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2009-08-01T06:28:00.002+03:00

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PPD ARO Newsletter, Number 2 (1 April 2009 to 30 June 2009)

2009-07-24T21:13:00.003+03:00

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to detail the main activities that PPD ARO was able to carry out during the second quarter of 2009.

PPD ARO has been able to undertake several activities to deliver on its mission. The activities that were carried out can be summarized as follows:

1- Workshop to develop and adopt the Strategic Plan for Parliamentary Committees on Health, HIV, Child Welfare and Population in East and Southern Africa (SEAPACOH)
During the month of March 2009, PPD ARO held a workshop for the steering committee members of the parliamentary committees on Health, HIV, Child Welfare and Population in East and Southern Africa (SEAPACOH) to develop and adopt its Strategic Plan. The workshop was held on April 6-9 and was attended by 22 participants (both steering committee members and technocrats). The output of the workshop was a SEAPACOH Strategic Plan (2009 – 2013) that would guide SEAPACOH’s work as well as its resource mobilization efforts.

Through a participatory process, SEAPACOH formulated its strategic direction and articulated the Alliance’s priority areas of business focus and strategic interventions during the period 2009-2013. The three main areas of focus identified include:
• Ensuring needs-based resourcing of the health sector
• Ensuring effective domestication, implementation and compliance with agreed upon commitments in the health sector by governments, and
• Ensuring sustainability of the Alliance
The Alliance would work in close collaboration amongst its members as well as other partners at national, regional and international level to address specific objectives focusing on attainment of the goal of nurturing a culture of health as a basic human right for all the people of the member countries.

2- Presentation of the concept note on PPD ARO’s role in the implementation of the SADC SRH Strategic Plan
A team from PPD ARO attended the Joint technical meeting for SADC member states as invited in an observer status to consider proposals for cooperation between the SADC Secretariat and the PPD ARO in the implementation of the SADC’s Reproductive Heath Strategy.

During the meeting, the Regional Director of PPD ARO had the opportunity to present the concept note on PPD ARO’s role in the implementation of the SADC SRH Strategic Plan. The meeting was held on April 14 – 17, 2009 at Zebra Lodge, Pretoria, South Africa.

Members states represented at the meeting were Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Also presented were representatives from Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),

SADC member states commended PPD ARO for the comprehensive presentation and approved the SADC SRHR implementation plan that was presented by PPD ARO. It was agreed that the implementation plan by PPD ARO be part of the report for presentation to the SADC Health Ministers meeting planned for July 13-15, 2009 was to be sent to the ministers meeting.

A key recommendation made at the meeting was that PPD ARO should share the opportunity of making more Africa countries members of PPD. It was also recommended that the SRHR implementation should be expedited.

3- Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Millennium Development Goals (UPFMDG) Strategic Plan Workshop
With Support from Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office, the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Millennium Development Goals (UPFMDG) organized a one day workshop on April 27, 2009 at Imperial Royal Hotel, Kampala, Uganda.

The main objective of this one day workshop was to develop and adopt UPFDMG’s Strategic Plan (2009-2013) that would guide its work within the country as well as propel the Forum’s agenda towards the achievement of MDG’s.

4- Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs (UPFYA) Strategic Plan Development Workshop
With Support from Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office, UNFPA, DSW and PACE (PSI), the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs (UPFYA) organised a one day workshop on June 24, 2009 at Imperial Royale Hotel. The main objective of this one day workshop was to develop and adopt UPFYA’s Strategic Plan (2009-2013) that would guide its work within the country considering the representational, legislative, budgetary appropriation and oversight roles of parliamentarians in this forum as it focuses its support to the youths. This Strategic Plan sets out UPFYA’s strategic thrusts that will enable the Forum realize its vision, mission, mandate and objectives, and thus contribute to the empowering of young people in particular and enhancing their well being in general.

5- Resource mobilization
PPD ARO held meetings with potential partners. These included IntraHealth and Engender Health. The discussions covered possible areas of collaboration and PPD ARO shared its 2009 work plan and delineated area of collaboration and partnership. During those meetings, IntraHealth and Engender Health showed interest in collaborating with the Office to carry out some of its programmed activities for the year 2009.

6- International seminars and meetings
6.1- AU Africa Ministers of Health Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Regional Director of PPD ARO attended the AU Africa Ministers of Health Conference, Addis Ababa that was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 4 – 8, 2009. The conference was attended by delegates from 34 African Union (AU) member states and 49 non-African embassies accredited to the AU, RECs, RHOs, UN specialized agencies, Intergovernmental and Non Governmental Organizations, cooperating partners and invited observers.

The Conference provided an important forum for member states, development partners and other stakeholders to share their strategies and activities to improve maternal, neonatal and child health mortality rates. The principal lesson retained by the participants from the experts meeting was the crucial leadership role that Ministers and governments have on the HRH management and reduction of maternal and child mortality rate. Positive examples undertaken by governments of Rwanda, Ethiopia and the Cape Verde were cited as Best Practices.

6.2- International Seminar on S-S Cooperation for Population and Development, Taicang, China
The Regional Director of PPD ARO attended a meeting in Taicang, China on May 13-15, 2009. The meeting also gathered representatives from other agencies, institutions, and donors.
Participants noted that the broad concept of RH has been understood and translated by a number of countries in the form of concrete initiatives such as policies and programmes.

The Regional Director of PPD ARO used the occasion in these meetings to make presentation the impact of Global Financial Crisis on Population and Development and the need for South-South collaboration and PPD ARO’s work in the continent.

There was call for renewed commitment from the member countries to support each other through South-South collaboration to address the resource mobilization gap among other issues.

6.3- Joint PPD ARO/IntraHealth Advocacy Mission to Rwanda
The Regional Director of PPD ARO made a joint advocacy mission to Rwanda on May 19-23. The purpose of the joint advocacy mission was to meet policy makers and development to dialogue on issues of funding for reproductive health. The joint mission also was an opportunity for discussion of Rwanda’s best practices on reproductive health including financing.

6.4- Annual Session of UNFPA Executive Board Meeting and Breakfast Meeting
The Regional Director of PPD ARO participated in the UNFPA Executive Board Meeting and Breakfast Meeting. During the meeting it was noted that the ongoing financial crisis has resulted in a significant economic downturn around the world.

It is estimated that one third of all developing countries – mostly in Africa and Asia – are highly exposed to the effects of the crisis on poverty. The slowing down of economic growth in the developing world can also contribute to a weakening of national social protection systems, decreased spending on social development, and a decline in public health budgets and expenditures.

Furthermore, the serious economic downturn in the developed world and the volatility in the currency markets have raised concerns about implications of the crisis for official development assistance (ODA). The combination of these factors endangers access to both public and private reproductive health services, particularly family planning and safe delivery services.

In his remarks, Dr. Musinguzi noted that, to prevent the ensuing human crisis, which can undo years of progress and further challenge achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He advocated for the implementation of the Abuja target of 15 per cent of the national budget to health and preservation of the donor countries’ commitment to meet the targets of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for ODA and 0.15 to 0.2 per cent to least developed countries (LDCs).

More information is available at: http://www.unfpa.org.

6.5- Congressional Briefing
Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, Regional Director of Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) spoke about maternal health in Africa at a United States Congressional briefing on 5 June 2009. The topic of the briefing was "Africa's Future: Improving the Health of Mothers and Children" and was sponsored by the Association of Population Centers, Population Action International, Population Association of America, Population Council, Population Reference Bureau, Population Resource Center, and UCLA Bixby Center on Population and Reproductive Health.

In his presentation, Dr. Musinguzi pointed out the effects of maternal mortality—-the lost lives, rights, and productivity—-and the range of effective, low-cost strategies to improve the health of mothers and children. "What is the message?" Dr. Musinguzi asked in conclusion. "No woman should lose her life while giving life."

Watch Dr. Musinguzi’s presentation at the ppdafrica.org website: (Length: 8:54): http://ppdafrica.org/joomla/index.php/en/publications/videos

More information on the Congressional Briefing is at: http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2009/africamaternalnewbornhealth.aspx

The entire video briefing is available at:
http://www.ebmcdn.net/prb/html/prb-060509fns/index.html

6.6- 7th Annual Summer Institute in Reproductive Health & Development, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Patrick Mugirwa (Programme Officer) and Diana Nambatya (Associate Programme Officer), PPD ARO attended the 7th Annual Summer Institute in Reproductive Health & Development at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA on June 1-12, 2009.

The course focused on reproductive health and development analytical skills for policy and programs. Participants were introduced to contemporary population, reproductive health and development issues, measures and indicators. Analytic and interpretative skills to understand linkages between demographic change, sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and economic and social development. Participants were also guided through policy and program analyses using programs such as STAT Complier and spectrum to inform the future development needs.

More information is available at: http://www.jhsph.edu/gatesinstitute/education_training/workshops_training/summer_institute/index

6.7- Human Resources for Maternal Survival (Task- shifting to non-physician clinicians)
The Regional Director of PPD ARO attended the first African Regional Meeting on "Human Resources for Maternal Survival: Task-shifting to Non-Physician Clinicians" which took place in Addis Ababa from 29 June - 2 July 2009.

It aimed at consolidating existing and new evidence on the use of Non-Physician Clinicians (NPCs) and move towards specific implementation steps to scale up NPCs as part of a team of health professionals necessary to expand Emergency Obstetric Care and meet MDG 5.
The meeting was organized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health & Ministry of Education, the United Nations Population Fund and Columbia University (USA).

Alongside the Ethiopian Minister of Health, Dr Mubashar Sheikh, the Executive Director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance, participated in a panel discussion with representatives of donors, professional associations, UN agencies, NGOs and advocacy groups on mobilizing technical, financial and political support for action on enhancing maternal and newborn survival.

More information is available at: http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/media/events/2009/addistaskshifting/en/index.html

7- Calendar
Please also see the PPD ARO website for the full, updated calendar of events for 2009:
http://ppdafrica.org/joomla/index.php/en/calendar/PPD%20Africa%20Calendar

Drop in Family Planning Funding Undermines Other Humanitarian Goals

2009-07-16T02:17:00.003+03:00

Despite the United State's recent increase in family planning funding, a dramatic decrease in international donor funding is taking place, which threatens to unravel other humanitarian gains made in regards to issues such as poverty, hunger, and efforts to counter global warming.

In 1994 the International Conference on Population and Development took place in Cairo and alerted the world to issues of population and development, and the severe consequences for inaction. Following this highly publicized conference, countries worldwide were eager to commit funding, but after reaching a peak in 1995 with U.S.$723 million allotted, a drastic decline has occurred worldwide. The latest estimate, for 2007, shows contributions totaling only about $338 million, which according to UNFPA senior demographer Stan Bernstein, is "a hell of a decline." Furthermore, if one takes inflation into account the decrease appears even more severe.

The recent decline in funding not only hurts family planning services, but also threatens to undermine other humanitarian achievements such as advents made in the arenas of poverty and hunger. Unless their is renewed attention to issues of population and development, as well as an increase in funding for family planning, high fertility, especially in sub-Saharan Africa will simply exacerbate related humanitarian problems such as poverty. UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya A Obaid explains how "We have to protect the gains made and ensure that these gains do not slip back" in order to make any sustainable progress.

In an effort to prioritize issues of population and development, UNFPA convened 30 family planning experts in New York late this June including representatives from Bangladesh, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, India, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, the U.K. and the U.S. What they found was that countries who felt that they had made significant strides in reproductive health and effective family planning, were compelled to shift funding to other problems that seemed to require more attention. What they failed to realize however, is that such a monetary commitment must be continued if any lasting progress is to be made. Furthermore, many prior efforts were aimed at a specific age group of sexually active young men and women. Now that funding has been decreased, international programmes are having to choose what areas to focus on. This means that someone who was a child during the initial wave of family planning funding, will now find that resources and services are more limited as they become sexually active, and that the only information they will receive is that which funding will allow. One prominent example is in sub-Saharan Africa, where the limited funding has been focused almost entirely on HIV and AIDS, and has failed to address other important issues such as abortion and contraception.

Without an increase in funding, not only will family planning and reproductive health services be diminished, but an endless cycle connecting population with other humanitarian issues will relentlessly continue. If we are to make any strides regarding other issues, such as global warming or hunger, we must continue to address the core of every problem, namely , population. It is PPD's hope that a recommitment to the original goals of the ICPD will occur, and that the United State's recent increase in funding to family planning will emphasize the necessity of such a financial commitment.

Second HPV Vaccine Approved by WHO

2009-07-15T03:34:00.006+03:00

Last week the World Health Organization announced that it had approved a second cervical cancer vaccine. Known as Cervarix, this new vaccine is produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and will supplement the original HPV Vaccine Gardasil, which is produced by Merck, in helping to prevent new HPV infections and subsequent cases of cervical cancer.

The approval of Cervarix allows U.N. agencies and their partners to be able to buy millions of doses of the vaccine for poor countries, where 80% of the 280,000 annual cervical cancer deaths occur each year. Without early screening, women in developing countries often find that HPV, which is often treatable, has already led to cervical cancer. By being able to offer these women a vaccine, they will be able to protect themselves against the HPV virus, and subsequently from the resulting cervical cancer which often present itself, and tens of thousands of lives will be saved.

As of now, cost arrangements are still under negotiation. GAVI, formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization prioritized the purchase of cervical cancer vaccines for the world's poorest countries last year, and is currently in talks with both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the hopes of lowering the vaccines cost for developing countries. In the West, both vaccines typically run about $360 for a three shot dose, but if Cervarix is to make any sort of dent in the 80% of infections occurring in poor countries, costs will have to be drastically reduced.

As of now, Cervarix is not available in either the U.S. or Japan. Gardasil has dominated the U.S. market since its approval in 2006, but the FDA is expected to decide within the next few months whether to approve Cervarix for U.S. markets. If approved, donors will hopefully be able to purchase the vaccine at a reduced cost in order to aid women in poor countries.

To read more about the vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix, click here:

Gardasil: http://www.gardasil.com/

Cervarix: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090709-706351.html

To learn more about HPV and Cervical Cancer visit: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/HPV

Senate Appropriations Committee Increases 2010 Funding for Global Health Programmes

2009-07-13T00:30:00.006+03:00

Last Thursday the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $48.69 billion draft bill to fund the State Department and foreign affairs activities for this 2010 fiscal year. With a final vote of 29-1, Senator Leahy explains how "this bipartisan bill goes a long way to emphasize the importance of enhancing the capacity of the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to carry out diplomacy and development programmes in areas of critical importance to the United States."

Of the $48.69 billion allotted, global health programs will receive $7.8 billion for their continued efforts. This amount is not only $434 million above the 2009 fiscal year request, but also $178 million above this years request, emphasizing a realization of the need for substantial funding in order to continue and improve efforts to address issues of global health. Within the $7.8 billion budget, $555 million will be allotted to child survival and maternal health, $628.5 million for family planning and reproductive health programmes, which includes an allocation of $50 Million for the UN Population Fund, $5.709 billion to combat HIV/AIDS, and an additional $700 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

In addition to increased funding for family planning, the Senate Appropriations Committee went a step further and adopted an amendment proposed by Rep. Frank Lautenberg, D- New Jersey, which "would make permanent Obama's decision earlier this year to revoke a policy prohibiting U.S. aid to overseas organizations that promote or perform abortions." Under George Bush, U.S. taxpayer money, in the form of family planning funding, was banned from going to any international family planning groups that either performed abortions, or offered any sort of information, counseling or referrals which supported abortion. Also known as the "Mexico City Policy" or the "Global Gag Rule" this policy was introduced by the Reagan administration in 1984, overturned by President Clinton in 1993, restored by President Bush in 2001, and most recently overturned by President Obama earlier this year. By agreeing upon this new amendment, further administrations would be forced to accept the most recent stance adopted by President Obama, and must continue to allow funding for family planning organizations that promote abortions, regardless of any future leader's opinion on this issue.

To read more about the Senate Appropriations Committee's funding breakdown, you can access their FY 2010 Department of State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations summary at: http://appropriations.senate.gov/News/2009_07_09_Summary_of_FY_2010_State_and_Foreign_Operations_Appropriations.pdf?CFID=3878437&CFTOKEN=11326390

Dr. Musinguzi on World Population Day 2009

2009-07-12T20:28:00.000+03:00

Fulfilling Our Promises to Women
Saturday, 11 July 2009

In these times of global economic crisis, our families, communities and nation face increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend scarce financial resources. We hear dismal statistics repeated in the newspapers and online: the economy of developed countries (measured by GDP) is predicted to fall 4.5% in 2009 and world trade will fall nearly 10% (The World Bank’s annual Global Development Finance (GDF) report: http://www.worldbank.org/gdf2009).

For example, in Uganda, remittances are down 47%, from $504.04 million to $267.32 million (http://news.id.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3398635 and http://af.reuters.com/article/ugandaNews/idAFLM14443220090622?feedType=RSS&feedName=ugandaNews). USh2.5trn of Uganda’s budget this year (33%) is to come from donor support. Yet it is widely known that donor countries’ official development aid (ODA) is reduced when their economies face turmoil (http://ideas.repec.org/p/frd/wpaper/dp2009-01.html and Roodam, D. (2008). ‘History says Financial Crisis Will Suppress Aid’. Centre for Global Development Website, http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/10/history_says_financial_crisis.php).

What started as a financial issue of the US and Europe is now clearly a global crisis that is hitting Africa hard. It is already affecting our progress toward reducing poverty. Uganda and other developing countries are negatively impacted in the economic crisis because of our reliance on remittances from family overseas and official development aid (ODA) for national budget support.

We know that women and children in developing countries will bear the brunt of the impact of the global financial crisis. Yet we must face this harsh reality with the knowledge we have on what works in development. We must invest in critical services to mitigate the impact on women and allow them to contribute to the economic productivity of their families, communities, and our country.

Funding for reproductive health, prevention of HIV, and preventative health care in general can be viewed by both families and policy makers as non-essential services. Yet dropping these critical services leads to increases in maternal and infant death and disability.
Investing in family planning and reproductive health services not only is good for women’s health and rights (UN resolution on "Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights", June 17, 2009), it makes economic sense—each $1 invested in contraceptive services will avoid between $1.7 and $4 in expenditures on maternal and newborn health, in addition to cost-savings in education, water sanitation, and immunization. Investing in family planning services reduces maternal mortality, improves child survival, promotes women's empowerment and contributes to poverty reduction.

On 11 July 2009, people around the world will observe the 20th World Population Day. Over the past 20 years, we have seen investments in health and education for women and girls leading to increases in productivity, agricultural yields, and national incomes in developing countries.
Yet, there is still much to be achieved. For example, at the 2009 Commission on Population and Development, the Government of Uganda recognized the high population growth rate of 3.2%, “unacceptably high levels of illiteracy (30%), high infant mortality rate (76/1000 live births), high maternal mortality ratio (435/100,000 live births); low life expectancy (average of 51 years); and a high rate of HIV/AIDS (6.4%).” Yet while a number of these indices have improved over the last 10 years, Uganda has not made a significant positive step in terms of the population growth rate, fertility rate and contraceptive usage (http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2009/comm2009.htm.

Every year, 265,000 mothers in sub-Saharan Africa die in childbirth from preventable causes. In Uganda alone, approximately 6,000 women die every year due to pregnancy complications. Women bleed to death, they do not have access to antibiotics to prevent simple infections; they often do not have the option of a caesarean section when it is necessary. We can prevent these tragedies by providing women with prenatal care, skilled attendance at births, and emergency obstetric care.

Maternal mortality has significant impact on women, families and our country--in terms of lost lives, rights, and national productivity (GDP) (Maternal mortality has a statistically significant negative effect on GDP http://ajol.info/index.php/ajhs/article/viewFile/30801/23132).

We have a blueprint for what we need to do, in Africa and globally—we must fund and implement the 2006 Maputo Plan of Action of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health (later ratified by African Heads of State). This plan of action aligns with global frameworks and agreements such as the global commitment to universal access to reproductive health services by 2015 of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) agreed to by 179 countries in 1994 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In order to fulfill our commitments, we must use our resources wisely. This can best be done in developing countries by sharing our experiences and good practices through South-South cooperation and learning from the successes of our brothers and sisters in other developing countries. We need to look to the example set by other countries like Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, who have successfully lowered their rates of maternal ill-health through sustained financial and political commitment. Between 1992-93 and 2000, Egypt reduced its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) over 50% due to the focused efforts of the Ministry of Health and Population to improve access to, and quality of maternal and reproductive health services, reduce fertility rates, and improve antenatal care utilization and skilled attendance at delivery (http://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/Projects/ListProjects.cfm?Select=Region&ID=2&ProjectStatus=Active). With concentrated efforts, significant improvements in reducing maternal mortality are achievable.

