NEW YORK - On 15th March top United Nations officials welcomed the agreement by more than 130 Member States on the outcome document of the two-week 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The document focused on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, and urged governments to translate the outcome of the 'historic' gathering into concrete actions to protect and promote women's and girls’ human rights and fundamental freedoms.

GENEVA – On 4th March a United Nations report was released by the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter. Its main message is that improving education for women and girls could dramatically reduce hunger in developing countries. It also says the education of women is "the single most important determinant" of food security, and identifies how a 43% reduction in hunger in developing countries can be attributed to progress in educating women.

VIENNA – On 25th and 26th March UNFPA and UNECE organized the first of three thematic meetings for experts in Vienna on “Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development.” At the meeting in Vienna 15 experts from governments, academia and civil society organizations reflected on the relevant overarching issues of concern in the region, discussed future priorities, challenges and emerging issues and identified key recommendations for action. Cristina Dumitrescu, the secretariat of EPF’s Romanian APPG, was among those present. The remaining two meetings will take place in Bucharest and Belgrade.

NEW YORK - On 20th March “Champion of Choice,” a book by acclaimed author Cathleen Miller, was launched. It details the life and times of Dr Nafis Sadik, the extraordinary women’s advocate who served as Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from 1987 to 2000. As the book stands as an example of dedication and the power of the human spirit, UNFPA, Friends of UNFPA and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) hosted a book launch in New York to celebrate both author and subject.

NEW YORK, 15 February 2013 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed former Y-PEER member, UNFPA Iraq Youth Program associate, and UNFPA Arab Youth Coalition consultant Ahmad Alhindawi as his global Envoy on Youth. “The Envoy on Youth will address the needs of the largest generation of youth the world has ever known" said a spokesperson in New York.

ISTANBUL, 12 February 2013 - The reasons behind the alarmingly low usage of modern contraceptive methods in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have been examined in a study published recently by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network. The report is entitled: “Key Factors Influencing Contraceptive Use in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.”

NEW YORK, 1 February 2013 - The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan Mendez, published a report addressing health rights violations. The report focuses on certain forms of abuses in health-care settings that “may cross a threshold of mistreatment that is tantamount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” It also identifies the policies that promote these practices and existing protection gaps.

NEW YORK, 6 February 2013 - Fewer girls are subjected to the life-threatening practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), according to new data from the United Nations, released on the International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM/C. Following last year’s unanimous adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on member states to intensify efforts towards the complete elimination of the harmful practice, the data shows that FGM/C is becoming less prevalent overall and that the younger generation is less vulnerable to the practice.

The 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) began this week at UN Headquarters in New York. The European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development is present with a delegation of European parliamentarians and senators to follow and engage in discussions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, the main topic for this year’s CSW. The aim of this visit is to raise awareness amongst European decision-makers about how women’s health and rights issues, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), are dealt with at the UN level, and the challenges EU and UN Member States face in advancing them.

In a statement published on 21 January 2013, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director, explained why maternal mortality is a problem that we can fix and avoid and how CARMMA, the African Union Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa, is working to achieve this. Despite some remarkable results, over 450 women and girls continue to die in Africa every day from complications in pregnancy or childbirth.

On 30 January 2013, the UN high-level panel (HLP) responsible for shaping a new framework for development cooperation met in Liberia to plan the follow-up to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are set to expire in 2015. Britain, Liberia and Indonesia co-chaired this panel on the new goals.

On 24 January 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released the results of a study on the research gap for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in low - and middle-income countries. The study concludes that “despite the commitment of many governments to addressing the health problems of adolescents, little evidence has been generated on whether or not such commitments have made a difference.”

In Bill Gates’ 2013 annual letter for his foundation, Melinda Gates writes a section about the hundreds of millions of women who still don’t have access to contraceptives. And how the role of measurement in improving delivery can help poor countries serve people’s needs.

On 31 January 2013, former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered a farewell speech on the theme of American leadership at the Council on Foreign Relations. In the field of human rights, Secretary Clinton insisted on the correlation between places where women and girls are treated as second-class human beings and current threats to regional and global peace.

