2006for the Third International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD). The event was organized by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The European region was represented by a delegation of 35 Parliamentarians from EPF Member groups around Europe and other interested Parliamentarians.
At the close of the event, Parliamentarians approved a Statement of Commitment in which they pledged to carry out the regional action plans developed during several sessions of the Conference. The Honourable Ruth Genner (MP, Switzerland and former President, EPF) presided over the European regional meeting to develop an action plan and presented the results of those efforts at a plenary session of the Conference.
Ms Genner and the Honourable Carina Hägg, (MP, Sweden and EPF Vice-President) also represented the European region on the IPCI Steering Committee, which met in Bangkok to discuss topic including the location and timing of the next IPCI Conference. The steering committee agreed the next IPCI conference will be held in Egypt in 2009.
The Honourable Anne Van Lancker (MEP, Belgium and incoming President of EPF) and the Honourable Marija Pavilionene (MP, Lithuania) represented the European delegation to IPCI on the drafting committee for the Parliamentarians’ Statement of Commitment.
While on the committee, Ms Van Lancker and Ms Pavilionene advocated strong language that makes clear Parliamentarians commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights without exception.
In honour of his work to advance reproductive health in the Russian Federation, the honourable Nikolay Gerasimenko was named vice-chairman of the 2006 IPCI conference.
Senator Mary Henry, M.D. (Ireland) chaired the plenary session on the Statement of Commitment, which led to the adoption of the final text.
European Regional Working Session
 Participants in IPCI 2006 were provided the opportunity to review the results of a Global Survey on progress made since the ICPD and recommend future strategies for national and regional action to realize the goals of ICPD and the Millennium Development Goals. Participants met according to their geographic region and discussed the regional implications of the responses from the 104 countries which participated in the Global Survey (Africa accounts for 28 countries, Asia-Pacific 22, Arab countries 9; Latin America and the Caribbean 16; and Eastern Europe 10, and donors 19).
The European Regional Session was chaired by EPF President Ruth Genner, MP and Neil Datta, EPF Secretary acted as resource person and UNFPA Europe office chiefs, Hédi Jemiai of Brussels and Asger Ryhl of the Nordic Office were the rapporteurs.
In relation to the key findings of the Global Survey, the European parliamentarians found that lack of political will, existence of opposition, overcoming cultural differences and the need to expand existing membership of APPG represented the most serious challenges to implementing the ICPD Programme of Action. European MPs also pointed to the importance of study tours (bringing the ‘unconverted’), the need for interaction between MPs at regional and international meetings / conferences and promoting knowledge sharing and to receive clear, short information on clear linkage between ICPD and MDGs in order to be better advocates and to think about how to sell SRHR better (ie. specifically the language) as most important in advancing their work on SRHR.
As for long-term objectives, the participants in the European session identified focusing on increasing funding to ICPD from ODA budgets; improving the policy environment around SRHR (domestically and in international development policies); supporting increased funding for research (ie. microbicides, vaccine initiatives) and research into benefits of SRHR and addressing the demographic changes in Europe.
Concerning short-term objectives, European Parliamentarians highlighted getting all European countries on-board (ie. support creation of new APPGs where they do not yet exist); raising awareness and understanding on timely issues, such as SRHR, trafficking, gender-based violence / securing RH commodities including condoms, ie. by holding dedicated hearings; increasing funding for family planning; trainings and providing clear information (facts and figures) for advocacy and working more closely together in responding to the opposition (eg. via EPF).
Ruth Genner presented these conclusions to the IPCI plenary and outlined how EPF was well-positioned to address these conclusions and had incorporated many of these into its 2007 work plan. Parliamentarians would depend upon the support of NGOs and UNFPA to progress.
Statement of Commitment (EN)
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