South-South cooperation is a tool that we must take advantage of to both share our knowledge with other developing countries and to learn from their experiences, as well. Developed countries will be increasingly focused on their own problems, leaving us as developing countries to partner and learn from each other as we all strive towards the attainment of the common ICPD goals and MDGs. We must take advantage of our knowledge of local conditions and solutions.

We have the shared knowledge to implement effective, low-cost strategies to improve the health of mothers and children. What we now need is the commitment of community and political leaders to support health progammes that work and to fund the policies and commitments they have made.

We must commit ourselves to ending the tragedy of maternal mortality. No woman should lose her life while giving life.

by Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, M.D., M.P.H.
The writer is the Regional Director of Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (www.ppdafrica.org).

World Population Day- 11 July 2009

2009-07-08T13:04:00.004+03:00

The 20th World Population Day will be celebrated on 11 July with focus on women and the economic crisis, with the theme “Fight Poverty: Educate Girls: Investing in Women is a Smart Choice.”

Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) celebrates World Population Day with PPD member countries and calls on all donor and developing countries to fulfill their promises to women.

In these times of global economic crisis, our families, communities and nation face increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend scarce financial resources. We hear dismal statistics repeated in the newspapers and online: the economy of developed countries (measured by GDP) is predicted to fall 4.5% in 2009 and world trade will fall nearly 10%. It is widely known that donor countries’ official development aid (ODA) is reduced when their economies face turmoil.

What started as a financial issue of the US and Europe is now clearly a global crisis that is hitting Africa hard. It is already affecting our progress toward reducing poverty. Developing countries are negatively impacted in the economic crisis because of our reliance on remittances from family overseas and official development aid (ODA) for national budget support.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid underscores that during these times of global economic crisis, decision-makers have to increase resources for reproductive health, including family planning. "We can make greater progress for women and families. There is no smarter investment, with such high economics and social returns, than investing in the health and rights of adolescent girl and women."

And the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon stated that “investing in women’s health, especially reproductive health, can not only save the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleash an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year. . . Together, let us advance the rights of women and girls, and empower them as highly productive members of society capable of contributing to economic recovery and growth. There can be no better investment on this day or any other.”

For more information and resources, please see http://www.unfpa.org/wpd/2009/en/

Combattez la Pauvrete: Eduquez vos Filles
Investir dans les femmes est un choix avise
Nul ne sait encore quelle ampleur atteindra la présente crise économique mondiale. Nous savons que les femmes et les enfants des pays en développement supporteront le plus gros de son impact. Ce qui a commencé comme une crise financière dans les pays riches s'élargit maintenant en une crise économique mondiale qui frappe durement les pays en développement. Elle affecte déjà les progrès réalisés vers la réduction de la pauvreté.

Les politiques décidées en réponse à la crise qui s'inspirent du rôle des femmes en tant qu'agents économiques peuvent faire beaucoup pour atténuer les effets de la crise sur le développement, surtout parce que les femmes, plus que les hommes, investissent leurs gains dans la santé et l'éducation de leurs enfants. Il faut investir dans la santé publique, l'éducation, les soins aux enfants et les autres services sociaux. Cela atténue l'impact de la crise sur la famille entière et augmente la productivité au profit d'une économie plus saine.

Protéger les avancées réalisées
Les investissements dans l'éducation et la santé des femmes et des filles ont été liés à des augmentations de la productivité, des rendements agricoles et du revenu national — qui tous contribuent à la réalisation des OMD. Les investissements de cette nature faits par les gouvernements dans le monde entier ont augmenté les taux d'inscription scolaire, diminué l'écart entre les sexes dans l'éducation, apporté aux personnes atteintes du sida des médicaments qui les sauvent, étendu la prévention du VIH, fourni des moustiquaires pour prévenir le paludisme et amélioré la santé infantile grâce à l'immunisation.

Pour plus d'informations et de ressources, s'il vous plaît voir http://www.unfpa.org/wpd/2009/fr/index.html

Parliamentarians Urge G8 Leaders not to Reduce ODA Levels

2009-07-08T12:29:00.008+03:00

G8 Parliamentarians' Conference Urges G8 Leaders not to Reduce ODA Levels in Light of the Economic Crisis and to Deliver on Commitments in Women’s and Girl's Health

Two weeks before the G8 Summit in L' Aquila, Italy, more than 100 Parliamentarians, representatives and experts of International Organisations and civil society organisations participated in the fifth annual G8 Parliamentarians' Conference, entitled 'Strategic Investments in Times of Crisis – The Rewards of Making Women's Health a Priority', in Rome from June 22nd to 23rd 2009.

The conference was hosted by the Italian Parliamentary Working Group on Global Health and Women's Rights and organised by GCAP Italy, Action Aid, the Italian Association for Women in Development (AIDOS), the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) and the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) in co-operation with Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD), the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) and Interact Worldwide.

The Conference provided an unique opportunity for the Parliamentarians present to interact and strategise on meeting G8 commitments with fellow devoted Parliamentarians from around the world, as well as Government representatives and international organisations such as UNFPA, WHO, IPPF, Population Council and the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC).

Parliamentarians agreed that now is the time to act through strong, well focused and effective programs, that donor as well as recipient governments alike have a shared responsibility for reaching the MDGs with donor governments to create clear objectives, timelines and resources and for the recipient countries to put in place effective measures that will ensure the transparent and effective use of development aid.

The parliamentarians concluded with a very strong and forward-looking statement, entitled the 'Parliamentary Appeal to G8 Heads of State and Government' which will be delivered to the G8 Heads of State and Government. The declaration amongst others calls upon the G8 Heads of State not to reduce ODA levels in light of the economic crisis and to reaffirm existing commitments to fund US$ 60 Billion through Official Development Assistance for addressing the health-related needs in development countries over five years including support for health systems strengthening and efforts to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria based on concrete action plans and clear timetables, to invest in maternal and infant health as being the most cost-effective way to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and to promote gender equality by enacting development policies which protect young girls and their rights, educate young girls and boys, empower women and involve men in becoming active participants in the above.

To read the final appeal click here.

Source: Project RMA Monthly Update. To read past issues and subscribe, go to: http://www.rhsupplies.org/news_events/supplynews.html
Project RMA credits: GCAP Italy, Action Aid, AIDOS, DSW and EPF, ACPD, APDA and Interact Worldwide.

Parlementaires Exhorter les dirigeants du G8 de ne pas réduire les niveaux de l'APD- G8 Conférence parlementaire invite instamment les dirigeants du G8 de ne pas réduire les niveaux de l'APD à la lumière de la crise économique et le respect des engagements de femmes et filles de la santé

Deux semaines avant le Sommet du G8 à L 'Aquila, Italie, plus de 100 parlementaires, les représentants et les experts des organisations internationales et organisations de la société civile ont participé à la cinquième édition annuelle du G8 Conférence parlementaire, intitulé «Investissements stratégiques en temps de crise - Les primes de Faire de la santé des femmes une priorité », à Rome, du 22e au 23 Juin 2009.

La conférence a été organisée par le Groupe de travail parlementaire italienne sur la santé mondiale et les droits des femmes et organisé par l'AMCP en Italie, Action Aid, l'Association italienne pour les femmes dans le développement (AIDOS), la Fondation allemande pour la population mondiale (DSW) et le Forum parlementaire européen sur la population et le développement (EPF), en collaboration avec Action Canada pour la population et le développement (ACPD), l'Asie et l'Association pour le développement de la population (APDA) et Interact Worldwide.

La conférence a fourni une occasion unique pour les parlementaires présents à interagir et à une stratégie sur la réunion du G8 avec des engagements consacrés parlementaires du monde entier, ainsi que des représentants du gouvernement et des organisations internationales comme le FNUAP, l'OMS, l'IPPF, Population Council et l'International Women's Health Coalition (Coalition).

Les parlementaires ont convenu que le moment est venu d'agir par le biais de solides, bien ciblée et efficace des programmes, que les donateurs ainsi que les gouvernements bénéficiaires ont une responsabilité partagée pour atteindre les OMD avec les gouvernements donateurs à créer des objectifs clairs, des échéances et des ressources et pour les pays bénéficiaires de mettre en place des mesures efficaces qui assureront la transparence et l'efficacité de l'utilisation de l'aide au développement.

Les parlementaires ont conclu à une très forte et des déclarations prospectives, intitulé «Appel aux parlementaires du G8 des chefs d'État et de gouvernement", qui sera livré au G8 des chefs d'État et de gouvernement. La déclaration, entre autres, invite les chefs d'État du G8 de ne pas réduire les niveaux de l'APD, à la lumière de la crise économique et de réaffirmer les engagements de fonds de US $ 60 milliards par le biais de l'aide publique au développement pour répondre aux besoins liés à la santé dans les pays en développement sur cinq ans y compris le soutien pour les systèmes de santé et de renforcer les efforts de lutte contre le sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme basé sur des plans d'action concrets et des calendriers précis, à investir dans la santé maternelle et infantile comme étant la plus rentable d'atteindre les Objectifs de développement du Millénaire, et à promouvoir l'égalité des sexes l'égalité en adoptant des politiques de développement qui protège les jeunes filles et de leurs droits, éduquer les jeunes filles et les garçons, l'autonomisation des femmes et des hommes à devenir des participants actifs à la ci-dessus.

Pour lire l'appel final, cliquez ici.

Source: Projet de mise à jour mensuelle RMA. Pour lire les numéros précédents et vous abonner, allez à: http://www.rhsupplies.org/news_events/supplynews.html
Projet RMA crédits: GCAP Italie, Action Aid, AIDOS, DSW et EPF, ACPD, APDA et Interact Worldwide.

Recent gains in eradicating hunger and poverty endangered by economic and food crises

2009-07-08T11:44:00.002+03:00

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 was released on 6 July 2009.

The report finds that more than halfway to the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), major advances in the fight against poverty and hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global economic and food crises.

The assessment also warns that, despite many successes, overall progress has been too slow for most of the targets to be met by 2015.

Progress Needs to be Accelerated in Africa
The proportion of the population in sub-Saharan Africa living below the World Bank’s new international poverty line of $1.25 a day decreased from 55.7 per cent in 1990 to 50.3 per cent in 2005 – showing some progress, but far from the pace needed to reach the over-arching Millennium Development Goal of halving the rate of poverty by 2015, according to a just-released UN report.

Because of population growth, the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa living in extreme poverty actually grew by 100 million over this period.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2008 provides statistical evidence of the progress that sub-Saharan Africa has made in addressing the multiple dimensions and causes of this extensive poverty.

As a sign of potentially better prospects in the future, the region’s total net enrolment ratio in primary education increased from 54 to 58 per cent between 1991 and 2000, and then accelerated to 71 per cent in 2006. Girls account for an increasing share of this total, with the gender parity index rising from 83 per cent in 1991 to 85 per cent in 2000 and 89 per cent in 2006. Despite these improvements, the region will have to intensify its efforts if it is to achieve the Goal of universal primary education by 2015 and the target of primary school gender equality, originally set for 2005. At the secondary level, there has been a slight deterioration in the gender parity ratio, with the number of girls enrolled falling from 82 per cent of the number of boys in 2000 to 80 per cent in 2006.

The UN report also points to accelerated, but narrow and insufficient improvements on the health front. Most notably, primarily thanks to the increasing availability of anti-retroviral drugs, the number of deaths from AIDS has halted its seemingly inexorable increase. The corollary is that, because infected people now survive longer, the number of those living with the disease continues to increase. Among these, the majority are women, who now account for almost 60 per cent of those with the disease in the region.

The proportion of people living with HIV who need treatment and are receiving antiretroviral therapy rose from 21 to 30 per cent between 2006 and 2007, mostly thanks to the substantial amount of public and private external funding provided for this purpose. Here again, despite the progress, there remain some 5 million people in the region who do not have access to the therapy they require.

The lack of health care services is among the factors that contribute to the high number of deaths of children under five years of age. From 184 deaths per 1000 births in 1990, infant mortality fell to 157 in 2007, but this remains almost twice the figure for Southern Asia, the region with the second highest rate.

There was almost no improvement in the region’s very high rate of maternal mortality between 1990 and 2005. A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a 0.9 per cent chance of dying as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, again roughly more than twice the rate of the second-highest region, Southern Asia. A major reason is that, in 2006, less than half of all mothers-to-be were attended to by skilled health care personnel when giving birth. The intolerably high maternal mortality rate highlights the need for expanded and improved basic health services throughout the region, particularly in the rural areas.

The extent to which women are able to contribute to and benefit from development in the region has been increasing. Women accounted for 31 per cent of non-agricultural wage employment in 2006, compared to 25 per cent in 1990. But women are confined to the more unstable and insecure jobs: more than 80 per cent of women who work are self-employed or unpaid family workers. In terms of political participation, female representation in parliaments has more than doubled since 1990 and, at 17.3 per cent, is higher than the overall average in the developing world.

Full text of the Report (English) : http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202009%20ENG.pdf
Press Release (English) : http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/news.shtml
Data used to prepare the report: http://mdgs.un.org.

Rapport 2009 sur les objectifs du Millénaire
Les crises économiques et alimentaires mettent en péril les récentes avancées dans le domaine de l’éradication de la faim et de la pauvreté, révèle un rapport de l’ONU. Le Secrétaire général de l'ONU appellent les pays richent et pauvres à intensifier leurs efforts et à respecter les engagements en matière d'aide.

Alors qu’il reste moins de la moitié du chemin à parcourir avant la date butoir de 2015 pour la réalisation des objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement, les grands progrès dans la lutte contre la pauvreté et la faim commencent à ralentir, voire à s’inverser à cause des crises économiques et alimentaires mondiales, révèle un rapport sur le sujet publié par les Nations Unies.

Cette évaluation, que le Secrétaire général de l’ONU Ban Ki-moon a rendue publique à Genève, prévient qu’en dépit de nombreux succès, les progrès ont été trop lents dans l’ensemble pour atteindre la plupart des cibles fixées pour 2015.

Rapport 2009 - texte complet: http://www.un.org/french/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202009%20FR.pdf

New DFID White Paper refocuses UK’s development aid

2009-07-08T11:40:00.007+03:00

A just-released white paper from DfID “Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future” shows a refocus for the UK’s development aid towards fragile countries, and prioritizing security and justice alongside health, education, water and sanitation.

Key announcements in “Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future” include:

A renewed commitment to 0.7 per cent of UK Gross National Income (GNI) for international development, reaching .07% of GNI at £9bn per year by 2013;
Measures to reduce maternal mortality rates and potentially save the lives of six million mothers and babies by 2015;
Plans to support over eight million more children in Africa go to school;
Doubling of funding to £1bn for African infrastructure including transport, energy and trade in the region;
A tripling of funding to support developing countries to recover stolen assets, and new resources to Interpol, as part of a major effort to stamp out corruption; and
Increased investment in the Central Emergency Response Fund for humanitarian aid at the UN

On fragile countries:

Fifty per cent of new bilateral funding will be committed to fragile countries;
Helping to ensure that security and justice are treated as a basic service – alongside health, education, water and sanitation – in the developing world with funding tripled to £120 m by 2014. This will include training police officers, setting up law courts and protecting women from violence; and
A focus on jobs in five of the most vulnerable countries - Yemen, Nepal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan – where 7.5 million people will benefit from jobs and economic opportunities

On growth and trade:

A quadrupling of funding to promote fair and ethical trade; and
A new International Growth Centre to offer world class economic expertise and practical advice to poor countries

On climate change:

Renewed commitment to £800m to support climate adaptation, low carbon growth and protection of forests; and
The piloting of new low carbon innovation centres and a global climate change knowledge network

Read the entire paper at: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/whitepaper/building-our-common-future-print.pdf

Nouveau livre blanc du DFID recentre l'aide au développement du Royaume-Uni

Un tout nouveau livre blanc du DFID "Eliminating World Poverty: Construire notre avenir commun" montre un recentrage de l'aide au développement du Royaume-Uni vers des pays fragiles, et à prioriser la sécurité et de justice aux côtés de la santé, l'éducation, l'eau et l'assainissement.

Principales annonces publiées dans «L'élimination de la pauvreté dans le monde:" Construire notre avenir commun »comprend:

Un engagement renouvelé en faveur de 0,7 pour cent du Royaume-Uni, le revenu national brut (RNB) pour le développement international, pour atteindre ,07% du RNB à partir de £ 9bn par an pour 2013;
Des mesures visant à réduire les taux de mortalité maternelle et potentiellement sauver la vie de six millions de mères et les bébés d'ici à 2015;
Plans à l'appui de plus de huit millions d'enfants en Afrique vont à l'école;
Doublement du financement à £ 1 milliard pour les infrastructures en Afrique, y compris le transport, l'énergie et du commerce dans la région;
Un triplement des fonds pour appuyer les pays en développement à recouvrer les avoirs volés, et de nouvelles ressources à Interpol, en tant que partie d'un effort majeur visant à éradiquer la corruption et
Augmentation de l'investissement dans le Fonds central d'intervention d'urgence pour l'aide humanitaire à l'ONU

Le pays fragiles:

Cinquante pour cent des nouveaux accords bilatéraux de financement sera déterminé à des pays fragiles;
Veiller à ce que la sécurité et la justice sont traitées comme un service de base - à côté de la santé, l'éducation, eau et assainissement - dans le monde en développement a triplé, avec un financement de 120 m £ en 2014. Cela comprendra la formation des agents de police, mise en place de tribunaux de droit et la protection des femmes contre la violence, et
L'accent mis sur l'emploi dans cinq des pays les plus vulnérables - Yémen, Népal, Nigéria, Ouganda, l'Éthiopie et l'Afghanistan - où 7,5 millions de personnes bénéficieront de l'emploi et les possibilités économiques

Sur la croissance et le commerce:

Un quadruplement de financement pour promouvoir le commerce équitable et éthique, et
Un nouveau Centre international de la croissance à offrir une expertise de classe mondiale économique et des conseils pratiques aux pays pauvres

Le changement climatique:

Engagement renouvelé à £ 800 pour soutenir l'adaptation climatique, la croissance à faible émission de carbone et la protection des forêts, et
Le pilotage de nouveaux centres d'innovation à faible teneur en carbone et un réseau de connaissances sur le changement climatique

Lire l'ensemble du document à l'adresse suivante: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/whitepaper/building-our-common-future-print.pdf

Résolution du Conseil des droits de l'homme sur la santé maternelle

2009-06-25T04:22:00.001+03:00

Les partenaires en matière de population et de développement Bureau régional pour l'Afrique (BRA PPD) célèbre l'adoption récente d'un premier coup de résolution sur la mortalité et la morbidité maternelles par le Conseil des droits de l'homme sur Juin 17, 2009.

La résolution sur la "Prévention de la mortalité maternelle et de morbidité et de droits de l'homme" reconnaît que les droits de l'homme est essentiel pour les réponses nationales et internationales à la mortalité maternelle et de morbidité.

Dans cette résolution, les gouvernements ont exprimé leur grave préoccupation pour le taux anormalement élevé de mortalité maternelle et de morbidité, de reconnaître que c'est une question de droits humains, et s'engager à accroître leurs efforts au niveau national et international pour protéger la vie des femmes et des filles dans le monde entier. Il s'agit d'une critique révolutionnaire que membres des Nations unies ont reconnu la nécessité d'aborder la santé maternelle en tant que question de droits humains.

Grâce à la résolution du Conseil des droits de l'homme, les gouvernements reconnaissent que l'élimination de la mortalité et morbidité maternelle exige la promotion et la protection des femmes et des filles des droits de l'homme, y compris leurs droits à la vie, à l'égalité dans la dignité, à l'éducation, à être libre de chercher, de recevoir et de répandre des informations, de bénéficier du progrès scientifique, à l'abri de la discrimination et de jouir du meilleur état de santé physique et mentale, y compris la santé sexuelle et reproductive.

Écoutez ce que Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, directeur régional de PPD BRA, avait à dire au sujet de la santé maternelle, lors d'une récente réunion d'information du Congrès des États-Unis le 5 Juin 2009, parrainée par l'Association des centres de population, Population Action International, Population Association of America, Population Council , Population Reference Bureau, Population Resource Center, et UCLA Center Bixby sur la population et la santé de la reproduction.

Dans sa présentation, le Dr Musinguzi souligné les effets de la mortalité maternelle - la perte de vie, les droits, et productivty - et la gamme de l'efficacité et à faible coût des stratégies visant à améliorer la santé des mères et des enfants. "Quel est le message?" Muzinguzi demandé en conclusion. "Aucune femme ne devrait perdre sa vie en donnant la vie."

Pourtant, chaque année, 265.000 femmes meurent pendant l'accouchement de causes évitables en Afrique sub-saharienne.