2012 – a landmark year of advances in reproductive health and a turning point for women and girls

As the new year begins and we take stock of all that happened over the past twelve months, it is clear that in 2012 the world awoke to the importance of our cause. In Europe, Africa, Asia and America events that demonstrate the central importance of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights have attracted the world’s attention; from people on the street to presidents and prime ministers.

In late December members of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Philippines approved legislation calling for government-funded contraception and sex education classes in the Philippines. The bill was signed by the country’s president Benigno Aquino on 21st December.

There has been shock and outrage both in India and around the world over the gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old student on a city bus in the capital, Delhi. The tragedy has drawn global attention to gender-based violence, and pressure is mounting on India’s leaders to take action to prevent similar acts from occurring in the future. So far proposed actions include employing more female police officers, naming and shaming perpetrators of sexual violence and banning buses with tinted windows.

On 12th December the UN General Assembly adopted important resolutions that include specific references to reproductive rights and sexual and reproductive health. They also reaffirm the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the key actions for the implementation of ICPD and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

On 1st December the world’s gaze turned to the HIV / AIDS pandemic, and the overwhelmingly positive progress that is being made across the world to fight the disease. In a report released shortly before the day UNAIDS reported a more than 50% drop in new HIV infections across 25 countries as countries approach the 1000-day deadline to achieve global AIDS targets.

In early December 2012 the ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum took place in Bali. This event brought together over 3000 onsite and virtual delegates, providing the first UN mandated process, led by global youth, for global youth on the future of the ICPD. Among the participants was an EPF delegation of three young MPs from Belgium, Denmark and FYR Macedonia.

On 14th November UNFPA launched its flagship publication: the annual ‘State of the World’s Population’ report. This year’s edition focused on the benefits of enabling women in the developing world to have access to voluntary family planning.

In November the European Parliament approved the appointment of Tonio Borg to become the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection. Borg was the deputy prime minister of Malta and had previously been Maltese minister of foreign affairs. In the vote by the European Parliament he obtained a clear majority, with 386 votes in his favour and only 281 against him.

On 29th November the International Planned Parenthood celebrated its 60th anniversary at the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. The event brought its member associations together from around the world, who paid tribute to the organisation’s brave and angry founders from 8 national family planning associations 60 years ago. An EPF delegation of European MPs was present at the meeting, led by Executive Committee members Hon. Petra Bayr, MP and Hon. Jani Toivola, MP.

On 10th October the international community celebrated the inaugural International Day of the Girl. This had been approved by the UN’s General Assembly and had been the focus of considerable efforts by the development, gender equality and parliamentary communities over the course of 2011.

In mid-October the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, resigned after an anti-fraud inquiry linked him to an attempt to influence tobacco legislation. Tonio Borg, Malta's foreign minister, has been nominated to replace him. He will be questioned by the European Parliament's health committee on 13th November and subject to a vote of the full parliament the week afterwards.

On 25th September the UK’s Prime Minister, in New York for the UN General Assembly, co-chaired the first meeting of a new high-level panel for the future of global development after 2015. This panel was formed by by Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General.

On 7th September the eminent medical journal ‘the Lancet’ published a series of articles on Universal Health Coverage. It featured articles by many leading commentators in the subject, including the Action For Global Health Consortium.

On 26th September the world marked World Contraception Day, a global campaign with a mission to improve awareness of contraception while empowering young people to make informed decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health. The annual World Contraception Day recognizes the importance of access to contraception for women around the world. The event also promotes the availability of accurate, unbiased information to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

On 11th July more than 150 leaders from donor and developing countries, international agencies, civil society, foundations and the private sector met in London to make one of the biggest ever international commitments in favour of women’s autonomy and reproductive rights. They committed to provide 120 million women in the world’s poorest countries with access to contraceptives by 2020. If the leaders honour their commitments these pledges stand to eliminate over half of the world’s unmet need for contraception.

Ahead of the London Family Planning Summit the UK medical journal the Lancet published a series of articles examining the key issues at stake at the conference. One of these reports presents important new findings that add to the weight of evidence that shows that having access to contraceptives can significantly reduce maternal mortality.

