International Conference on “ICPD @ 15: Progress and Prospects”

Ministers, representatives, and leading population and reproductive health experts from 25 developing countries and many donor countries and organizations will gather this week in Kampala, Uganda at the International Forum on “ICPD @ 15: Progress and Prospects,” hosted by Partners in Population and Development (PPD). This forum will review progress and agree to an agenda for how to move the ICPD Programme of Action forward as we come to the 15th anniversary of the conference in 2009.

The conference programme includes sessions on Reproductive Health, Population and Development, HIV/AIDS, Food Crisis and Human Security, Climate Change and Environmental Degradation, and South-South Cooperation. Fourty-five plenary speakers, including Ministers of Health, Population, Social Welfare and Environment, Parliamentarians, senior Government officials, representatives of international NGOs, donor agencies, and civil-society organizations from across the globe, will present papers at the forum.

The opening session of will take place on Monday, 24 November 2008 at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, at 9.00 AM with an opening address made by the First Lady of Uganda, H.E. Mrs. Janet K Museveni. The opening session will also be addressed by Dr. Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA New York; H.E. Dr. Li Bin, Chair, PPD Board, Minister, National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), Government of the People’s Republic of China; H.E. Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, Minister of Health, Republic of Uganda; Hon. Fred Jachan Omach Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Republic of Uganda; and Mr. Harry S. Jooseery, Executive Director, PPD.

Other major leaders participating in the conference are H.E. Dr. Li Bin, Chair, PPD Board, Honorable Minister, NPFPC, China; H.E. Dr. Zhao Baige, Vice Minister, National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), Government of the Peoples Republic of China; Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Honorable Minister, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India; Dr. Nafis Sadik, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific; Dr. Frederick Torgbor Sai, Special Adviser to the President, Ghana; Bettina Maas, Chief of Programme Support and Regional Desk Branch, UNFPA; Ms. Amy Coen, CEO and President of Population Action International, USA; Dr. Sara Seims, Director, Population Program, Hewlett Foundation, USA; Professor Duff G. Gillespie, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health; Dr. Malcom Potts, Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Mr. Jyoti Singh, PPD Permanent Observer at the United Nations, USA; Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, Director PPD ARO; Dr. Francisco Songane, Director, Partners for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, WHO, Geneva; Mr. Werner Haug, Director, Technical Support Division, UNFPA New York; and Dr. Robert W. Gillespie, President, Population Communication, USA.

This year, the conference will award Certificates of Excellence and Commemorative Plaques to Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono, Former Minister for Population and Minister for People Welfare, Government of Indonesia and Chairman, Damandiri Foundation Indonesia; Mr. Jyoti Shankar Singh, Former Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA and PPD Permanent Observer at the United Nations, USA; Professor Dr. Nabiha Gueddana, General Director, National Office of Family and Population, Ministry of Public Health, Tunisia; Dr. Nafis Sadik, Former Executive Director, UNFPA and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific; Dr. Sara Seims, Director, Population Program, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, USA; and Dr. Steven W. Sinding, Former Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Senior Fellow, Guttmacher Institute in recognition for their pioneering role as PPD Founders and outstanding contribution for the promotion of South-South cooperation and ICPD goals.

The conference will be closed by the adoption of the Kampala Declaration on November 25, 2008.

“ICPD @15: Progress and Prospects” is organized by Partners in Population and Development (PPD) in collaboration with UNFPA, the Government of the Republic of Uganda, and Venture Strategies for Health and Development.

In conjunction with the “ICPD @ 15: Progress and Prospects” conference, Partners in Population and Development (PPD) will organize related events. PPD is organizing the XIII Annual Meetings of its Governing Board, Executive Committee and a Meeting of Partners Country Coordinators (PCCs) in Kampala, Uganda. These governance and programmatic events of PPD will be held consecutively at the same venue in Kampala from 23- 26 November 2008:

• PPD XIII Executive Committee Meeting – 23 November 2008
• Partners Country Coordinators (PCC) Meeting – 23 November 2008
• Meeting with the President of Uganda – 25 November 2008
• PPD XIII Annual Board Meeting – 26 November 2008

For additional information, including programme information, sessions, speakers and presentations, please visit www.partners-popdev.org.