Le PPD ARO invite États membres des Nations Unies dans la mise en œuvre de la résolution du Conseil des droits de l'homme sur évitable de mortalité et de morbidité maternelle et les droits de l'homme de veiller à ce que l'étude thématique qui sera établi sera entièrement financé et mis en œuvre dans tous les pays africains.

La résolution est disponible à: http://reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/Maternal% 20Mortality% 20Resolution% 20HRC% 20_as% 20approved_.pdf

Un communiqué de presse des Nations Unies est en ligne à: http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/ (httpNewsByYear_en) / 10DF03F4ED78BD52C12575D8004D5215? OpenDocument

Human Rights Council Resolution on Maternal Health

2009-06-25T04:11:00.002+03:00

The Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) celebrates the recent adoption of a ground-breaking resolution on maternal mortality and morbidity by the Human Rights Council on June 17, 2009.

The resolution on "Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights" recognizes that a human rights perspective is essential to international and national responses to maternal mortality and morbidity.

In this resolution, governments expressed grave concern for the unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, acknowledge that this is a human rights issue, and commit to enhance their efforts at the national and international level to protect the lives of women and girls worldwide. It is a critical breakthrough that UN member states have acknowledged the need to address maternal health as a human rights issue.

Through the Human Rights Council resolution, governments recognize that the elimination of maternal mortality and morbidity requires the effective promotion and protection of women and girls’ human rights, including their rights to life; to be equal in dignity; to education; to be free to seek, receive, and impart information; to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress; to freedom from discrimination; and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including sexual and reproductive health.

Hear what Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, Regional Director, PPD ARO, had to say about maternal health at a recent United States Congressional briefing on 5 June 2009, sponsored by the Association of Population Centers, Population Action International, Population Association of America, Population Council, Population Reference Bureau, Population Resource Center, and UCLA Bixby Center on Population and Reproductive Health.

In his presentation, Dr. Musinguzi pointed out the effects of maternal mortality—-the lost lives, rights, and productivty—-and the range of effective, low-cost strategies to improve the health of mothers and children. "What is the message?" Muzinguzi asked in conclusion. "No woman should lose her life while giving life."

Yet, every year, 265,000 mothers die in childbirth from preventable causes in sub-Saharan Africa.

The PPD ARO calls on United Nations member states as they implement the Human Rights Council Resolution on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights to ensure that the thematic study be fully funded and its recommendations implemented in all African countries.

The full resolution is available at: http://reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/Maternal%20Mortality%20Resolution%20HRC%20_as%20approved_.pdf

A U.N. press release is online at: http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/10DF03F4ED78BD52C12575D8004D5215?OpenDocument

Financement du développement dans le monde 2009 : Résumé des perspectives

2009-06-25T04:03:00.002+03:00

La nouvelle analyse de l’économie internationale que livre la Banque mondiale décrit une situation sans précédent : chute de 2,9 % de la production mondiale et recul de près de 10 % du commerce mondial, accompagnés d’un effondrement des flux de capitaux privés qui pourraient chuter de 707 milliards de dollars en 2008 à 363 milliards de dollars en 2009, selon les prévisions actuelles.

Le rapport Global Development Finance (a) (rapport sur le financement du développement dans le monde), fait le point sur les perspectives de l’économie mondiale et explore l’approche globale qui sera nécessaire pour permettre une reprise à l’échelle internationale.

On prévoit une baisse importante de la croissance du PIB dans les pays en développement de 5,9 % en 2008 à 1,2 % en 2009. Cependant, leurs performances sont supérieures à celles des pays riches, dont la somme des PIB devrait baisser de 4,5 % en 2009. Il faut toutefois noter que si l’on déduit du total les PIB de l’Inde et de la Chine, les pays en développement, en tant que groupe, enregistrent une contraction de 1,6 % de leur PIB, ce qui représente une véritable régression en termes de réduction de la pauvreté.

Le site Internet Perspectives pour l’économie mondiale a été mis à jour et complète le rapport Global Development Finance en fournissant des prévisions détaillées, y compris pour les régions et les pays en développement. Deux régions (la région Europe et Asie centrale et la région Amérique latine et Caraïbes) sont susceptibles de terminer l’année 2009 avec une croissance négative.

Selon le rapport Global Development Finance, les pays en développement risquent d’être confrontés en 2009 à une situation très défavorable en matière de financement extérieur. Étant donné la forte chute des flux de capitaux privés, de nombreux pays auront du mal à satisfaire leurs besoins en termes de financement extérieur, estimés à 1 000 milliards de dollars.
Les flux de la dette privée et les prises de participation ne permettront probablement pas aux pays en développement, loin s’en faut, de satisfaire ces besoins. Ils pourraient connaître une pénurie de financement considérable, que l’on estime entre 350 et 635 milliards de dollars. Les flux de capitaux provenant de sources officielles, ainsi que le recours aux réserves étrangères, devraient contribuer à combler ce manque dans certains pays, mais dans d’autres, de rapides et drastiques ajustements macroéconomiques seront nécessaires.

Il faut enfin que les pays pauvres, dans lesquels la situation était déjà tendue (du fait notamment de la crise alimentaire et du carburant) reçoivent rapidement de l’aide. Ces pays ont peu ou pas accès aux capitaux privés, même lors des périodes favorables, et sont largement tributaires des donateurs pour obtenir les ressources indispensables à la réalisation, d’ici 2015, des objectifs de développement pour le Millénaire.

Qu'est-ce que cela signifie pour l'Afrique en particulier?

Production et des revenus dans la région ont été affectés négativement par la chute des prix, la baisse du volume de la demande de métal et les exportations minières, et la baisse des envois de fonds et le tourisme.

Et la note régional pour l'Afrique sub-saharienne ici: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=659149&pagePK=2470434&contentMDK=20396439&menuPK=665605&piPK=2470429

Les données de chaque région est disponible ici sous forme de tableau: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?contentMDK=20381640&menuPK=659183&theSitePK=659149&pagePK=2470434&piPK=2470429

Global Development Finance 2009: Outlook summary

2009-06-25T02:52:00.004+03:00

A recent World Bank analysis of the global economy paints an unprecedented picture: global output falling by 2.9 percent and world trade by nearly 10 percent; accompanied by plummeting private capital flows, likely to decline from $707 billion in 2008 to an anticipated $363 billion in 2009.

The World Bank’s annual Global Development Finance (GDF) report, released earlier this week, updates the outlook for the global economy, and explores the broad approach that will be necessary to chart a worldwide recovery.

GDP growth in developing countries is expected to slow sharply, from 5.9 percent in 2008 to 1.2 percent in 2009. However, their performance surpasses rich countries, whose collective GDP is expected to fall 4.5 percent in 2009. Notably, when India and China are removed from the total, developing countries as a group will experience a contraction in GDP of 1.6 percent, a real setback for poverty reduction.

The updated Prospects for the Global Economy website that accompanies the GDF report contains detailed projections, including for developing regions and countries. Two regions— Europe and Central Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean—are likely to end 2009 with negative growth.

Developing countries are likely to face a dismal external financing climate in 2009, according to the GDF. With private capital flows declining dramatically, many countries will find it difficult to meet their external financing needs, estimated at $1 trillion.

Private debt and equity flows will likely fall short of meeting the external financing needs of developing countries by a wide margin, amounting to a gap estimated to range between $350 billion and $635 billion. Capital flows from official sources, plus tapping foreign reserves, will help fill the gap in some countries, but in others, there will—of necessity—be sharp and abrupt macro adjustments.

Finally, there is a very urgent need to recognize that poor countries that were already under strain—notably from suffering through the food and fuel crisis—should receive attention quickly. These countries have little or no access to private foreign capital even in good times, and are largely dependent on donors for the resources needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals, which have a due date of 2015.

What does this mean for Africa specifically?
Output and incomes in the region have been negatively affected by falling commodity prices, falling volume demand for metal and mineral exports, and declining remittances and tourism.

And the regional note for sub-Saharan Africa here: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=659149&pagePK=2470434&contentMDK=20396439&menuPK=665605&piPK=2470429

Data for each region is available here in table form: http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?contentMDK=20381640&menuPK=659183&theSitePK=659149&pagePK=2470434&piPK=2470429

PPD ARO Newsletter 2009, Number 1

2009-06-23T02:04:00.006+03:00

1- Editorial, by Dr Jotham Musinguzi, Regional Director

There is an increasingly broad consensus among African leaders that the region must address its family planning, population and reproductive health problems if it is to build a just and sustainable future. Indeed, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development Cairo Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) called on developing countries and donor nations alike to meet these challenges. Achieving the ICPD PoA is a prerequisite to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

PPD ARO works from within the African continent to push the reproductive health, population and development agenda. This is a critical mission. Africa still lacks adequate political will and commitment among policymakers on the benefits of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). There is still a lack of adequate understanding and appreciation among policymakers of the impact of poor sexual and reproductive health and rights on poverty alleviation and their linkages to population and development. The price of policymaker inaction is also not well-known. Thus, there is urgent need for increased political will among African leaders to be accountable for the commitments they made through the ICPD, MDGs and other regional and international frameworks for addressing SRHR. This is the impetus of the work of PPD ARO.

Over the past two years, PPD ARO has continued to carry out its programme interventions that revolve around its major strategic thrusts of advocacy and policy dialogue; networking and building strategic partnerships in the region as well sharing of experiences and good practices. This newsletter brings you news of the PPD ARO’s advocacy for reproductive health. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to read it.

2- Working with Parliamentarians
Aware of the role they play as key stockholders, PPD ARO works in close collaboration with Parliamentarians as well as other partners to address specific objectives focusing on putting SRHR high in the development agenda.

In order for reproductive health services, including family planning, to reach men, women and young people, more resources must be made available. Parliamentarians must play their legislative, representative, budget appropriation, and oversight roles to ensure that SRHR is included in development planning and funding mechanisms and engage with government in shaping, implementing and monitoring appropriate national development policies.

PPD ARO hosted a High Level regional meeting of Parliamentary Committees on Health in East Southern Africa, 16-18 September 2008, in Kampala, Uganda. The meeting was attended by members from Parliamentary committees responsible for health from twelve (12) countries in East and Southern Africa, as well as officers from government, development partner agencies and civil society organizations.

The major objective of the meeting was to increase leadership for RH, population and development within the continent. During the meeting, policymakers were informed about the existing regional enabling policy frameworks in the field of Reproductive Health (RH), Population and Development. These include Africa Union Health Strategy; Maputo Plan of Action; and Abuja Declaration. The policymakers were also exposed to and internalized international consensuses like International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action; Paris Declaration and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as enabling financing mechanisms like the Global Fund; PEPFAR; and SWAps. The outcome of the meeting was the Kampala Resolutions in which commitments were made to support and promote RH, population and development agenda in the region.

In the Kampala Resolutions, representatives made commitments that they will pursue for the next year. They agreed that “Parliaments must work towards national, regional and international commitments made to protect and advance the right to health and the commitment to equity in health, primary health care and sexual and reproductive heath rights (SRHR) at all levels in East and Southern Africa” including the 2000 African Union Heads of state Abuja declaration and Plan of Action and the Maputo Plan of Action (2006), which work within the framework of the commitments and plans made in relation to the Millennium Development Goals and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

In particular, the group noted, “the importance of implementing the Maputo Plan of Action to enhance SRHR to enable governments to achieve population goals to provide the necessary conditions for economic and social empowerment and development” and resolved to “ensure that such comprehensive SRHR services include Reproductive Health supplies (for commodity security), government funding for antiretrovirals (ARV) for adults and children, community mobilization on SRHR that involves men, especially in vulnerable communities and for adolescents and youth and education of girl children.”

And within the coming year, the group pledged to “prepare and make budget submissions that . . . Include necessary resource allocations for SRHR and for RH supplies (for commodity security)” and “obtain national population and reproductive health policies and national action plans and request report on progress in their funding and implementation.”

Mr. Joyti Singh, PPD Permanent Observer to the UN, spoke about the ICPD and the MDGs. Mr. Singh said that there are strong linkages between the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and universal access to reproductive health services in the ICPD Programme of Action (1994).

Hon. Dr. Mallinga also called upon African Heads of State to uphold their commitments to allocate 15% of national budgets to health made in the Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases.

Ms. Jackson also called for Parliaments to popularize the Maputo Plan of Action, as “it is Africa’s own designed framework for attaining universal access to SRH and reproductive rights in Africa.”

Read more about the meeting in an earlier blog post: http://ppdafrica.blogspot.com/2008/10/resolutions-for-regional-meeting-of.html

The full resolution document is posted on the PPD ARO website at: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/ParliamentResolutionsSEP08.pdf

The full meeting report is online at: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/parliamentreportsep08.pdf

3- Meetings with Partner Country Coordinators (PCCs)
PPD Africa Regional Office has hosted two Annual Partners Country Coordinators’ (PCC) meetings for the Africa Region. The first one was held 26-29 September 2007 in Kampala, Uganda. The second meeting was held a year later, from 23-27 September 2008, also in Kampala, Uganda.

Participation by Partner Country Coordinators (PCCs) in both meetings has been over 90 percent. In addition non-member collaborating country representatives (Ghana, Ethiopia and Tanzania) and other guests representing donors, collaborating organizations and outside partners attended these meetings. The main objectives of the meetings were to review the implementation of South-South programmes by member countries, to share experiences, strengths, lessons and good practices and to plan future efforts for South-South collaboration for reproductive health and population and development.

During the 2008 meeting, capacity-building sessions focusing on advocacy, resource mobilization and leadership for reproductive health both at country level as well as within the African region were held. PCCs found the sessions useful and acknowledged that these were crucial in enhancing their work. Recommendations made from the 2008 meeting were that a country South-South taskforce/Deputy PCC should be put in place, capacity for resource mobilization both at country, network and regional level needs to be built, a communication strategy for PCCs needs to be developed and the Southern Africa Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (SARHN) and Western Africa Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (WARHN) should be re-invigorated.

4- International Forum: ICPD @15: Progress and Prospects
PPD in collaboration with the Government of Uganda organized the International Forum on ICPD @ 15: Progress and Prospects. This forum was the first of such events to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the ICPD. The forum was held in Kampala, Uganda, 24-25 September 2008 and was attended by over 200 participants. The purpose of the International Forum was to critically analyze the progress made in the implementation of ICPD Program of Action.

The Forum was formally inaugurated by H.E. Mrs. Janet Museveni, Honourable First Lady of the Republic of Uganda in the presence of H.E. Dr. Stephen Malinga, the Ugandan Minister of Health, PPD Chairperson and Minister of National Population and Family Planning Commission of China H.E. Dr. Lin Bin, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Mrs. Purnima Mane, PPD Executive Director Mr. Harry Jooseery and Regional Director PPD ARO, Dr, Jotham Musinguzi.

Other participants included Ministers, PPD Board Members, and senior officials including PCCs, Members of Parliament, high level Representatives from donor agencies including Packard Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Venture Strategies and representatives of international and national non–governmental organizations, resource persons and members of the academic community.

The participants at the International Forum reviewed, discussed and made recommendation on the salient issues such as reproductive health and population; HIV/AIDs; reproductive health commodity security; new and challenging issues such as climate change. After two days of intense deliberations, the forum adopted the Kampala Declaration. The declaration included recommendations to further population and reproductive health programmes and reposition family planning in the development agenda through active advocacy. In addition, the declaration called upon PPD and its members to strengthen national level support structures for planning and implementing South-South cooperation programmes and to improve networking among member countries and partner institutions.

More information is available at: http://www.partners-popdev.org/np_publications.asp

5- Additional Information:
5.1 About the Accra Agenda for Action
From September 2-4, 2008, donor countries, recipient countries, and civil society organizations met for a High Level Forum (HLF3) in Accra, Ghana to assess progress on the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and to agree to an agenda for action. The Accra High Level Forum ended with the adoption of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) through which the international community reaffirmed its commitment to achieve progress in the implementation of the Paris Declaration and intensify efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

At the end of the meeting the endorsed statement to accelerate and deepen implementation of the Paris declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2 March 2005) focused on the following:

Commitment to eradicating poverty and promoting peace and prosperity by building stronger, more effective partnerships that enable developing countries to realize their development goals;
Strengthening Country Ownership over Development by supporting developing countries to determine and implement their development policies to achieve their own economic, social and environmental goals as agreed as a priority in the Paris Declaration;
Building More Effective and Inclusive Partnerships for Development including all actors. Such partnerships are most effective when they fully harness the energy, skills and experience of all development actors—bilateral and multilateral donors, global funds, CSOs, and the private sector. To reduce costly fragmentation of aid, donors and developing countries will work together with the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness to complete good practice principles under a country‐led division of labor.
Delivering and Accounting for Development Results. The focus on delivering results should focus on strengthening the quality of policy design, improving information systems to assess the impact of development policy and making necessary adjustments.
Transparency and accountability are essential for development results. Developing countries have to facilitate parliamentary oversight by implementing greater transparency in public financial management, including public disclosure of revenues, budgets, expenditures, procurement and audits.

5.2 The Five Principles of Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
Ownership: Development will be successful and sustained, and aid fully effective only when the recipient country takes the lead in determining its own development goals and priorities and sets the agenda for how they are to be achieved. Developing countries will set their own strategies for development, improve institutions and tackle corruption.

Alignment: For aid to be effective, partners must develop credible national development strategies, and donors must support and use strengthened local systems.

Harmonization: Donor aid will be more effective if all donors would adopt common procedures to harmonize aid delivery, including coordinating their actions, simplifying procedures, using common approaches and rationalizing the division of labour to reduce fragmentation and duplication.

Managing for Development Results: Donors and partner countries must manage and implement aid in a way that focuses on achieving results; this entails a shift in focus from inputs to the achievement of measurable outcomes. Both developing countries and donors need to focus on producing and measuring results.

Mutual Accountability: Donors and partners must be equally responsible for development results and work together to establish mutually agreed frameworks that provide reliable assessments of performance, transparency and accountability of country systems.

For more information, please refer to:
English: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accra.pdf
French: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accraf.pdf

6-About PPD ARO
Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) was established in 2006 by the Board of Partners in Population and Development to intensify its activities in Africa by establishing a regional presence. The Africa Regional Office opened in February 2007 in Kampala, Uganda with the mandate to coordinate a renewed and concerted effort to realize the Vision of ―a continent that meets its reproductive health needs promotes the population and development agenda and thereby addresses poverty, through South-South cooperation.

PPD ARO, as part of the global South-South inter-governmental alliance, provides a platform for the promotion of and resource mobilization for Reproductive Health, Population and Development in Africa through three mission elements: 1) Policy dialogue; 2) Networking and building strategic partnerships in the region; and 3) Sharing of experiences and good practices.

An illustrated version of this newsletter is available in pdf format at: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/newsletter-june09.pdf Please read the version most suitable to your bandwidth.

Third EQUINET Regional Conference on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa

2009-06-09T03:52:00.002+03:00

Third EQUINET Regional Conference on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa: "Reclaiming the Resources for Health: Building Universal People Centred Health Systems in East and Southern Africa"
Speke Conference Center, Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda
September 23-25, 2009

The conference starts the morning of 23rd September and closes on the afternoon of 25th September. Pre- and post-conference workshops will be held on the 21st to the 27th of September, depending on the session.

Topics to be covered at the Third EQUINET Regional Conference on Equity in Health include:

Claiming rights to health
Equitable health services
Globalisation and women’s health
Social empowerment in health systems
Fairly resourcing health systems
Equity in health services responses to AIDS
Participatory, PHC approaches to health priorities
Valuing and retaining health workers
Building Parliamentary alliances and people’s power in health
Policy engagement for health equity
Trade and health
Access to health care: addressing barriers in vulnerable groups
"Eye on Equity" approaches to keeping a watch on equity
Country alliances and regional networking

There will also be a range of activities associated with the conference including displays, photography, and skills meetings.

Programme Information is online at: http://www.equinetafrica.org/conference2009/programme.php

Registration closes on June 30: http://www.equinetafrica.org/conference2009/register.php

There are also a number of workshops to be held in conjunction with the conference:

Communicating Research Evidence to Influence Policy - Convenor : African Population and Health Research Center; September 26 2009
BANG – the Next Technological Challenge to Africa’s Health and Well-being Convener: ETC Group; September 26th 2009
Participatory approaches to strengthening youth and health worker relations: The ‘Auntie Stella’ Toolkit- Convenor : Training and Research Support Centre; September 26 2009
Health Policy Analysis- Convenor : University of Cape Town ; September 22 2009
Experiences in Using participatory Methods for Health- Convenor : TARSC and Ifakara Health Institute; September 21 and 22 2009
Writing Skills for Publication in Peer Reviewed Journals- Convenor : TARSC September 26 2009
Building Health Literacy Capacities at Community Level- Convenor : TARSC, CWGH; September 26 and 27 2009

The PPD ARO does not have money to fund PCCs to attend this conference, but we encourage PCCs to look for funds in your organization's budget to allow you to attend, as well as share this information about the conference on Equity in Health with partners in your country.