On 9th July at a meeting in Monaco EPF President (and vice-chairman of the Georgian Parliament) George Tsereteli, MP, was appointed vice chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Representatives of the United States, Germany and France also became the vice-presidents. Meanwhile representative of Italy Riccardo Migliori, MP, was elected to become President of the assembly. The new leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will serve until 2015.

In mid-July EPF learnt that Oying Rimon will be leaving his current role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to take up a new role at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has been appointed as a Visiting Professor and Deputy Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

Following the retirement of Safiye Çağar from her post as the Director of UNFPA’s Information and External Relations Department at the end of June, EPF is pleased to welcome Dianne Stewart as her successor.

At the end of June EPF is sad to say goodbye to three champions from the population and development field, who will all begin their well-earned retirement; Ms. Safiye Çağar, Ms. Thea Fierens and Mr. Shiv Khare.

The long-awaited “Rio +20” Conference on Sustainable Development took place from 20th until 22nd June. Heralded as a chance to “shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want,” members of the Population and Development community had high hopes that the outcome document would cement reproductive health and rights at the heart of international efforts to achieve sustainable development.

The international community has expressed relief at announcements by the Turkish government that it will put its plans to restrict abortion on hold. At a number of events in late May and early June Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had publically expressed - for the first time - his government’s intention to restrict women’s right to abortion, which had come as a shock to the reproductive health and development communities.

The number of women with an unmet need for modern contraception increased in sub-Saharan Africa, from 31 million in 2008 to 36 million in 2012. This is according to a new study released on 20th June by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

On 21st June the World Health Organisation issued new guidance on safe abortion care, entitled “Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems.” This updated guidance provides policy-makers, programme managers and health-service providers with the latest evidence-based guidance on clinical care. It also includes information on how to establish and strengthen services, and outlines a human-rights-based approach to laws and policies on safe, comprehensive abortion care.

Mr. Werner Haug, a national of Switzerland, was appointed Director of UNFPA’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office in June 2012. Prior to joining EECARO, Mr. Haug was the Director of the Fund’s Technical Division at its Headquarters in New York, where he served for four years.

In September, ultra-religious groups in Germany want to demonstrate with a "march for life" against abortion - and get discounted tickets to travel there with Deutsche Bahn. This special offer has not only outraged feminists, but has also received widespread criticism online, and has drawn coverage in Germany’s mainstream media.

On 24th and 25th May 2012 lawmakers from 110 countries met in Istanbul for the Fifth International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. At the event they reaffirmed their support to the principles and goals of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), emphasizing their continued centrality to efforts to reduce poverty and safeguard people’s health and rights, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The event came at a time when the population and development community is preparing for the Family Planning Summit, which will take place in London on 11th July 2012.

You will find the declaration and more information about the event at www.ipci2012.org.

On 6th February 2012 the world’s attention was drawn to the harmful traditional practice of female genital cutting (FGC). This year’s edition was a day of celebration; a celebration of the progress and the hard work being made to abandon a barbaric practice that is damaging millions of the world’s most vulnerable citizens each year. As recently as two years ago, FGM/C drew very little international attraction. But it 2012 it was clear that this is no longer the case.

On 20th December the United Nations General Assembly officially approved the creation of the International Day of the Girl. This initiative was proposed by the Canadian Government at the UN, and had been gathering momentum over recent months.

Between 16th and 21st October EPF led a delegation of European journalists to India, where we visited a range of population projects in both urban and rural settings. The journalists came from DAPD press agency (Germany), De Volkskrant (Netherlands), Le Monde (France), El Mundo (Spain), Politiken (Denmark) and Twoj Styl (Poland).

 

 

 

16-17 May 2011 EPF and its French NGO partners (Equilibres et Populations and Mouvement Français Pour le Planning Familial) organized a Global Parliamentarians’ Summit entitled “Girls and Population: the forgotten drivers of development”. The event was hosted at the French National Assembly by EPF Vice-President Hon. Danielle Bousquet, and it brought together more than 60 parliamentarians committed to population and development issues from around the world, and from across the political spectrum.

This Valentine's Day Swedish MEP Cecilia Wikström spoke out in "The Parliament Magazine" about a right which is denied to millions of girls and adolescent women around the world: the right to decide on your partner, body and destiny...