Dr. Musinguzi on World Population Day 2009

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

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

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

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

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