African HIV/AIDS Program Drastically Affected by Global Financial Crisis

2009-06-06T04:37:00.003+03:00

The global financial crisis has forced most African countries to slash their HIV/AIDS program budgets, according to a recent report by Black Star News.

Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe are some of the countries hardest hit by the economic downturn. These countries' export revenues have dropped, severely affecting revenue flow for government expenditure on critical HIV/AIDS programs.

Program cuts have already been announced throughout the region. Tanzania introduced a 25% cut to its annual HIV/AIDS budget, and the Botswana government declared that it will not include new patients in its free antiretroviral treatment program from 2016 onwards.

Major international donor organizations are also being hit by the financial crisis. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced a $4 billion dollar budget shortfall for essential services in 2010. In addition, the group faces a $10.7 billion funding gap for the regional implementation of their Global Plan to Stop TB.

Health advocates are pressing African governments and international aid organizations to stick by their commitments to improve HIV/AIDS care, arguing that the right to heath treatment is non-negotiable.

“In the last few months, we have seen trillions of dollars spent on financial bailouts to stimulate economic recovery,” said Nonkosi Khumalo, a women's health program coordinator at the South African Treatment Action Campaign, speaking at a recent meeting of HIV/AIDS coalitions in Cape Town. “A tiny portion of this sum could have bought quality, sustainable healthcare for millions of people.”

According to the 2009 World Bank report, "Averting a Human Crisis During the Global Downturn", countries in Eastern and Southern Africa are the most vulnerable. Researchers estimate the negative impact of this crisis will affect 70% of people on ARV treatment in Africa within the next 12 months. Apart from countries such as Botswana and South Africa, most countries have limited fiscal space they can use to cushion the impact of a decline in international aid, the World Bank says.

The complete article "Global Financial Woes Roil AIDS Fight" by Sifelani Tsiko can be found here: http://blackstarnews.com/news/126/ARTICLE/5724/2009-05-28.html

The World Bank has more information on the impacts of the Global Financial Crisis at: http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/financialcrisis/

Update, 23 June 2009:
World Bank Report Predicts Contracting Global Economy Will Hurt Poorest Countries

The World Bank released a report Monday, projecting "a 2.9 percent contraction in global GDP this year, as rich countries contract by 4.5 percent," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The crisis of the past two years is having dramatic effects on capital flows to developing countries, and the world appears to be entering an era of lower growth," World Bank Chief Economist Justin Lin said (Burns, Wall Street Journal, 6/22).

The report -- which was issued at a conference in Seoul, South Korea -- forecasts more dire predictions than those the World Bank made just months ago and contrasts with the views of "its sister organization, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ... which is forecasting a global contraction of only 1.3 percent this year and growth of 2.4 percent in 2010," Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times reports. "[W]hile a global recovery may begin this year, impoverished economies will lag behind rich nations in benefiting," the newspaper writes. "The lender called for 'bold' actions to hasten a rebound and said the prospects for securing aid for the poorest countries were 'bleak'" (Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times, 6/22).

CNN reports, "Developing countries will be hit hard by falls in private investment ... seeing nearly $1 trillion less in foreign investment this year than they did two years ago" (CNN, 6/22). "The real challenge is going to be to manage going through this period of very slow growth, to keep government programs that are critical for longer term growth (infrastructure, health and education policies)," Andrew Burns, acting manager of the World Bank's Global Trends Team, told VOA News. Burns said that in response to the growing need, the World Bank "is stepping up lending to the region" -- with plans to lend about "$33 billion this year and next year" (DeCapua, VOA News, 6/22).

UNAIDS and World Bank Release Report Detailing an Interconnectedness Between Prevention Efforts and Transmission

2009-06-06T04:35:00.001+03:00

A recently released report from UNAIDS and the World Bank finds that national HIV prevention strategies are not reaching at risk groups in at least 5 African Countries. The study was conducted from 2007 to 2008 and focused on determining where most HIV cases were occurring in each country, and whether these statistics were a result of inadequate prevention programs or under-funding issues.

If national HIV prevention strategies are to succeed, countries must first understand the character and drivers of their epidemic and focus on effective interventions. Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda were all determined to have inadequate HIV prevention strategies, and the report determined that this was in large part due to the failure of prevention initiatives to address the most common forms of transmission. For example, in Lesotho most new infections occur because of concurrent sexual relationships, both before and after marriage, but the prevention efforts in this country tend to focus on unsafe sex with multiple partners instead of prevention methods for those in long term monogamous relationships. Mozambique presents another example of the interconnectedness between prevention and transmission of the disease. An estimated 19% of new HIV infections are transmitted as a result of commercial sex work, but Mozambique has very few programs that target the specific category of sex workers.

In the wake of the current financial crisis, many African countries' budgets have been drastically reduced, and essential programs have been cut. In many of the surveyed countries, spending on HIV prevention has dropped, leading countries to concentrate their efforts on general prevention, instead of targeting specific at risk groups. In Lesotho, only 13% of the national HIV/AIDS budget is spent on prevention, and these efforts may not even be completely effective. Even though budget spending is being cut, an emphasis must be placed on prevention programs in order to address the problem from the beginning. If prevention efforts are stepped up, the country will have to deal with fewer cases, which means less funding for medical treatments and other problems associated with high infection rates in society. There is often a mismatch between HIV prevention efforts and the actual factors driving new infections, which can lead to significant resources being invested in programmes of limited effect. In order to reach those most at risk, spending must be focused on effective spending efforts.

The report also provided recommendations for those countries surveyed on how to better implement evidence-based prevention efforts. Based on collective evidence, the report determined that Lesotho should revise its prevention messages to address multiple concurrent partnerships and integrate the subject into future initiatives, and Mozambique should focus condom promotion on groups such as sex workers.

To read other country specific recommendations, you can access the report in its entirety at: http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2009/20090512_UNAIDS_WB_epi.asp

Online Forum: FP and HIV Service Integration: Experiences and Evidence

2009-06-02T08:59:00.001+03:00

Online Forum: June 1-5, 2009

Register for free at http://my.ibpinitiative.org/public/fphivintegration

Please join us in a global discussion forum on family planning (FP) and HIV service integration. This forum will review the experiences of, and evidence for, integrating FP and HIV services. Share your experiences, challenges, and lessons learned, and pose questions and discuss with experts including:

*Rose Wilcher, Senior Technical Officer, Family Health International
*Betty Farrell, Senior Technical Advisor for Integration, EngenderHealth
*Heidi Reynolds, Senior Technical Specialist HIV/AIDS, MEASURE Evaluation

To register, go to http://my.ibpinitiative.org/public/fphivintegration and click on “register” in the upper left corner of the screen and fill in the required information. If you are already a member of the FP/HIV Integration Community in the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) Knowledge Gateway, click “login” in the upper left corner of the screen. Questions? Send an e-mail to info@ibpinitiative.org.

During the week long forum, you will receive no more than two emails per day; one email to introduce the day’s topic and questions and one daily digest, with all contributions screened and presented as a single, well-organized digest. You will be able to participate in the forum simply by responding to this daily digest via e-mail or by logging into the IBP Knowledge Gateway at http://my.ibpinitiative.org/public/fphivintegration.

This online discussion is sponsored by Family Health International (FHI), EngenderHealth, MEASURE Evaluation, and the Knowledge for Health (K4H) Project, based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs in collaboration with the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) in Reproductive Health Initiative and WHO.

Private-public partnerships: Can an additional $75 billion in aid be raised?

2009-06-02T01:04:00.005+03:00

A fashion heiress and a Nobel Prize-winning economist make seem like an unlikely duo when it comes to addressing global aid funding, but Renu Mehta and James Mirrlees are ready with a plan based on a renewed partnership between the private and public sector. Renu Mehta is the daughter of an Indian textile magnate, and her socialite status has allowed her to gain the support of billionaires, supermodels and pop stars in initiating her global aid plan. Mehta's partner, James Mirrlees, is a Scottish economist who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1996 for his fundamental contribution to the economic theory of incentives under asymmetric information. Together, these two plan to launch the Mehta-Mirrlees plan at a meeting of the 8 industrialized nations in Italy this July.

Each year, governments are committed to donate 0.7% of their gross national income to help meet the 8 Millennium Development Goals. However, in 2007 only Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden were able to meet this commitment. Other countries' contributions were significantly behind. Collectively, all members of the United Nations were only able to deliver 0.3% of their gross national incomes (approximately $103.7 billion). The Mehta-Mirrlees plan aims to bolster U.N. donations by calling on the 8 industrialized nations to match private donations with state aid. That would mean, that for every $100 pledged by the private sector, the government of the donor country would agree to add a matching $100 from existing state budgets. Speaking of her and Mirrlees intentions, Mehta states that the best way to address meeting MDG targets " is [to] come up with a new model, find a new way to meet these targets, on the one hand. On the other hand, we need to make sure that the money is deployed to the maximum effectiveness."

Despite the global economic crisis, if the plan is put into action, Mirrlees and Mehta estimate that it could raise more than $75 billion in funding, as the plan provides a greater incentive for donors as they know that their donation will be matched. Funds generated would be dealt with by a newly created private-public organization that would oversee how donations were spent and ensure spending met the private sector's performance expectations.

While the Mehta-Mirrlees plan has drawn support from the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, many others are skeptical about giving too much power and influence to the wealthy private sector. Richard Murphy, director of Tax Research LLP speaks on the issue of ethics, stating that, "Just because you're rich and you give to charity doesn't mean you necessarily make better decisions." If we allow private donations, these individuals are going to want a voice in how their money is spent, and their views may often conflict with what is best for a countries personal foreign policy. For example, if a private company that specializes in antiretroviral drugs dictates that their donations must only be spend on HIV/AIDS programmes, the other 7 Millennium Goals will fall behind due to agendas dictated by wealthy donors. Another problem that skeptics of the plan point out is the problem with offshore banking. When governments match donations, the funds would be generated from assets held in offshore tax havens, and due to the recent crackdown on such accounts, many are skeptical of whether aid agencies would be willing to even accept this money. Instead, if officials forced the shifting of funds in offshore accounts into taxed accounts back home, $250 billion could be raised annually, which is more than five times the money needed by governments to meet the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.

While their innovation is applauded by many, the Mehta-Mirrlees plan still has a few problems that need to be smoothed out before being presented at the G8 Summit this July. If accepted, this plan could be a huge contribution to the Millennium Development Goals, and would hopefully put the world back on track for achieving all target goals by 2015.

To read the original AP article, "Fashion heiress, economist push foreign aid plan," please visit: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gFBOWimtt_06Cdt6tT_bD8f_wHRwD98CAQ8O0

New Resources for Developing Presentations and Training Opportunities for Reproductive Health

2009-06-02T01:00:00.003+03:00

The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) is now offering two free services to students, faculty and professionals interested in reproductive health, The Global Opportunities Tool (GO Tool) and the Curricula Organizer for Reproductive Health Education (CORE).

The Curricula Organizer for Reproductive Health Education is an open access tool for those interested in building scientific presentations on reproductive health topics. All learning materials are clinically accurate, up to date, peer reviewed and presentation-ready. You can choose to search materials using your own keywords or browse the material by category. When searching under the category "contraception" I found more than 430 individual slides, 40 activities and handouts, and 11 full presentations. The site makes it easy to pull an individual slide to contribute to your own presentation, or to download a fully completed, ready to use presentation. New content is added weekly, and you can request to join their mailing list to stay up to date on the latest CORE material.

The Global Opportunities Tool is a comprehensive resource that connects students in health professions to domestic and international reproductive health training opportunities. You can search available openings by clicking on the continent you are interested in working in, and available positions will present themselves. As of now, only a few countries have available opportunities outside of America, but there is also a component of the site which allows users to submit an opportunity, and I expect that this database will soon become much more extensive.

Both the GO Tool and CORE are great resources for health professionals interested in reproductive health, and I would highly recommend that anyone interested check out their site.

The GO Tool: http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/student-and-educator-resources/global-opportunities-tool

CORE: http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/core

Maternal Mortality at the World Health Assembly

2009-06-02T00:53:00.004+03:00

The 62nd session of the World Health Assembly took place in Geneva, from 18 May- 22 May. Although the recent flu pandemic dominated the discussions, monitoring the achievements of the health-related Millennium De velopment Goals was also on the agenda. Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, and Sarah Brown, the wife of British prime Minister Gordon Brown, delivered passionate speeches that emphasized the necessity of dealing with global progress toward MDG 5, reducing maternal mortality.

Ban Ki-moon's speech "slammed the world's progress on lowering the maternal mortality rate" stating that of all the Millennium Development Goals, this is the slowest moving. He continued on to say that "maternal health is a key barometer of a functioning health system," and without making significant strides to reduce maternal mortality, hope for other health related progress, such as fighting HIV/AIDS, is limited. In the final moments of his passionate speech Ki-moon stated that, "In the 21st century, no woman should have to give her life to give life," maternal mortality must be quickly prioritized in order to stop the magnitude of avoidable deaths. Even in the face of one of the worlds worst financial crisis, we cannot scale back or stop our efforts in such an important area of health.

Sarah Brown addressed the World Health Assembly with an equally passionate speech. Speaking not as a researcher or a scientist, but rather as a mother, Sarah Brown was quick to point out that "there is no excuse for the fact that pregnancy and childbirth worldwide kill 529,000 women and leave one million children without a mother each year." With an emphasis on the incredibly high statistics of sub-Saharan Africa, Mrs. Brown made it clear that something must be done to save these women's lives, "We have the science, the technology, the medicine, the knowledge, the cultural understanding, the means to educate and inform and if we are moved to act, then let us show we have not only the compassion but the moral commitment and the political will too." Sarah Brown also pointed out the consequences of not acting for the children of these mothers. "When one mother survives a lot survives with her. A mother’s survival is the key to her baby’s welfare and often her baby’s life." With that in mind, it appears that not addressing maternal mortality hurts not only the 529,000 mothers who die each year, but also their children. By promoting effective reproductive health, a child's life will begin positively, and by having a mother to look to for advice and guidance, it is PPD's belief that combating maternal mortality will lead to a better life, and a better role in society for both mother and child.

In conjunction with the World Health Assembly, IRIN, a humanitarian news and analysis project released updates on maternal health in Chad, Zimbabwe and Ghana. In Chad, one of the world's most dangerous places to give birth, UNICEFS efforts to step up obstetric care are examined, in order to better prepare for emergencies. IRIN's report on Zimbabwe shows an increasing trend of maternal deaths, due to understaffed clinics, equipment shortages, and poverty. In regards to Ghana, attention to family planning, skilled attendance, comprehensive abortion care, as well as adolescent health care are necessary in order to combat the increasing rate of maternal mortality present.

The Millennium Development Goals were instituted in 2000, but without much progress since then, recent meetings and events have seen more passionate speeches and dire requests than ever before. Prominent leaders such as Ban Ki-moon and Sarah Brown are instrumental in raising awareness of MDG 5, but without government cooperation and implementation of effective programmes, the target goals will never be met. We have the means, now we must show we have the political commitment and the compassion for women around the world.

To Watch Ban Ki-moons speech, visit: http://video.who.int/streaming/wha62/wha62_unsg_speech.wmv

Or, to read the text version, of his WHA address, visit: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2009/wha62/secretary_general_speech_20090519/en/index.html

To watch Sarah Brown's speech, visit: http://video.who.int/streaming/wha62/wha62_brown_speech.wmv

Or, to read the text version of her WHA address, visit: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2009/wha62/sarah_brown_speech_20090519/en/index.html

Also on the subject of maternal mortality, the NY Times recently published an article focused on maternal mortality. Entitled, "Where Life's Start is a Deadly Risk," the article provides some interesting insights and an even more fascinating image portfolio of childbirth in Tanzania. To check it out, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/health/24birth.html?_r=1

15 and Counting: New Campaign for ICPD +15

2009-05-20T00:29:00.002+03:00

15 and Counting is a new campaign developed by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), a federation of non-governmental organizations working in 176 countries worldwide and a global leader in providing and advocating for the right to improved sexual and reproductive health. With a strategic focus to work with and deliver for young people, 15 and Counting aims to break the silence surrounding the issue of sexuality and reproduction, in order to improve the health and well being of the youth, worldwide.

Created in response to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, 1994) 15 and Counting’s aims include:

Calling on governments to meet their commitments on sexual and reproductive health,
campaigning to achieve better access to sexual and reproductive health services and education,
working with young people around the world to highlight their specific needs,
advocate for change and
share positive experiences.

15 years after ICPD too many governments have failed to make significant strides in the arena of sexual and reproductive health. This failure puts the health and lives of millions of young people at risk. With 5 years remaining for the ICPD vision to become a reality, it is crucial that governments deliver on their promises in order to provide critical services and information to young people.

The 15 and Counting website is set up as a way to learn more about the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) as well as a platform for getting involved and making your voice heard.

There are multiple resources that help readers understand the background and motivation for 15 and Counting, as well as templates for letters to stakeholders and press releases.

Additionally, the website provides a petition, which over 1,216 people have signed thus far, that declares support for sexual rights for all. Eventually the petition will be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, reinforcing the necessity to help governments promote, protect and fulfill their promises to provide better access to sexual and reproductive health services for all.

To get involved, visit the 15 and Counting website at http://www.15andcounting.org /

Tell your co-workers, affiliated organizations (particularly, youth-serving organizations) about the campaign and refer them to the campaign website.

WHO Adds Misoprostol to Model List of Essential Medicines

2009-05-20T00:02:00.003+03:00

After years of clinical trials, the World Health Organization agreed to add misoprostol to its Model List of Essential Medicines in April of this year. This is due to the efforts of numerous advocates and stakeholders, including an initiative of Gynuity Health Projects and Family Care International to evaluate misoprostol as an alternative medicine for prevention and treatment of post-partum hemorrhaging.

As a safe and efficient drug for the treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriage, misoprostol is a necessity to help prevent the 500,000 deaths that occur each year due to childbirth and pregnancy related complications, and ultimately to reach MDG 5, reducing maternal mortality by 75%.

Excessive bleeding, (also referred to as post-partum hemorrhage or PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality, killing more than 150,000 women every year. Women who suffer from PPH can die very quickly, often within 2 hours, if immediate and appropriate medical care is not available. Many women in developing countries often deliver at home, and are unable to recognize the signs of excessive bleeding in time to seek care. Those who do realize the serious repercussions may still find that there is not available transport or sufficient time to reach the nearest hospital, and even if they were to make it there in time, many facilities are often under supplied and unequipped to handle such emergencies.

The standard drug used in recent years to stop PPH has been oxytocin, but after conducting extensive clinical trials, misoprostol has increasingly demonstrated potential in preventing and treating post-partum hemorrhaging, based on its ability to stimulate uterine contractions and stop bleeding. In addition, misoprostol offers many advantages over the standard treatment; it can be given via a variety of routes (oral, rectal, sublingual, vaginal), it does not require refrigeration, it has a long shelf life, is stable at high temperatures, is inexpensive ($1 per dose) and has relatively few side effects (Lancet source: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606695226/fulltext). Due to these characteristics, misoprostol is particularly well suited for developing countries, as it can be used by a wide range of health care providers in low resources settings as well as by midwives and traditional birth attendants in remote villages.

In order to reach MDG 5, reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015, we must continue to support organizations and initiatives to gain approval for drugs such as misoprostol. Venture Strategies, a nonprofit organization created to improve the health of low income people in resource-poor settings, and a partner of PPD, has been working to get misoprostol registered in a number of African countries. Due to the efforts of Venture Strategies and partners, in January 2006, Nigeria was the first country in the world to register misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage. In the past few years misoprostol has also been registered or approved for obstetric/gynecologic indications in several countries, including Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) has now acknowledged this new drug on its essential medicines list, it is the PPD ARO's hope that significant strides toward reducing maternal mortality will soon be made. Each day more than 350 women die due to severe bleeding, and the creation of a drug that is both effective and actually able to be used in most communities is a huge step in preventing the many unnecessary deaths that occur worldwide.

To learn more about Postpartum Hemorrhage and the use of misoprostol you can access information from Family Care International in English and French at http://www.familycareintl.org/en/resources/publications/21

To review WHO information on misoprostol, including letters of support from various interest groups, please visit
http://www.who.int/selection_medicines/committees/expert/17/application/misoprostol/en/index.html

Medical guidelines and research reports are available at: http://www.misoprostol.org/

And read a recent (April 2009) article on global availability (including details on licensing and distribution in each country) from the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics: http://tinyurl.com/misoavail

A Proposal for a Global Health Fund

2009-05-19T23:58:00.000+03:00

A recent article published in The Lancet calls for "bold action to streamline the global aid architecture for health" through the creation of a global fund for the Health MDG's. In May and June of this year, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the GAVI Alliance will hold their annual board meetings. These meetings provide an occasion to propose recommendations for an expansion of the Global Fund and the GAVI Alliance toward becoming a broader global health fund to address the lack of progress toward the MDG's.

Maternal mortality has remained stagnant for far too long, child mortality is declining at too slow a pace, HIV/AIDS remains a huge problem throughout the world, and inequalities are continuing to widen. In order to address these problems and work toward reaching Millennium Development Goals in time, radical action must be taken immediately. Increased funding and efficient spending are the two most imperative reforms that must be addressed.

In the past 10 years funding for global health has been unable to meet the demands of modern societies. Attention to HIV/AIDS has lead to increased funding, yet it is still inadequate in addressing the multitude of new infections occurring every day. Resources for other health needs have remained stagnant, or in some cases, have declined. In the past, developing countries heavily relied on international funding to combat health problems in society, but lately there has been a shift toward national financial autonomy. Such a concept requires that nations receiving assistance should eventually be able to finance their own health services through a reliance on their domestic revenues. Such a model has thus far proven to be ineffective, and serves as a major constraint to "scaling up service provisions in countries where public services rely heavily on international resources."

Increasing prevalence of diseases and other health related problems, such as maternal mortality, combined with the lack of commitment to a national financial autonomy based approach, has shifted reliance back to the international community. More specifically, the GAVI Alliance and the Global Fund, who have themselves admitted that “It is time to take a comprehensive approach with the necessary support from key donors to refocus on all of the health-related MDGs."

Health systems in many countries lack the capacity to implement many of the programmes or assistance plans provided for them, Unable to take full advantage of funding provided is a complete waste and unravels the entire global health funding process. It is thus essential that health systems themselves be strengthened before any further funding in doled out to communities unable to reap the benefits in their entirety. By overcoming structural challenges to service delivery the results will be much more effective, and progress toward the MDG's will in theory speed up.

The Lancet article recommends that the Global Fund should sustain successful programmes while expanding the effective approaches already put in place by the Global Fund and the GAVI Alliance. Eventually, the hope is that such a fund would allow for the prevention and treatment of specific diseases through revamped health services as well as a reduction in costs and a streamlining of the global health architecture.

Radical action must immediately be undertaken in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and more importantly to save millions of lives that are lost to treatable and often preventable health problems.

You can access the entire article that appeared in The Lancet and learn more about the recommendations for the Global Fund and the GAVI Alliance at: http://www.familycareintl.org/UserFiles/File/Lancet_Global%20Fund%20Health%20MDGs_web.pdf

International Conference on Family Planning Research and Best Practices

2009-05-14T01:42:00.001+03:00

Kampala, Uganda, 15-19 November 2009

The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Makerere University's School of Public Health, and other international and national partners are organizing a conference on “Family Planning Research and Best Practices.” The conference program will include an opening plenary, multiple concurrent oral sessions, an exhibit area, poster sessions, lunchtime roundtables, a policymaker forum, and special panel presentations. More information is available at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/

The dates for the conference are November 15 (evening opening) and November 16-17 (full days) with November 18 as an optional day for third-party sponsored meetings.

The PPD ARO will be involved with this conference and is encouraging all PCCs to submit abstracts for oral sessions and poster sessions. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 June 2009. Information and guidelines on how to submit an abstract is at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/16701.html

Limited travel support from the conference organizers may be available to participants whose abstracts are selected for oral presentation. The conference organizers will provide you with travel support application forms with notification letters if you are selected for oral presentation.

As the PPD ARO does not currently have funding to support PCC travel to this conference, we are currently seeking funding from donors to help PCCs attend the conference. Thus, the PPD ARO would be willing to write letters of support to donors in your country (UNFPA country office, etc.) if you request. We will be happy to provide you with more information on the conference as the date nears, and would, of course, be happy to assist you with planning your logistics to the best of our abilities.

The PPD ARO contact for this conference is Mr. Abdelylah Lakssir, Programme Officer. You can reach him by email (E-mail: alakssir at ppdsec.org) or by phone (+256-772-779-714) or the general office contact: http://ppdafrica.org/contact.html

Conference website: http://www.fpconference2009.org/
Contact information: info@fpconference2009.org

September 2009 NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development

2009-05-12T01:35:00.003+03:00

Global Partners in Action: "NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development: Invest in Health, Rights and the Future" in Berlin, Germany; 2-4 September 2009

In recognition of the 15 yesr anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Global Partners in Action: NGO Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development aims to strengthen NGOs working in partnership to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for sustainable development in an uncertain and interdependent world.

The Government of Germany and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are the co-hosts of this forum. A website with more information on the Forum is at: http://www.globalngoforum.org

Global Partners in Action is led by NGOs and is for NGOs, with considerable emphasis placed on ensuring significant participation from the Global South and of young people. Global Partners in Action will be a highly interactive working meeting, where participants will be able to contribute to approximately 30 breakout sessions, as participants, facilitators, resource persons or rapporteurs. In addition, orientation sessions and regional meetings are being planned for the first day. Participants will furthermore have the opportunity to network and share their work and experiences in a marketplace and at a global café. Plenaries featuring high level speakers will also inspire Global Partners in Action. Finally, all participants will be welcome to assist in the drafting process for the Call to Action throughout the duration of the Forum and outcomes from discussions in various sessions will feed into the Call to Action and an NGO Action Plan.

The Call to Action is envisioned as an advocacy tool for NGOs to share with government and parliamentarians immediately following Global Partners in Action. The NGO Action Plan is foreseen as a medium term road map to ensure that Global Partners in Action charts a way forward for enhanced efforts toward the achievement of the ICPD Programme of Action in synergy with the MDGs by 2015 and beyond.

There will be 400 participants at Global Partners in Action. Out of these, 225 will come from the Global South and will, as far as possible, be fully funded to attend. There are 100 spots for Northern NGOs, these will not generally be funded to attend. However, there will be no registration fee.

The forum steering group aims to ensure diverse representation from as many countries, regions and NGO's working in different fields of health and development as possible. Youth participation is also a priority and a commitment has been made to have at least 25% of participants under the age of 30.

The Global Partners in Action NGO Forum is inviting applications from individuals representing NGO's around the world that:

Are committed to the principles of the ICPD Programme of Action;
Focus on activities that address key aspects of the ICPD Programme of Action (for example: sexual and reproductive health and rights, women's rights, HIV and AIDS, youth participation, gender equity, etc.);
Work at either a local, national, regional or international level;
Are interested and able to share best practices, lessons learned and areas for capacity building;
Can commit to collaborative follow-up to the Global Partners in Action NGO Forum, guided by the NGO Action Plan and Call to Action that will be produced during the Forum.

For more information, please see a copies of the application form in English, Spanish and French at http://www.globalngoforum.de/downloads/application_form/ The Global Partners in Action NGO Forum encourages applications through the website: https://www.mediacompany-conference.com/registration/ngoforum2009

The deadline for applications is Monday May 25, 2009. Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee, which has established several measures to ensure a transparent and objective process. For example, an external consultant will remove all personal and organizational information from initial applications to make them anonymous. They will also be assigned a code that identifies their region, country and age group. The anonymous applications which fill all of the selection criteria will then be analyzed for content and relevance to the ICPD agenda and the objectives of the forum.

Finally, national discussions leading up to the Forum are being planned where possible. The objective is to promote discussion among NGOs on key questions related to the assessment of ongoing progress and needs, successful approaches, remaining barriers, ways forward and additional needs realting to the ICPD agenda. These discussions aspire to have broad participation and to inform the Forum and any subsequent follow-up efforts and to promote intensified discussion of how to implement the ICPD Programme of Action.

Global Partners in Action thanks you for your interest and invites you to visit the web site at: http://www.globalngoforum.org/

After Accra: Delivering on the Agenda for Action

2009-05-12T00:32:00.004+03:00

Jeffrey Gutman of the World Bank Institute recently put together a special report entitled After Accra: Delivering on the Agenda for Action, which attempts to assess the progress made toward the Paris Declaration (2005) and the recent Accra Agenda for Action (2008). The report looks at overall progress and the effectiveness of programmes in specific countries, as well as outlines the next major steps that need to be taken by donors, developing countries, and the World Bank.

In 2005, the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness was implemented as a "roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development." An agreement between donor and recipient countries, the Paris Declaration attempted to reform the delivery and management of aid funding to strengthen its impact and effectiveness. Five principles (ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for development results, and mutual accountability) outline the goals of the Paris Declaration and can be read in their entirety here. 122 donor and recipient countries and 26 international organizations adhered to the agreement and are currently attempting to improve the effectiveness of aid funding by 2010.

Three years later, a High Level Forum (HLF) was held in Accra, Ghana, to assess progress on the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, and to set out an agenda for action. The result of this meeting was the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) which recommitted the international community to achieving progress toward the Paris Declaration, as well as the Millennium Development Goals. The AAA lists actions that developing countries and donors should take in order to accelerate implementation of the Paris Declaration, and improve aid effectiveness.

The HLF in Accra was especially significant in that it took steps to increase the developing countries role in the process. At the event, "developing countries’ concerns determined the agenda, developing countries’ representatives were part of all decisions relating to the HLF, and developing countries were full partners in the negotiations leading to the final communiqué, the Accra Agenda for Action." By allowing developing countries a voice in such a forum, concerns and issues can be addressed, making the implementation of such an agreement much smoother and feasible. Developing country participants at Accra are not only necessary as a voice at such meetings, but also as a way to "take the message of Accra back to their communities and institutions and put them into practice."

The AAA not only provides a platform to improve aid effectiveness, but also adds a new dimensions to the discourse as a whole. Recognizing the role of Parliaments, local governments, civil society institutions, research institutes, media, and the private sector, as well as middle-income countries and global funds, the agreement has a plethora of partners in its development efforts and is able to achieve significant progress throughout the country toward set goals. South-South cooperation is highlighted, with an emphasis on sharing good practices and experiences among others trying to reach the same goals. Specifically, Gutman's article highlights Madagascar and Sri Lanka, which have taken noteworthy steps to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for their citizens. Furthermore, the AAA is unique in that is emphasizes a true partnership between donors and developing countries, rather than a dictated agenda.

In order to achieve considerable progress by 2010, the international community must constantly work toward meeting the goals set out by the Paris Agreements and the Accra Agenda for Action. Checks on the effectiveness and implementation of such practices are essential in order to highlight those countries that are leading the way, and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.

To read more about Gutman's take on progress since Accra, and to see his suggestion for what developing countries, donors, and the World Bank now need to do, see his article, After Accra: Delivering on the Agenda for Action at http://www1.worldbank.org/devoutreach/articleid521.html

You can learn more about the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) by reading the policy briefs produced by the Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) shortly after the Accra meeting in 2008:

In English: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accra.pdf

In French: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accraf.pdf

Evaluation of World Bank Support for Health, Nutrition, and Population

2009-05-06T21:21:00.003+03:00

Between 1997 and mid-2008 the World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition, and population (HNP) provided $17 billion for government-run projects in the fields of nutrition, health, and family planning. An additional $873 million was invested in private health and pharmaceutical investments. Although these numbers may seem high, a report issued last week by the bank's Independent Evaluation Group revealed that one third of the 220 projects undertaken by the World Bank HNP had failed to achieve their goals. Furthermore, the emphasis on HIV/AIDS related projects has resulted in unsatisfactory outcomes, and progress in the nutrition and family planning sectors have greatly been inhibited by such unequivocal funding measures.

According to the evaluation, 7 out of 10 AIDS projects financed by the bank had failed to achieve satisfactory outcomes. In Africa, the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic, 8 out of 10 AIDS projects had unsatisfactory outcomes, one of the bank's worst records worldwide. The report insinuated that the failure is not a result of incompetent or ineffective programmes, but rather the inability of inexperienced or weak bureaucracies to carry out such complex projects (ironically, which were encouraged by the donor). Julian Schweitzer, the World Bank’s director of health, nutrition and population, admitted that inexperience and weakness was not just at the country level, but also "sometimes our own".

To improve the effectiveness of such programmes, the report suggested a simplification of projects, a reduction in the number of government ministries involved, and a focus on more modest objectives. Also addressed, was the need to improve programmes in developing nations, with a specific focus on Africa. Middle income countries ranked adequately in their ability to carry out such initiatives, but in Africa, more than three-quarters of the projects were deemed ineffective. The World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition and population needs to make an immediate effort to concentrate resources where they are most crucially needed, and more importantly to ensure that programmes are being carried out appropriately within these regions.

Aside from the issue of programme efficiency, the report detailed another important trend in global health, namely, the disproportionate attention and funding allotted to AIDS programmes in the last decade. Since 1997, foreign assistance for global health has increased, with a specific focus on HIV and AIDS. Although it is incredibly important to deal with such a deadly disease, the focus on family planning has greatly declined as a result of this relatively new emphasis on AIDS funding. In reaction to the report, Professor William Easterly of New York University stated that the evaluation of the World Bank confirmed "a fear that many of us have had for some time: that hugely disproportionate attention to AIDS has had a negative effect on aid efforts for all other health problems."

Since 1997, nearly 60% of World Bank HNP projects have focused on AIDS, while efforts aimed at tuberculosis, malaria and leprosy were granted significantly fewer resources (malaria made up only 3% of the projects, and tuberculosis only 2%). Family planning has also been negatively affected by the disproportionality of funds, and leaders of the evaluation group have realized the implications of this. Martha Ainsworth, lead author of the report, reaffirmed the groups commitment to increase funding for family planning by stating, "helping women control the number of children they bear is essential to reducing the high rates at which they die in childbirth in the poorest nations, the fact that no one’s been paying attention to reducing high fertility is critical for Africa."

Mr. Schweitzer, of the World Bank, strongly agreed with the evaluators call for greater efforts in family planning and nutrition, and reaffirmed the necessity of donors and recipient countries working together to coordinate projects and achieve targeted results. In recent years, PPD has advocated against global decrease in population and family planning funding, and it is our hope that such an internal evaluation will be a call to action for the World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition, and population to change their efforts. And as PPD has long recognized, an emphasis on the African region and family planning efforts are crucial to achieving progress worldwide.

To view an executive summary of the report, visit:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTWBASSHEANUTPOP/Resources/exec_summary.pdf

Or you can access the entire evaluation at: http://go.worldbank.org/EI6ARNQKX0

Interested in reading more about specific countries project performance assessment reports? Then check out: http://go.worldbank.org/3764K5QNI0

Governments Declare Maternal Mortality a Human Rights Violation

2009-05-03T09:18:00.000+03:00

In March this year, 83 Governments issued a joint statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Expressing concern over the unacceptably high number of women who die each year due to pregnancy related complications, the delegation urged the Human Rights Council to declare maternal mortality a human rights violation.

Each year more than 500,000 women die from pregnancy or childbirth. Most of these deaths could be prevented, and by not doing so, such inaction clearly constitutes a human rights violation. A women's right to health, life, education, dignity, access to information and appropriate healthcare are violated each and every time a preventable death occurs, and this is completely unacceptable. Reaffirming the importance of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Millennium Development Goal 5, The Beijing Declaration and The International Conference on Population and Development, the delegation demanded a recommitment to such global obligations.

MDG 5 aims to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters, however, between 1990 and 2005 the global rate decreased by less than 1%. Governments and international organizations must recommit themselves to decreasing maternal mortality by 5.5% annually in order to meet set targets. Maternal mortality is an issue that affects women worldwide, and must not be looked at as a concentrated regional problem, but rather a sector of health in which continuous improvement is required.

The delegation laid out 4 keys actions that the Human Rights Council should undertake to contribute to existing efforts. Identifying the human rights dimensions of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, reviewing and considering information on discrimination in the provision of and access to healthcare for women and discrimination against women in respect of their right to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children, talking about the human rights implications of maternal mortality and morbidity in the universal periodic review and in treaty body dialogues, including the exchange of programmes and policies that have successfully reversed the trend of maternal deaths and injuries, and finally, requesting states to include women in decision-making about maternal health, including decisions on the design of local health care mechanisms, and to recognize women’s right to skilled professional care before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Goal 3 highlights the importance of South-South cooperation and sharing of good practices as an excellent tool of progression.

The Council will meet next in June of this year and it is PPD's hope that the suggestions provided by one of the largest joint-intergovernmental statements delivered to the Council will have taken effect, and that maternal mortality will be declared a human rights violation. Urgent action is needed in order to meet Millennium Development Goal 5 and to prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths, and the Human Rights Council has the ability to spur such action.

You can view the entire joint statement issued to the Human Rights Council at http://www.womendeliver.org/news/pdf/NewZealand.pdf

Experts Call on Obama to Recommit U.S. Funds to Family Planning and Reproductive Health Programmes

2009-05-03T09:10:00.003+03:00

From 1978 through 2006, Joseph Speidel, Steven Sinding, Duff Gillespie, Elizabeth Macquire and Margaret Neuse successively directed the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Population and Reproductive Health program. These five development experts recently issued a report entitled Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance, urging President Obama to double U.S. Investments in USAID programmes.

USAID was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, and since then has implemented reproductive health programmes in 50 countries. The programme’s funding peaked in 1995, and has continuously declined thereafter. The five said that this may have resulted from the (mistaken) belief that rapid global population growth has halted; from diversion of resources to other needs. . . and from lack of understanding that family planning is not only essential for women's health, but also a critical part of any successful development strategy." In actuality, donor funds for family planning programmes are more crucial now than ever before as countries around the world work to achieve major progress in the arena of sexual and reproductive health in order to meet approaching international deadlines.

The five development experts suggested that President Obama should move quickly to meet the growing demand for planning services worldwide if the goals of the ICPD and Millennium Development Goals are to be reached. U.S. investment in contraceptive supply and reproductive health programmes run by USAID should be doubled, and the United States should recommit itself as a world leader in family planning. With a new administration and Congress in session, the experts urged a reversal in former funding policies that did not meet the demand for women's reproductive health services, and suggested an increase to $1.2 billion for USAID's population budget by 2010. A future increase to $1.5 billion in 2014 was also predicted, taking into account their imminent plans to expand their work into 17 additional countries with unmet family planning needs. The continuous decline in family planning and reproductive health funding has forced many successful programs to remain stagnant or close. The global fertility decline has slowed and the number of women dying from pregnancy-related complications is unacceptable. The U.S. should take the lead in re-establishing appropriate funding to programmes such as USAID, setting the example for countries worldwide to realize the importance of family planning, and commit themselves to effective programmes.

The report discusses the global unmet need for family planning, family planning as a global success story, family planning as a declining priority, USAID as an effective and capable agency, and the request for more funds. Examples of countries excelling in the fields of family planning and reproductive health are also examined throughout the report, and should be looked to as a resource for South-South cooperation.

The entire report can be found online at http://www.prb.org/pdf09/makingthecase.pdf

An audio clip of the press conference for USAID can be heard at http://www.ccmcfiles.org/population/making_the_case/making_the_case_audio_call_4_21_09.mp3

To read more about what President Obama has accomplished in his first 100 days, regarding women's health, check out http://www.planetwire.org/details/7969

Waiting Houses in Mozambique Aim to Decrease Maternal Mortality

2009-04-29T04:47:00.001+03:00

Waiting houses, or Casas de Espera, as they are referred to in Mozambique, allow at-risk pregnant women to reside in a home near the local hospital in order to provide immediate care when labor begins. As many of Mozambique's citizens live in rural areas, far from a reliable hospital, these waiting houses are crucial to prevent pregnancy related complications and maternal death from occurring. The Mozambique government has recently decided to revamp its waiting house programme in order to combat maternal mortality and progress toward achieving MDG5.

At the African First Ladies Health Summit last week Maria de Luz Guebuza, the First Lady of Mozambique, explained how 75% of Mozambique's 128 districts now have waiting houses for mothers-to-be. By providing such accommodations, pregnant women are able to travel before their labor begins and remain in the vicinity of well trained professional health care workers, should a complication arise. Women in the community at risk for complicated deliveries, such as pre-eclampsia, history of cesarean section or severe bleeding, malpresentation, or cases of multiple births, are often advised to travel to a casas de espera anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks before their pregnancy. Once there, the women are often able to learn from midwifes on pregnancy-related topics such as development of the fetus, labour and delivery, breast-feeding, immunization and family planning. In some cases the women use their spare time to make crafts and dresses, in order to sell their products to the local community and generate funds for maintenance. Since most of these houses are free of charge, any extra revenue is especially helpful in maintaining the facilities.

Mozambique is not alone in providing such waiting houses. Many other countries throughout Africa and Asia have instituted similar programmes and are moving toward achieving MDG5. In 1987, a study was conducted in Zimbabwe that found that women who stayed in these antenatal accommodations experienced better pregnancy outcomes than those women who entered the hospital directly from the community. Since then, improvements have been made and the effectiveness of such a program is remarkable. In addition to maternal mortality decreasing, infant survival rates are also being positively affected.

It is crucial that governments provide funding for such initiatives and that South-South cooperation continues to be emphasized at international conferences, such as the African First Ladies Health Summit. By sharing the effectiveness of such a program with other regional leaders and policy makers, it is PPD's hope that maternal mortality can be significantly reduced in the next few years.

You can read about other country case studies at http://who.int/reproductive-health/publications/MSM_96_21/MSM_96_21.chap4.en.html

African First Ladies Health Summit Meets in Los Angeles

2009-04-29T04:43:00.002+03:00

"You as First Ladies are powerful champions for the causes you support. Powerful role models, motivators and catalysts for action. Your work is formidable. If we can also harness the efforts of civil society and clinicians to support you, you will be unstoppable."

- Sarah Brown

On April 20th and 21st, 14 First Ladies from across Africa met in Los Angeles, California to discuss and publicize prominent health issues in Africa. Organized by U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) and African Synergy, the two day summit focused on maternal health, malaria, gender inequalities in education, and HIV/AIDS related issues.

Although the meeting tackled a wide range of topics, the focus was unquestionably on women's health and the likelihood of achieving Millennium Development Goal #5, reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, spoke at the event and emphasized the importance of maternal health care, stating that "a health system that works for mothers, works also for early infant care, for vaccinations, for infection control, for blood transfusions, for emergency surgery for every member of the community. Build for mothers and you build for everyone." The 14 First Ladies that met in L.A. emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation and finding answers to complicated African problems through dialogue. By sharing both their own countries policy and programmes, as well as holding one another accountable for achieving Millennium Development Goals, the First Ladies summit looks promising as a catalyst for action.

Los Angeles may seem an unlikely venue for a summit promoting African health, but the high celebrity turnout and the First Ladies fashion choices drew a horde of media attention and helped to spread the importance of addressing African health issues worldwide. Agreeing to strengthen their leadership roles in their respective nations and work with U.S. based health experts, the First Ladies departed with a commitment to launch new efforts in health care. USDFA Chairman, Ted Alemayhu explained how "empowering Africa's First Ladies is an innovative approach to bettering the lives of Millions of Africans." South-South cooperation and the pairing of African First Ladies with U.S. experts and organizations creates ongoing partnerships and the potential to achieve change.

You can read Sarah Brown's entire keynote address online, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-brown/build-for-mothers-and-you_b_189527.html

Pictures from the First Ladies Health Summit can be viewed at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-brown/build-for-mothers-and-you_b_189527.html

http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/about/sgreport-pdf/09_MaternalMortality_D7341Insert_English.pdf provides more information on maternal mortality and progress toward achieving MDG5

Bongaarts and Sinding on International Family Planning Programs: Myths v. Facts

2009-04-28T01:46:00.005+03:00

Bongaarts and Sinding (a "founding father" of PPD) published "A response to critics of family planning programs" in the recent issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

In this article, the authors argue that funding for international family planning programs in developing countries has declined by 30% since the mid-1990s. Decisions by policymakers and donors to reduce investments in contraceptive services and supplies were based on plausible-sounding—but misguided—arguments. “Donor fatigue” and persistent opposition from conservative governments and institutions, in particular the Bush administration and the Vatican, contributed to this decline. Family planning programs were placed on the back burner as other pressing problems, such as the AIDS epidemic, rose in prominence.

Myth: Family planning programs have little or no effect on fertility.

Fact: Decades of research show that comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services lead to sharp rises in contraceptive use that help women avoid unwanted pregnancies. Over a thirty-year period (1960–1990), fertility declined in the developing world from more than six to fewer than four births per woman, and almost half of that decline—43%—is attributable to family planning programs.

Myth: Fertility declines are under way everywhere, so the population problem has largely been solved and family planning programs are no longer needed.

Fact: Population will keep growing even if fertility could immediately be reduced to the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, because:

Current birthrates still leave fertility above the level needed to bring about population stabilization.
People live longer as higher standards of living, better nutrition, expanded health services, and greater investments in public health measures have reduced death rates, and further improvements are likely.
The large number of young people entering their childbearing years will result in population growth for decades to come. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 43% of the total female population was younger than 15 years in 2005.

Myth: The death toll of the AIDS epidemic makes family planning undesirable and unnecessary.

Fact: Despite the substantial mortality from AIDS, UN projections for all developing regions predict further large population increases. Despite a severe epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, the region’s population is expected to grow by at least one billion between 2005 and 2050. This is because the annual number of AIDS deaths (two million) is equivalent to just 10 days’ growth in the population of the developing world.

Myth: Family planning programs are not cost-effective.

Fact: The World Bank estimates the cost of family planning at $100 per life-year saved. This is of the same order of magnitude as other health interventions, such as basic sanitation for diarrheal disease, a short course of chemotherapy for tuberculosis, and condom distribution for HIV prevention. All these interventions, including those for family planning, are much more cost-effective than antiretroviral treatment of AIDS, which currently receives a large proportion of health-related development aid.

Myth: Family planning programs at best have made women the instruments of population control policies and, at worst, have been coercive.

Fact: Today, nearly all programs around the world respect the right of couples to make informed reproductive choices, free from undue persuasion or coercion. An important exception is China, however, where the one-child policy continues to violate reproductive rights standards.

Population growth and what to do about it has been the subject of controversy since the 1700s. Perhaps because at its most fundamental level the subject deals with sex, it has been a peculiarly incendiary topic of public policy debate. Yet much of today’s discussion about family planning programs, a principal instrument through which population policies have been implemented over the past 50 years, is based on faulty perceptions and misinformation. Large-scale national family planning programs have, for the most part, been remarkably successful.

Why does this matter? Because women and children continue to suffer and die as a consequence of unwanted and unintended childbearing. Beyond that are renewed concerns about a variety of environmental issues and about the security of nations and the stability of governments, as well as deepening worries about food security and pervasive poverty.

“In the face of declining political and financial commitment to family planning programs, we must address head-on the faulty criticisms that have held back efforts to satisfy the unmet demand for family planning services,” say Bongaarts and Sinding. “High fertility and rapid population growth remain real problems that merit our attention and action.”

Read the entire article online at: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/JournalArticles/IPSRH_35_1.pdf

The journal International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health can be read online for free at: http://www.guttmacher.org/journals/toc/ipsrh3501toc.html

Film on Abortion in Ethiopia: Not Yet Rain

2009-04-17T01:53:00.006+03:00

In 2004, Ethiopia enacted one of the most progressive abortion laws in Africa. A woman may now seek an abortion if her life or health is threatened. Abortion is also permitted in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or if the woman is a minor or physically or mentally injured or disabled. Before 2004, abortion abortion was permitted only to save a woman’s life and protect her health and in cases of rape.

However, many women still continue to perform self-induced abortions for multiple reasons: the stigma of sex outside of marriage, the cost of abortion, an inability to travel to safe clinics, and late term abortion restrictions. The new film Not Yet Rain examines the topic of abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have faced the challenge of accessing safe abortion care within their communities.

Each year, 68,000 women around the world die from unsafe abortions. After hearing some of the techniques described in the twenty-three minute documentary Not Yet Rain, this comes as no surprise. One woman describes how a catheter and an umbrella were used to terminate her daughter's pregnancy, ultimately resulting in her death. Others resort to using sticks, plastic objects, and roots to attempt self-induced abortions. Whatever the reason behind being unable to access safe abortion services, the decision to turn to self-remedies is an extremely unsafe option, and it is vital that education is improved in the most remote communities, in order to ensure that women know their options and rights.

As a result of Ethiopia's revised law and 2006 guidelines for safe abortion services, abortion services are some of the safest in all of Africa. At a clinic in the documentary, the midwife/nurse explains that abortion services are now free, allowing women of all economic levels to receive proper care. Furthermore, the use of a manual vacuum aspirator (MVA) to perform the procedure is extremely safe and does not require the use of anesthesia, thus allowing clinics in the poorest and more remote areas of the community to provide such services. Regardless, the system is still full of problems. Due to a lack of education about reproductive health in Ethiopia, late term abortions are still one of the biggest factors leading to self inducement or use of traditional medicines.

Unintended pregnancy is a root cause of induced abortion and maternal mortality. An estimated 108 million married women in developing countries have an unmet need for contraception. Thus, meeting the need for contraception is a critical step toward reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancy.

In light of the mandates of intergovernmental agreements (ICPD, MDGs, Maputo) the prevention of unsafe abortion and death in all countries is an imperative goal for women’s health and rights.

To view the entire film Not Yet Rain online, visit http://www.notyetrain.org/

For useful resources on maternal mortality and MDG 5, check out the Women Deliver Resources at: http://www.womendeliver.org/resources/womendeliver.htm

For more information on the legal status of abortion, read the Center for Reproductive Rights 2007 briefing, “Abortion Worldwide: Twelve Years of Reform” http://reproductiverights.org/sites/default/files/documents/pub_bp_abortionlaws10.pdf

Related articles from The Lancet on global abortion rates and trends are available online at:

David A Grimes, Janie Benson, Susheela Singh, Mariana Romero, Bela Ganatra, Friday E Okonofua, Iqbal H Shah. Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic. The Lancet Sexual and Reproductive Health Series, October 2006: http://wwwlive.who.ch/reproductive-health/publications/articles/article4.pdf
Gilda Sedgh, Stanley Henshaw, Susheela Singh, Elisabeth Åhman, Iqbal H Shah. Induced abortion: estimated rates and trends worldwide. The Lancet 2007; 370: 1338–45: http://media.mcclatchydc.com/smedia/2007/10/17/13/Chang-Guttmacher_Institute_abortion_report.source.prod_affiliate.91.pdf

Parliamentarians Call for Action on Adolescent Girls' Rights

2009-04-16T01:48:00.002+03:00

From April 5th-10th, 2009 more than 600 parliamentarians from over 100 different countries met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 120th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Their primary goal was to discuss parliament's role in promoting global peace and security, democracy, and development, with special attention given to the importance of investing in adolescent girls in developing nations.

Last week, parliamentarians addressed the issue of the current global financial crisis, and looked to the importance of investing in young girls as a critical strategy to repairing economies. Adolescent girls in developing countries are often overlooked as fundamental components of a society's progression. However, as both economic actors and future mothers, the importance of investing in young girls' safety, health, and education is crucial to creating a stable society with high levels of growth. At the present moment, less than half a cent of every single international development dollar is spent on adolescent girls, greatly inhibiting their development into empowered young women, able to escape poverty and ignite progress.

In order to counterbalance gender-based inequality, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, President of the IPU, discussed the importance of “addressing discrimination and promoting the well-being and empowerment of adolescent girls" as both a human right and a core component of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” Parliamentarians at the 120th Assembly focused on three key points in ensuring the improvement of adolescent girl's well being: investing in girls' education, promoting an end to violence against girls in all settings, and working with both governments and the private sector to build life skills for young women, ensuring that they make a smooth transition from school to work. By focusing on such initiatives, adolescent girls as well as society as a whole will progress and grow.

During the meeting in Addis Ababa, members of paliament (MPs) had the opportunity to see for themselves the importance of investing in such proposals. By visiting UNICEF supported initiatives, MP's were quickly able to see the importance of such programs.

It is the PPD ARO's hope that this realization will prompt MPs to implement similar programs in their countries to promote adolescent girls' empowerment. More than 600 million young girls' live in the developing world today, and it is crucial that the international community continues to address issues of gender inequality and appropriates actions to be taken.

To access the 120th Assembly's agenda, please visit: http://www.ipu.org/conf-e/120agnd.htm

To learn more about UNICEF's role in working with the IPU, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_49258.html

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: The Contribution of Family Planning

2009-04-15T23:47:00.001+03:00

The Millennium Development Goals are quickly approaching their target date of 2015, and in order to ensure that progression is being made in a positive direction, the USAID Health Policy Initiative has specifically focused on the considerable and noteworthy contributions that family planning has thus far made to achieving the goals. Updated analysis for more than 30 countries demonstrates how family planning can help accomplish MDG's by reducing costs for meeting the goals and improving health outcomes.

MDG Briefs for Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia can be accessed in English (and often French or Spanish) at: http://www.healthpolicyinitiative.com/index.cfm?id=publications&get=Type&documentTypeID=15

Converting PDFs to editable documents

2009-04-14T07:46:00.004+03:00

One of the most common ICT-related questions asked by PPD's partners is how to convert Adobe PDF documents to Microsoft (MS) Word or another editable format. Until recently, it has not been easy without the purchase of expensive (around $300US!) software.

A new website called PDFtoWord will convert PDF documents to MS Word (or just text) for free and email them to you: http://www.pdftoword.com/

We've tried out this site for a while and it works wonderfully! The MS Word results are impressively faithful to the PDF originals, including all graphics, lines, boxes, and bullets that can be easily edited to your liking. In addition, the conversion can also pull readable text from scanned images.

To use this converter site, all you have to do is:
1) Go to the website http://www.pdftoword.com/
2) Upload a PDF
3) Choose Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) (choose MS Word if you want full formating and graphics or RTF if you only want the text), and
4) Enter your email address.
5) Check your email inbox-- it may take a few minutes to receive the file.

Converting Microsoft (MS) Word documents to PDF has always been much easier. Newer versions of MS Office can save documents as PDF, and there are plenty of free online and downloadable programs that can do this.

1) One of the easiest free websites to use is PrimoOnline. It converts documents, images and websites to PDF for free: https://online.primopdf.com

2) You can always convert through your email inbox:
These email addresses do free file conversion for Word docs, PDFs, and even MP3s easily-- all you have to do is send an email with an attached file and you will shortly receive a reply with the converted file attached.

pdf@koolwire.com—Converts MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint files to PDFs.
doc@koolwire.com—Convert PDFs to MS Word or Rich Text Format files.

3) If you convert a number of documents, files, and websites to PDFs, you can download free software such as PDFCreator: http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator

World Health Day 2009: Save Lives. Make Hospitals Safe in Emergencies

2009-04-06T08:23:00.004+03:00

Since 1950, World Health Day has been celebrated around the globe on April 7th. Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) chooses a theme, which highlights a key public issue that affects the international community.

This year, the focus is on the resilience and safety of health facilities and the health workers who treat those affected by emergencies. It is the WHO's hope that this annual celebration will promote a greater understanding of the issues at hand, as well as a long term advocacy program that will continue well beyond April 7th, 2009.

Worldwide, the number of disasters and emergencies are constantly increasing. In 2008 alone, 321 natural disasters killed more than 235,816 individuals. With an increasing desire toward urbanization, as well as a continuous population growth, the reliance on hospitals is becoming exponentially greater. In her Statement for World Health Day 2009, Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the WHO explains that, "when an emergency or disaster occurs, most lives are lost or saved in the immediate aftermath of the event. People count on hospitals and health facilities to respond, swiftly and efficiently, as the lifeline for survival and the backbone of support." However, in some cases the hospitals themselves are prone to simultaneous destruction, and as a result, health care workers are often killed or injured at the time when they are most critically needed. In other instances, health care systems that are already fragile are often unable to continue functioning in the event of such a disaster, further amplifying the tragedy of such an occurrence. Moreover, infectious diseases are one of the most prevalent causes of death and illness during a disaster, and if hospitals are unable to provide necessary care and infection prevention during an emergency, the propensity to amplify such an outbreak will increase, further inhibiting the hospital's capacity to provide other emergency services.

This year, the WHO is emphasizing the importance of investing in health infrastructure that will be able to withstand such disasters, and subsequently provide necessary care to those in need. Resilient construction, safe site decisions, and good planning are all crucial components to maintaining a functioning hospital. By anticipating such emergencies or disasters in advance, hospitals will have a greater ability to prepare themselves in the event that such a tragedy should occur, and will be able to provide the maximum potential for care to those affected.

A concern about funding is completely justified, as the WHO have calculated that the construction of a new hospital that can withstand such destruction costs surprisingly little in relation to the lives that can be saved. In many new health facilities, incorporating earthquake and severe weather protection into preliminary designs will add only 4% to the overall costs. Furthermore, reconstruction of existing facilities has minimal costs, and the incorporation of emergency preparedness and risk management into a hospital's operational plans costs almost nothing. World Health Day 2009 encourages both energy efficient and cost effective designs for the safety of new hospitals, and it is the hope of PPD ARO that such measures will quickly be implemented, helping to save countless lives worldwide.

We can all help to support better health care in emergencies, and involvement from within the community is essential in creating safer hospitals and better outcomes for those affected by such emergencies.

Recommendations for governments include:

Champion the need to make health facilities safe and functional in emergencies for health, social and economic reasons
Integrate “Safe Hospitals” programmes and health-risk reduction into national platforms for disaster-risk reduction
Develop national multisectoral programmes and policies to make health facilities safe in emergencies. Countries that have established a “Safe Hospitals” programme will have taken an important step towards protecting their health facilities and providing health care when most needed
Invest only in health facility projects that ensure safe location, design, construction, provision of care and emergency preparedness
Integrate health facility safety and emergency preparedness into procedures for the licensing and accreditation of health facilities.

More information: English: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2009/en/
French: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2009/fr/index.html

To learn more about what you can do year-round, check out: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2009/everyone_role/en/index.html

Read more about the planning framework for a national policy and programme for making health facilities safe in emergencies: http://www.afro.who.int/whd2009/planning_framework.pdf

Commission on Population and Development to Focus on Contribution of ICPD to MDGs

2009-04-01T05:33:00.004+03:00

This week (30 March- 3 April) the forty-second session of the Commission on Population and Development will meet at the United Nation's headquarters in New York. The theme this year is "The contribution of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development to the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals."

Founded by the Economic and Social Council in 1946, the Commission is most recently involved in monitoring and assessing the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD 1994). This year's session will focus on lowering population growth, and effective family planning in the least developed nations of the world, in order to reduce overall poverty and remove the barrier to achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Since the 1960's, the least developed nations, many in sub-Saharan Africa, have been unable to reduce their overall fertility rates, leading to rampant population growth. On average, these countries have fertility rates of 4.6 children per woman, which is significantly higher than the estimated goal of 2.17 births per woman to achieve "near-replacement-level fertility." Hindered by their inability to reduce population growth, the Commission will emphasize the necessity for these least developed nations to ensure a quicker decline in fertility, in order to "reduce maternal mortality, improve child survival, promote women's empowerment and contribute to poverty reduction." The Commission on Population and Development's second focus this year is on effective family planning, helping to contribute to poverty reduction. By reducing the number of births within a family, the ability to save money becomes more easily attainable and a greater investment in the health and education of each individual child born into the family can be achieved. Furthermore, improved access to efficient family planning contributes to enhanced maternal health and a greater survival rate of young children.

Although efforts are underway to improve the implementation of both population reduction and family planning, the forty-second session this week will express the need for a stronger political commitment and increased funding, in order to achieve significant progress on the ICPD PoA. In addition, the Commission recommends continued implementation of successful programs, an emphasis on national leadership and ownership, the development of effective health systems, and an investment in pro-poor policies.

The Commission explicitly points to South-South cooperation as vital in order to identify what programs are working, and what policies are most efficient, stating that "South-South cooperation is valuable, especially for the identification of best practices and the exchange of lessons learned." A continuous exchange of information between countries will help to improve the overall trend in reaching the MGDs.

Population growth and family planning are crucial topics that must quickly be addressed, and it is the PPD ARO's hope that the this year's session of the Commission on Population and Development will be able to bring to light this year's crucial issues and further encourage South-South cooperation in population and development. Keynote speakers this year include David Canning (Harvard School of Public Health), Jean-Pierre Guengant (Representative from Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Burkina Faso), and Zeba Sather (Country Director of the Population Council in Pakistan).

To learn more about the Commission on Population and Development, you can access a summary of the session at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/pop970.doc.htm

You can also read the keynote address, official statements, and agenda items in English and French for the Forty-second session at: http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2009/comm2009.htm

International Women’s Day: The Status of Women’s Health and Rights

2009-03-08T23:16:00.005+03:00

Of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Goal 3 explicitly calls for empowering women and promoting gender equality, specifically setting targets to eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education by 2015, with additional indicators on employment of women and the proportion of women in parliaments. However, gender equality is an essential cross-cutting component for meeting all the targets. According to Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, "In our work to reach those objectives, as the Millennium Declaration made clear, gender equality is not only a goal in its own right; it is critical to our ability to reach all the others . . . Study after study has shown that there is no effective development strategy in which women do not play a central role".

Gender gaps in access to and control of resources, in economic opportunities and in power and political voices are widespread. To date, only four countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway) have achieved a combination of approximate gender equality in secondary school enrolment, at least a 30 per cent share for women of seats in parliaments or legislatures, and an approximate 50 per cent share of paid employment in non-agricultural activities for women. In most countries, women continue to have less access to social services and productive resources than men. While the last two decades have seen some progress in many parts of the world in gender inequalities in schooling (as of 2006, the world was on track to meet the primary target of MDG 3: Gender Parity in School). Yet, women remain vastly under-represented in national and local assemblies, on average accounting for only 14 per cent of the seats in national parliaments.

And of particular concern to women’s health and rights is maternal mortality, MDG target 5. Pregnancy should be full of hope and joy--yet for so many women in Africa, pregnancy come with unnecessary danger. As a result, women in sub-Saharan Africa have a 1 in 16 chance of dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth during their lives; comparatively, the lifetime risk to women in developed countries is 1 in 3,800.

Unfortunately, despite global progress on many of the MDGs illustrated in the Figure: Progress Against Targets to Meet the MDGs, less than 1/10th of the distance to be covered to meet the MDG 5 of reducing maternal mortality has been made. The chart shows how far behind the world is on MDG 5. The MDG target for maternal mortality will unlikely be met globally, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, without concerted efforts. The Maputo Plan of Action (PoA) for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 2007- 2010 states that that “African countries are not likely to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) without significant improvements in the sexual and reproductive health of the people of Africa.”

On International Women’s Day, PPD encourages its member and collaborating countries to support implementation of MDG 5 by advocating for improved reproductive health services. Universal access to reproductive health (as called for by the ICPD PoA) is essential to achieve gender equality, combat HIV/AIDS, and reduce maternal and child mortality.

Find out more information (including what you can do) by reading PPD ARO’s policy brief on RH in the MDGs:
In English: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/RH-MDGs.pdf
In French: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/RH-MDGsf.pdf

More information on the MDGs is online at:
UN: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
MDG Indicators: http://mdgs.un.org/

South-South Cooperation in Maternal Health and HIV/AIDS

2009-02-25T08:46:00.002+03:00

“The Tunisia – France – Niger: The Kollo Project for safe motherhood and reproductive health project” was presented by Mr. Fethi Ben Messaoud, PCC for Tunisia and Senetaire General, Office National de la Famille et de la Population at the September 2008 PPD Partner Country Coordinators' Meeting for the Africa Region.

South-South Approaches to Innovative Health Solutions
MediaGlobal: Voice of the Global South
By Lucy-Claire Saunders

22 December 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: At the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Special Unit for South-South Cooperation’s first ever Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo, experts presented four successful projects on HIV prevention and maternal health that exemplify South-South cooperation.

Among the four projects, Campaign to End Fistula was recognized as a model for championing collaboration between countries in the Global South, receiving an award of excellence from the United Nations Development Programme.

“Fistula requires our attention because it is a condition that takes away the dignity and the self-esteem of those who are affected by it,” Bunmi Makinwa, the Africa regional director for the campaign said. “It leaves women incontinent, ashamed and isolated from their communities. Fistula is a stark example of our failure in the public health system in poor countries.”

Fistula is a condition where a woman cannot control the flow of her urine and/or feces due to an injury brought about by prolonged labor. The Campaign to End Fistula, which aims to makes the debilitating condition as rare in developing countries as it is in the industrial world by 2015, is active in more than 45 countries in Africa, Asia and the Arab world.

“We are casting the net wider to incorporate more countries,” Makinwa said. “Recent training sessions in Mali highlight country-level efforts to develop the capacity of fistula service providers though South-South cooperation.”

For example, in Liberia’s surgical wards, they use specialized nurses to assist the surgeon during the operation. This is a service that does not exists in Mali so the program had a Liberian specialist train counterparts in Mali so that hospitals can introduce the new technique in the way they do business.

Three other projects exemplifying South-South cooperations in the health sector were also featured at the afternoon session. Dorcus Phiri, coordinator of the Teacher Capacity Building Project, gave an update on a program that uses live television broadcasts to reach out to teachers and students about HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Using a Brazilian model, the daily television program empowers teachers to break down the silence associated with HIV and AIDS by facilitating an open dialogue in a classroom setting.

“The program increased levels of conversation between teachers, pupils and parents on sexual reproductions health,” Phiri told MediaGlobal. “If we empower teachers with the skills, knowledge and the relevant attitudes for addressing HIV, then they would be better placed to deal with HIV issues in the classroom.”

Named, “Live Talk Back,” the program features a different panel every day who talk about HIV/AIDS and other reproductive health issues. Teachers, students and parents across the country are invited to participate in a live discussion using phone-ins, Short Message Services and e-mails.

Speaking about another project across the world that also deals with AIDS, Mariangela Simao, director of the National STD/AIDS Programme in Brazil, described a multi-country program that address HIV prevention throughout Latin America.

“For us in Brazil, the words of the famous archbishop, Dom Helder Camara, summarize how we think of South-South cooperation: ‘No one is so poor that he has nothing to offer. No one is so rich that he never needs help,’” she said.

The program, which is called, “Lacos –Sul-Sul,” works with partnering countries to ensure universal access to prevention treatment, HIV prevention with adolescents and children, generate demand for services and mobilize participation of those who use the service.

The results have been encouraging, said Simao. In two of the more remote regions in Nicaragua, where LSS support has been provided, HIV testing for pregnant women has increased from 20 per cent to 42 per cent and from 5.3 per cent to 24 per cent. On a side note, Simao mentioned that in regions where LSS is not active, this rate has actually dropped form 3.4 per cent to two per cent.

As well as addressing AIDS, the South-South cooperation projects also addressed maternal and child health. Niger, for example, has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. The infantile mortality rate is 247 for 1,000 live births while the maternal mortality rate is about 700 for 100,000 live births.

Source: MediaGlobal: Voice of the Global South at http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2008-12-23/south-south-approaches-to-innovative-health-solutions

Linking RH and HIV/AIDS: Good Practices in Kenya

2009-02-24T05:33:00.004+03:00

Linking sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS policies and services presents many challenges for those on the front line of health care planning and delivery. A case study in Kenya of Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK) details a number of “lessons learned” in integration including:

FHOK has demonstrated that providing antiretroviral therapy within sexual and reproductive health settings is plausible, possible and practical.
Providing services for HIV/AIDS at sexual and reproductive health clinics attracts new clients and creates opportunities for promoting sexual and reproductive health to a wider population.
In order to achieve their core aims, and to maximize the public health impact, sexual and reproductive health and HIV programmes should take specific steps to meet the needs and concerns of men as well as women in providing services.
The best way to promote sexual and reproductive health among young people and to raise awareness of HIV is to make information and services available as part of a wider programme that addresses their social needs, and helps empower them to make healthy choices.
By providing space for community groups to meet, or a base for their activities, clinics can strengthen the links with their client population to their mutual benefit.

Find out more about Kenya’s good practices here: http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/hiv/ippf_linkages_kenya.pdf

For more information on linkages between RH and HIV/AIDS policy and programming, a number of tools prepared by IPPF, UNFPA, UNAIDS and WHO offer guidance on how to link sexual and reproductive health with HIV/AIDS.

World Day of Social Justice: The Centrality of Reproductive Health and Rights

2009-02-20T02:34:00.003+03:00

February 20, 2009 is the first observation of the World Day of Social Justice (UN). The daylong celebration of social justice encourages all UN member states to organize activities on the national level to support the objectives of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development.

As recognized by the World Summit, “social development aims at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and among countries and social justice, equality and equity constitute the fundamental values of all societies.” To achieve “a society for all” governments made a commitment to the creation of a framework for action to promote social justice at national, regional and international levels. Governments also pledged to promote the equitable distribution of income and greater access to resources through equity and equality and opportunity for all. The governments recognized as well that economic growth should promote equity and social justice and that “a society for all” must be based on social justice and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Reproductive health and rights are essential components of social justice and development. At the ICPD+5 Forum in 1999, Former WHO Director-General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland argued that, "Failure to address people's reproductive health needs is a matter of human rights and social justice. People have a right to make free and informed decisions about their reproductive lives. They have a right to information and care that will enable them to protect their health and that of their loved ones. They have a right to benefit from scientific progress in health care. . . . Defining reproductive ill-health as not only a health issue but as a matter of social justice provides a legal and political basis for governments to act.”

For more information:
Statement by Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General. ICPD+5 Forum, The Hague, Netherlands, 8–12 February 1999. Geneva, World Health Organization (Document WHO/CHS/RHR/99.8)

UN Reports on the World Day of Social Justice:
Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations (2006)

Launch of the World Day of Social Justice New York, 10 February 2009

GA Resolution A/RES/62/10, 19 November 2007 in English and French

UN News Centre, 26 November 2007

GA Draft Resolution A/63/L.29/Rev.1,15 December 2008 in English and French

Access to Female Condoms (FC)

2009-02-18T05:46:00.002+03:00

What is the status of your country’s access to female condoms (FC)?
Female condoms only comprise about 0.2% of the world’s condom supply. In 2007, 25.9 million Female Condoms were available worldwide (almost doubling the 2005 supply) and about 11 billion male condoms were distributed.

PPD member and collaborating African countries with FC country programs include:
1. Ghana
Another resource from Ghana
In Ghana, the Society of Women against AIDS in Africa (SWAA) in Ghana, launched a programme to improve women’s health rights through the introduction of the female condom. They successfully raised awareness of FC in two high incidence areas and tackled obstacles to FC use. While these activities still need to be extended into more districts, regions and communities, a total of 127,500 female condoms have been distributed to date through sales, community meetings and free distribution by SWAA/Ghana and collaborating organizations. Over 10,000 people have been directly reached through female condom training programmes.

2. Kenya

3. Mali

4. Nigeria

5. Rwanda

6. Senegal

7. South Africa

8. Tanzania

9. Uganda
Uganda's Ministry of Health to Reintroduce Female Condoms. Uganda's Ministry of Health will reintroduce female condoms as part of its HIV/AIDS prevention program in response to increased demand, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The Uganda government in 2007 halted distribution of the female condom because of insufficient demand and complaints that the condoms were not user-friendly. However, a recent health ministry analysis determined that women in the country sought an HIV prevention method that allowed them control over preventing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unintended pregnancies. (Source: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Tuesday, February 17, 2009)

10. Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, where distribution of female condoms has expanded rapidly in 2008, women’s groups collected more than 30,000 signatures from women demanding access to the female condom. As a result, the government initiated importation of the female condom.

How to improve female condom availability and programming in your country
Strong advocacy for the female condom is needed to stimulate demand and increase access and availability. You can:

1. Develop an integrated advocacy campaign to support the effective introduction of female condoms within and across HIV prevention and reproductive health programs.

2. Advocate for the inclusion of female condoms in your country’s
• commodities purchasing plans.
• national strategic plan submitted for PEPFAR funding.
• Country Operational Plan submitted to Global Fund to Fight AIDS,TB and Malaria.
• Ask that your government request to be included in UNFPA’s Female Condon Initiative and Comprehensive Condom Programming Initiative. UNFPA’s Global Female Condom Initiative scales up female condom programming. For example, in Nigeria, UNFPA began collaboration in 2005 with the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria to implement a UNFPA Female Condom Initiative. Over 30 registered national RH and HIV/AIDS NGOs were trained in FC counselling and distribution and linked to sustainable supplies of stock for their programmes. These NGOs are now distributing 76% of the FCs used in Nigeria. The social marketing organizations currently engaged in distributing most (about 80%) of all male condoms used in Nigeria are planning to launch marketing of FCs as well. African countries enrolled in the UNFPA Condom Initiative in 2006-07: Zambia, Zimbabwe. Malawi, DRC, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. African countries targeted for enrollment in 2008-09: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Mauritânia, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Mauritius, Botswana, Madagascar, Swaziland, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Lesotho, Mozambique, Ghana, Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville.

3. Contact the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in your country and demand that they help you gain access to the female condom (Tanzania is currently receiving female condoms from USAID; Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya are not.).

Resources:
Global Campaign for Microbicides: http://www.global-campaign.org/africa.htm
UNFPA: http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/female.htm
PATH: http://www.path.org/projects/womans_condom.php
http://www.path.org/projects/womans_condom_gcfc2005.php
WHO guide for FC use and programming: http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/RHR_00_8/index.html

Additional Contacts and Organizations:
Prevention Now! Campaign. One of the goals of Prevention Now! is to link with existing female condom campaigns, such as those in Argentina, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, in order to support and catalyze efforts to increase FC access. For more information, see www.preventionnow.net.

Female Health Foundation Team Leader, Katy Pepper at katypepper@femalehealthfoundation.org. FHF works in partnership with UNFPA and provides technical assistance to governments, INGOs, NGOs and other agencies. They provide assistance, guidance and support with advocacy including linkage to others working in the same field/area; updated information on FC promotion and use; technical information on female condoms and guides on programming with the female condom.

For countries in East Africa, the Global Campaign for Microbicides’ Eastern Africa coordinator, Pauline Irungu, at pirungu@path.org. PATH, A.C.S Plaza, Lenana Road, P.O Box 76634 Nairobi, 00508. Phone: +254 (020) 3877177/80/89 Fax: +254 (020) 3877172. The Global Campaign’s goal has always been to amplify demand for more and better HIV prevention options, particularly for women They are now increasing our efforts to mobilize advocacy for access to the female condom, especially in countries hardest hit by the HIV pandemic. For more information, please see the Global Campaign website at www.global-campaign.org.

Technology Tip for Viewing Slow-Loading Websites

2009-02-10T01:54:00.004+03:00

A quick tip for viewing websites that are full of images and Flash animation on a slow internet connection.

IYHY is a web-based service that acts as a text-only proxy, stripping down websites for faster load times.

The website IYHY returns just the basic text of the site you plug into it. It removes graphics and images, but keep links so that you can still navigate.

There is no login required for the basic service, but with a free account you can save your most frequently accessed sites to save time.

Global Gag Rule rescinded by U.S. President Obama

2009-01-24T08:25:00.002+03:00

U.S. President Barack Obama today issued an executive order reversing the Global Gag Rule. The Global Gag Rule [also known as the “Mexico City Policy” or specifically, The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1))] denied United States family planning funds to foreign NGOs that use their own private, non-U.S. dollars to counsel women, make referrals for abortion, or perform abortions. It even denied U.S. funds to NGOs that expressed support for laws to make abortion safe and legal. The Global Gag Rule was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, where it was in effect until Friday, 23 January 2009 (today).

President Obama also pledged to work to restore a partnership with UNFPA, “I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.”

Below is President Obama's statement.
--------------

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release: January 23, 2009

Statement of President Barack Obama on Rescinding the Mexico City Policy

"It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development.

"For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate.

"It is time that we end the politicization of this issue. In the coming weeks, my Administration will initiate a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world.

"I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls.

"In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries," said President Obama.

***
Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development

Subject: Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)), prohibits nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive Federal funds from using those funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." The August 1984 announcement by President Reagan of what has become known as the "Mexico City Policy" directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand this limitation and withhold USAID funds from NGOs that use non-USAID funds to engage in a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. The Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, implementing it through conditions in USAID grant awards, and subsequently extended the policy to "voluntary population planning" assistance provided by the Department of State.

These excessively broad conditions on grants and assistance awards are unwarranted. Moreover, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning programs in foreign nations. Accordingly, I hereby revoke the Presidential memorandum of January 22, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), the Presidential memorandum of March 28, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), and the Presidential memorandum of August 29, 2003, for the Secretary of State (Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning). In addition, I direct the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to take the following actions with respect to conditions in voluntary population planning assistance and USAID grants that were imposed pursuant to either the 2001 or 2003 memoranda and that are not required by the Foreign Assistance Act or any other law: (1) immediately waive such conditions in any current grants, and (2) notify current grantees, as soon as possible, that these conditions have been waived. I further direct that the Department of State and USAID immediately cease imposing these conditions in any future grants.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 23, 2009.

# # #
For more information: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/23/obama.abortion/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
http://www.PLANetWIRE.org

Summer Institute in Reproductive Health & Development at Johns Hopkins, USA, June 1-12, 2009

2009-01-20T07:49:00.003+03:00

The Gates Institute is hosting a two-week course entitled, “Reproductive Health and Development: Analytic Skills for Policies and Programs” at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, June 1-12, 2009. This course is aimed at mid-career professionals working in population, reproductive health and development programs in developing countries.

This course will introduce participants to contemporary population, reproductive health and development issues, measures and indicators. Participants complete data-driven exercises that strengthen their analytic and interpretive skills to understand linkages between demographic change, sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and economic and social development. Seminar topics include population dynamics, poverty alleviation and health inequities; gender equity and development; nutrition over the life span; reproductive health dynamics of birth spacing and birth outcomes, family and economic impacts, sexually transmitted infection patterns and service integration models. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

Discuss global population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health measures and associated development changes
Explain linkages between population change, reproductive health changes and socioeconomic development
Identify data sources for, calculate and apply key measures and indicators of population, reproductive health and development
Interpret data to make informed policy or program decisions
Use analytic tools including but not limited to Spectrum, Stat Compiler, and STATA

A limited amount of financial support is available from The Gates Institute for highly qualified individuals from developing countries depending on funding availability. The application deadline is February 20, 2009.

The PPD ARO is happy to review PCCs’ application materials, as well as write a letter of recommendation for the program and for funding from the Gates Institute. For assistance or more information, email ppdafrica@gmail.com

For more information on the program, visit:
http://www.jhsph.edu/gatesinstitute/education_training/workshops_training/summer_institute/index.html

January Online Forum: Effective Models for Delivering Family Planning to Groups with Limited Access

2009-01-16T20:32:00.000+03:00

The Global Exchange Network (GEN) for Reproductive Health is hosting an international virtual forum, “Effective Models for Delivering Family Planning to Groups with Limited Access,” to be held January 26-30, 2009, on the Global Exchange Network for Reproductive Health website.

Forum participants will have the opportunity to learn about experiences in delivering family planning and reproductive health services to groups with limited access from Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

The forum will focus on:
• Discussing and analyzing the factors that contributed to the success of these experiences;
• Identifying and assessing the key strategies and interventions employed; and,
• Identifying any practical features that might prove useful in our efforts to expand sexual and reproductive health and family planning coverage and benefits in our own countries.

We encourage all PPD partners to register on the website in advance-- http://globalexchange.msh.org. Click on “New User? Register here.” Participation is free, but you must register in advance (one or two business days) in order to access the site and participate in the forum.

Opinion Article: Population legislation vital for development

2008-11-25T11:31:00.002+03:00

Population legislation vital for development

Publication date: Monday, 24th November, 2008

The New Vision (Uganda)

By Jotham Musinguzi

The year 2009 marks the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). While very few people know the acronym, much less the goals and outcomes of this United Nations conference held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, most people, particularly those in developing countries, have benefitted from the agreement of 179 countries (including Uganda) to the ICPD programme of action.

The ICPD programme of action has been an essential scale for countries’ population legislation and policy and has proved critical to the global improvement of sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality.

The population conference was groundbreaking in its introduction of a new human rights-based approach to population and development — the links between women’s status, reproductive health, environmental destruction, poverty, and social and economic development were first recognised by the global community at the ICPD. The principal goal of the ICPD — universal access to reproductive health services by 2015 — is reinforced in the Maputo Plan of Action, which agreed that poor sexual and reproductive health is a leading killer in Africa. The Maputo Plan was later ratified by African heads of state.

In Uganda, infant mortality fell from 122 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1989 to the current rate of 76 deaths per 1,000 live births. In 1995, the use of modern contraceptive methods among married women in Uganda was 7.8%, this has now increased to 17.9%. And due to the strong partnership between the Government, civil society and international organisations, more people have access to reproductive health information and services to help them fulfill their decisions on the number and spacing of their children and to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS.

We should congratulate ourselves on these changes while recognising that Uganda, like most developing countries, requires much more progress on these sexual and reproductive health and rights indicators. Global progress has, in part, been hampered by underfunding and the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Despite progress on many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), less than a 10th of the distance to be covered to meet the MDG 5 of reducing maternal mortality globally has been met.

This MDG on maternal health is unlikely to be met, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, without concerted efforts. A woman’s lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy or childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa is one in 16 while the risk in developed countries is only about one in 3,800. Maternal health is, therefore, an issue of great concern.

In Uganda alone, approximately 6,000 women die every year due to pregnancy complications. Women bleed to death, they do not have access to antibiotics to prevent simple infections; they often do not have the option of a caesarean section when it is necessary. It is a tragedy that women continue to die when maternal deaths and injuries are preventable when women have access to prenatal care, skilled attendance at births, and emergency obstetric care.

This means that Africans, must not only acknowledge our accomplishments in reproductive health, but we must take responsibility and work to address areas of greatest need. We can do this by sharing our experiences and good practices through South-South cooperation and learning from the successes of our brothers and sisters in other developing countries.

We need to look at example from countries like Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, who have successfully lowered their rates of maternal ill-health through sustained financial and political commitment. Sri Lanka’s long-term commitment to safe motherhood services has, over four decades, decreased maternal mortality more than twenty-fold, from 486 maternal deaths per 100,000 livebirths to 24 per 100,000.

This shows that with effort and resources, large-scale improvements in public health are achievable, a lesson that we need to take seriously. South-South collaboration is a workable model for developing countries to partner and learn from each other as we all strive towards the attainment of the common ICPD goals and MDGs.

Reproductive health and rights play an essential role in the development of our countries. Yet, these critical development issues have not received the importance and priority they deserve, despite their centrality to poverty eradication.

Enhancing individual reproductive health and rights enables governments to achieve their population goals—such as preventing unplanned pregnancies and slowing population growth—and provides the necessary conditions for economic and social development. Improving the overall well-being of populations also improves the development prospects of our countries.

As representatives from 25 developing countries gather this week in Kampala at the International Forum on “ICPD @ 15: Progress and Prospects,” hosted by Partners in Population and Development, to 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, we must remain focused on the most vulnerable and overlooked populations and issues to ensure that a just, equitable, and sustainable development is the one we bring about. Ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights is not only a moral imperative, it is economically sound. Economic and social development can only happen with a healthy and educated population.

We need donors and our governments to allocate sufficient resources, financial and otherwise, to support sexual and reproductive health and rights to fight poverty in our countries.

We must activate civil society to hold donors and governments accountable for the promises they have made. We must remain committed and vigilant, and demand that policies are in place and funds are allocated and expended in line with the commitments our leaders have made.

We must not relent on these efforts until women and their families in developing countries no longer fear marriage and pregnancy because of the high likelihood of death, illness and disability for themselves and their children.

We want to watch our sisters, wives and daughters experience the birth of their children as sources of joy, not as the cause of suffering and untimely death.

The writer is the Regional Director, Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office

This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/661115

News Article Prioritize maternal healthcare, First Lady tells policy makers

2008-11-25T11:17:00.003+03:00

Prioritise maternal healthcare, First Lady tells policy makers

Publication date: Monday, 24th November, 2008

The New Vision (Uganda)

By Anthony Bugembe

LEADERS and policy makers from developing countries should address the high maternal and infant mortality rates.

This, according to the First Lady, Janet Museveni, will help to achieve sustainable development as the causes of the mortality are largely preventable.

“We cannot just sit back and watch as our women continue to die during pregnancy and child birth,” said the First Lady.

Mrs. Museveni was yesterday opening an international forum on population and development at the Imperial Royale Hotel that attracted political leaders and experts from 24 developing countries.

The health minister, Dr. Stephen Mallinga, decried Uganda’s poor progress on most health and social indicators.

“We still have a low contraceptive prevalence rate at 24%, low supervised deliveries at only 39%, high infant and maternal mortality at 76 and 435 respectively.”

“Although we have considerably reduced HIV prevalence to 6.4%, HIV/AIDS remains an epidemic in our country,” he said.

Mrs. Museveni said that Ugandan women continue to face risks during pregnancy and child birth.

“Uganda loses 6,000 women per year during pregnancy and child birth. These poor and powerless women continue to die, year in year out, most of them in remote villages.”

“For every woman who dies in pregnancy and child birth, six others survive but with chronic debilitating injuries and ill-health,” she said.

Mallinga noted: “As countries of the south, we need to realise that we have somewhat similar backgrounds. We should act in concert to promote a common health agenda.”

The theme for the conference is, ‘ICPD@15: Progress and prospects’. It is reviewing the progress of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in 1994 in Cairo, Egypt.

“While we need to find new champions for family planning and promote greater resource mobilisation for reproductive health programmes, we need perhaps more importantly to re-inforce political commiments and promote good governance,” said Harry Jooseery, executive director, Partners in Population and Development (PPD).

Besides Reproductive health, the conference will address new concerns like food crisis and human security, climate change and environmental degradation and review the south-to-south cooperation as a modality of change.

Jotham Musinguzi, the PPD chief for Africa, said governments pledged at the 2000 Abuja declarationto commit 15% of national budgets towards health.

This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/661183

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

2008-11-22T13:34:00.002+03:00

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.

Resolutions for the Regional Meeting of Parliamentary Committees on Health in East and Southern Africa, 16-18 September 2008, Kampala, Uganda

2008-10-15T13:24:00.002+03:00

The Regional Meeting of Parliamentary Committees on Health in East and Southern Africa, Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda September 16-18 2008, gathered members of parliamentary committees responsible for health from twelve countries in East and Southern Africa, with sixteen technical, government and civil society and regional partners to promote information exchange, facilitate policy dialogue and identify key areas of follow up action to advance health equity and sexual and reproductive health in the region.

Representatives from parliamentary committees agreed to a number of resolutions, including commitments they will pursue for the next two months, and the next year. Of particular interest to advocates for SRHR is the agreement that “parliaments must work towards national, regional and international commitments made to protect and advance the right to health and the commitment to equity in health, primary health care and sexual and reproductive heath rights (SRHR) at all levels in East and Southern Africa” including the 2000 African Union Heads of state Abuja declaration and Plan of Action and the Maputo Plan of Action (2006), which work within the framework of the commitments and plans made in relation to the Millennium Development Goals and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

In particular, the group noted, “the importance of implementing the Maputo Plan of Action to enhance SRHR to enable governments to achieve population goals to provide the necessary conditions for economic and social empowerment and development” and resolved to “ensure that such comprehensive SRHR services include Reproductive Health supplies (for commodity security), government funding for antiretrovirals (ARV) for adults and children, community mobilization on SRHR that involves men, especially in vulnerable communities and for adolescents and youth and education of girl children.”

And within the coming year, the group pledged to “prepare and make budget submissions that . . .Include necessary resource allocations for SRHR and for RH supplies (for commodity security)” and “obtain national population and reproductive health policies and national action plans and request report on progress in their funding and implementation.”

The full resolution document is posted on the PPD ARO website at: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/ParliamentResolutionsSEP08.pdf

News Article: MPs Want More Investment in Maternal Health

2008-10-15T12:25:00.002+03:00

MPs Want More Investment in Maternal Health
The Monitor (Kampala)
NEWS
24 September 2008
Posted to the web 24 September 2008

By Evelyn Lirri

When members of parliament from 13 countries across east and southern Africa gathered in Kampala last week to deliberate on health issues affecting the continent, one thing that came out forcefully was the health of mothers and children.

The MPs who were drawn from parliamentary committees of health and social services from the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and Swaziland others discussed the challenges affecting the health sector in their various countries, urging for more investment, particularly in maternal health and equity in health.

Dr Jotham Musinguzi, the African regional Director for Partners in Population and Development (PPD), an intergovernmental alliance of 22 developing countries that hosted the meeting painted a bleak picture of the health status in sub Saharan Africa.

He said that while 25 percent of the global disease burden is in the region, only one percent is spent on health. As a result, he said, the region is characterised by poor reproductive health indices, high HIV/Aids and food insecurity among other problems.

Mothers die of preventable illnesses
Maternal mortality indices across the African continent are still high and countries could fail to meet MDG targets related to health unless issues of reproductive health security are addressed.

PPD Executive Director, Mr Harry Jooseery said reproductive health and population issues have been neglected.

"Until we deal with the population problem, stabilise and produce a quality population, we are not going to resolve any of our problems.

The well being of a nation is how much a country has invested in health and education," he said.

Health Minister Dr Stephen Mallinga said that one of the greatest challenges facing developing countries was poor health particularly for women and children.

He said that reproductive health issues have in recent years not received the importance and priority they deserve yet it is central to poverty eradication.

"A woman's lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth in sub Saharan Africa is one in 16 while the risk in developed countries is one in 3,800," Dr Mallinga said.

According to the health minister, the rate at which mothers die from haemorrhage, infection due to lack of antibiotics and complications was absurd. He added that cases that necessitates a caesarean can significantly be reduced through access to prenatal care, skilled attendance at births and emergency obstetric care.

Free bleeding medication
Dr Mallinga said one of the things the ministry was doing was to the introduction of a drug called misoprostol, which can help in preventing women from bleeding after birth, which he said is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Uganda.

Misoprostol tablet, which Dr Mallinga said is already available in health centres will be given free of charge to women who experience bleeding after birth.

Bleeding after birth remains a great health risk for women not only in Uganda but the African continent.

Uganda's maternal mortality rate, according to the 2006 demographic and health survey stands at 435 for every 100,000 live births.

Besides the misoprostol tablet, the government is also in the process of launching a new roadmap to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality.

The Parliamentary Social Services Committee in August 2008 presented to parliament a report, among others recommending that maternal/reproductive health be prioritised and resources mobilised to address funding gaps.

________________________________________

10 Key Factors Contribute to Successful FP Programs

2008-10-14T15:47:00.002+03:00

Family Planning Professionals Identify 10 Key Factors Contributing to Successful Programs (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Baltimore, MD—A well-trained, supervised, and motivated staff is one of the most important elements of success in family planning programming, according to the latest issue of Population Reports, "Elements of Success in Family Planning Programming" from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Obtaining an adequate budget is one of the most difficult elements for family planning programs to achieve. Although proper funding in and of itself will not guarantee program success, inadequate funding of programs will ensure their failure.

The report is based on a 2007 poll of nearly 500 health care professionals around the world who identified the top 10 elements most important to the success of family planning programs. The elements range from ensuring client-centered care to offering affordable services to implementing effective communication strategies. The Population Reports issue synthesizes online discussions about these elements and highlights program experiences, best practices, and evidence-based guidance derived from nearly six decades in international family planning.

“The impact of family planning programs over the past five decades is tremendous,” according to co-authors Catherine Richey and Ruwaida Salem. “But programs today are still facing challenges.” According to the report an estimated half of all pregnancies are unplanned or unintended. Preventing these unintended pregnancies has the potential to avert about one-third of maternal deaths and nearly 10% of childhood deaths.

Programs must also expand to serve growing numbers of clients. Between 2000 and 2015 the number of contraceptive users worldwide is expected to increase by over 40% due to both population growth and larger proportions using contraception. Coordinating efforts among the many diverse groups of stakeholders, including governments, donors, and service delivery and communication organizations, is key to ensuring that resources are sufficient, applied where most needed, and used efficiently, with minimal duplication of effort.

Family planning professionals can apply best practices and lessons learned to design, carry out, and scale up good-quality programs. The lessons identified in this report can help managers of these programs, donor agency staff, policy makers, and other family planning professionals to plan new programs, improve existing programs, and prepare for future developments and challenges.

The report’s companion Web site, www.fpsuccess.org, serves as home base for a virtual community of family planning professionals around the world. Members can find resources, tailor information to their specific areas of interest, engage in discussions, and network with colleagues. An electronic learning course on the topic is also available at www.globalhealthlearning.org.

For more information, contact Ruwaida Salem at rsalem@jhuccp.org

Find This Report and Related Resources Online:

The full-text version of this 28-page Population Reports issue is available at
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/J57/J57.pdf

For a listing of all Population Reports issues online, go to http://www.populationreports.org. Population Reports is published three times a year in English, French, and Spanish by the INFO Project at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs. The INFO Project receives support from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Upcoming Anglophone Course on the MDGs, Poverty Reduction, RH and Health Sector Reform

2008-09-24T14:17:00.005+03:00

Upcoming Anglophone Course on “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform” by The World Bank Institute, NCAPD (Government of Kenya) and the ECSA/Commonwealth Secretariat.

The course is full-time, from November 18-25, 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya. The course integrates three thematic clusters:
1. New Policy Directions: MDGs Related to Health and Gender, and Poverty Reduction Strategies
2. Design and Delivery of Health Services and Programs
3. Health Services and Health Sector Reform which are presented through a combination of presentations, readings, case examples and group work.

Objective: To provide state-of-the-art knowledge and skills for key stakeholders to design and deliver more efficient, equitable, and financially sustainable health interventions in the context of health sector reforms and evolving international policies.

Audience: Staff from governments, donor agencies, international organizations, the private sector, PVOs/NGOs, training and research institutions involved in health and government-initiated health sector reforms in World Bank client countries working in the areas of health, public administration or social sector reform.

Target Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Language: English

For more information, please review: http://info.worldbank.org/etools/wbi_learning/activity.cfm?sch_id=HNP08-01-232

PPD member and collaborating countries can also contact: Mr. Charles N. Oisebe, PPD PCC for Kenya and Senior Programme Officer, Programme Coordination, National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD), Government of Kenya

Bad Practices: Presentations that Cause Narcolepsy

2008-08-28T11:07:00.001+03:00

Too many slides filled with unreadable charts that overwhelm audiences with data. Too much text on a slide not only strains the eyes of audience members in the back of the room, it can also distract them from the presenter’s message. Even poor colour choice can prevent colourblind audience members from being able to read slides. We cannot fault those who fall asleep, check email on their laptops, or decide to read the paper in the middle of our presentations.

One of the most common "bad practices" among population and reproductive health advocates, both in Africa and internationally, are presentations that bore our audiences.

So what is there to be done? We need to take responsibility for making better presentations. It takes more work on our part, but making our visuals and speeches more compelling can go a long way to improving the effectiveness of meetings and events to reach our goals. We have very important messages to make to both political and technical audiences, so we need to ensure that our key arguments are communicated clearly and compellingly.

Below, we have summarized some advice from communications expert Andy Goodman that can help us start the process of improving our presentations.

Most importantly, recognize what presentations are for. PowerPoint is not a document. You can and should distribute memos and reports to your audience to give them the details and information they need when they leave. Your presentation should not read like a document. It should not be an outline projected on a screen to prompt you on the key point of the talk—if you need prompts, you should carry index cards to remind you of the order of the points you intend to make in your presentation.

So what is a presentation for? Andy Goodman states that "your time at the podium is your opportunity to convey the essence of your proposal, shine a spotlight on key points of a report, or tell a story that brings your issue to life in ways that only live delivery can."

So PowerPoint should be used to provide visuals to dramatically illustrate your arguments in your presentation. With this in mind, Andy Goodman recommends that you

"Go heavy on images, light on text. Even when taking copious notes, most audience members will retain very little from your talk. The more you throw at them, the less they’ll tend to remember.

Putting text on the screen while you talk only compounds this problem. Not only are you presenting even more information, you’re asking the audience to divide its concentration between competing information sources. A compelling picture, in contrast, can provide an emotionally powerful backdrop that underscores points you wish to make."

So how can we do this? For example, if you want to make an argument about the high unmet need for family planning in Africa, you could use a large chart of data, drawn from a recent DHS or UNFPA report, listing a number of African countries, their current contraceptive prevalence rates, fertility rates, unmet need, and population growth rates. But the argument you want to make would not be communicated to a non-technical audience that does not know the difference between CPR, TFR, and unmet need (and even technical audiences are so used to seeing these statistics that data charts often do not compel action). Instead, showing a photograph of a young mother with a weary expression on her face, surrounded by five small children, a small child on her back, and pregnant with another child, would make a much greater impact on your audience than an overwhelming set of numbers. When you show the image of the woman, you can say something like "like this young woman, most Ugandan women want five children in total, yet, women in Uganda have, on average, between six and seven children." (Uganda DHS) . Your audience will clearly now understand your argument.

If statistics are important to your point, think about the best way to communicate the information. Graphs (such as line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts) communicate information much more clearly than a chart with dozens of numbers in multiple columns and rows.

If you use text, reduce the amount to what can be read in a quick glance. If you decide to project more text, such as to quote a commitment in a regional declaration such as the Maputo Plan of Action or the Abuja Declaration from the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases in Abuja, Nigeria, April 2001, stop talking and pause to allow your audience to read the statement: "The pause will call attention to the text, honors the audience members’ ability to actually read for themselves (which, amazingly, many speakers fail to acknowledge), and lets them 'hear' the words in their own internal voice, which is uniquely powerful."

Remember that the focus should be on you (and your arguments) and not on fancy visuals, animations, or slide transitions. Thus, here are a few more things to consider:

1) What is the major goal for your presentation? What knowledge do you want audience members to leave with? How do you want them to act on this knowledge?

2) Review your materials, and for short presentations, select just three key take-away points that your audience must understand in order for your major goal to be fulfilled

3) Support each of the three points visually (if one or two cannot be communicated well visually, do not force it)

4) Rehearse your visual presentation—it’s not just what you say that matters, but also how you say it. Make a backup plan about what to do in case if the power fails or if the projector at the meeting venue does not work?

For more information and advice, you can download Andy Goodman’s book Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes for free at: http://www.agoodmanonline.com/publications/how_bad_presentations_happen/index.htm

This book gives advice on how to avoid the most commonly made mistakes in presentations, how to structure your information in ways that help audiences absorb it, how to use PowerPoint more effectively, and how to deliver your talks with greater confidence. Please note that on the website, two versions of the same document are available—one for high-bandwidth and another for low-bandwidth connection speeds.

Source: www.agoodmanonline.com and Andy Goodman. April 2004. Free-range thinking™, available at www.agoodmanonline.com.

Family Planning in Rwanda

2008-08-14T18:51:00.001+03:00

Preliminary data from a new national survey in Rwanda show a dramatic rise in use of modern contraception among married women: from 10% in 2005 to 27% in 2008. This preliminary data, from a forthcoming MEASURE Demographic and Health Survey, were released by Rwanda’s National Institute of Statistics on 30 May 2008. In addition to the gain in modern contraceptive use, the data show a decrease in Rwanda’s fertility rate to an average of 5.5 children per woman, down from 6.1. Mortality rates have declined 28% for infants and 32% for children-under-five since 2005.

IntraHealth has recently published a very readable report “Family Planning in Rwanda: How a Taboo Topic Became Priority Number One” written by Julie Solo and funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Family Planning in Rwanda documents how the government and development partners have overcome social and cultural barriers to family planning. The full report is posted in pdf on the IntraHealth website. A press release, as well as more information on the recently released preliminary Rwandan Demographic and Health Survey results are also online on the IntraHealth website.

Welcome to the Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) blog!

2008-08-14T17:31:00.000+03:00

South-South is a group blog, facilitated by the PPD ARO. PPD promotes South-South cooperation in the areas of population, development, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The vision of the Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office is “A continent that meets its reproductive health needs, promotes the population and development agenda and thereby addresses poverty, through South-South cooperation.” PPD Africa, as part of the global South-South inter-governmental alliance, provides a platform for the promotion of and resource mobilization for reproductive health, population and development in Africa through three elements:
1. Policy dialogue;
2. Networking and building strategic partnerships in the region; and
3. Sharing of experiences and good practices.

We want to take this opportunity to invite all of our partners in members countries and collaborating countries, to not only read about the work that PPD is engaged in, but also to contribute to the sharing of information and experiences. We hope that as time goes on, that you will find information of use to you in your work coordinating your country’s South-South activities. The PPD ARO will also use this as a space to share information on upcoming meetings and events that we are hosting, as well as to advertise events, trainings, and resources of our partners and collaborators (governmental as well as non-governmental).

We appreciate all comments, suggestions, and questions. You are welcome to leave comments directly on the blog. Or, if you prefer, you are welcome to email us at aro at ppdafrica.org. We hope that you will make this blog yours by contributing. Please read our Terms of Service, which details our contents disclaimer and comments policy.

Terms of Service

2008-08-14T17:02:00.001+03:00

The PPD ARO blog and all of the content posted to the site, are “as is,” and are subject to the following disclaimers and comment policies. These conditions may be updated by us at our discretion and without notice to you. If you do not agree to these conditions please do not use this blog. Please check the Terms periodically for changes. Your continued use of this site following the posting of any changes to these Terms constitutes an acceptance of these Terms on your part.

Contents Disclaimer
The information and opinions expressed are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of PPD as an organization, its Board, or member countries to PPD. Many of the links posted will direct you to third-party websites. All of the information on these sites have not been reviewed for accuracy by PPD staff. These links are offered to stimulate sharing and discussion on topics that may be of interest to readers.

Comments Policy
Most posts allow comments by readers. Blog users agree to use the comments option to send messages and materials that are proper and related to the particular post. We retain the right to remove any comment we determine to be, at our sole discretion, unacceptable. This includes personal attacks, profanity, or comments that are for any other reason objectionable. We also retain the right to make edits to grammar, spelling, and style.

Users agree that all comments are public. Any information received will be considered not to be confidential. The PPD Africa blog does not claim ownership of any comments submitted. However, by submitting comments you grant the PPD Africa blog a perpetual, royalty-free license to use, distribute, reproduce, edit, and publish this information in other formats. Users agree to not post materials protected by intellectual property laws (or by rights of privacy of publicity). If you contribute comments that do not constitute your original work of authorship, you represent and warrant to the PPD Africa blog that you do not infringe on any third party’s copyright or other proprietary rights and that you have secured all necessary permission and licenses prior to contributing such content to the PPD Africa blog.