ZAMBIA: $50 Million Needed for Census
Zambia Daily Mail reported on 18 June that the Central Statistical Office (CSO) needs about $50 million for the 2010 national census. Government is expected to provide three quarters of the funding while the remainder will be sourced from donors. CSO deputy director William Mayaka said this when he officiated at a media workshop at Zamcom Lodge in Lusaka. He said the government and UNFPA have started releasing funds for the population and housing census which will be conducted in October this year. Read: Zambia Daily Mail
MALAYSIA: Bitter Pill for Muslim Women
Asia Sentinel published a column by Mariam Mokhtar on 18 June marking the 50th anniversary of approval of the birth control pill. Ms. Mokhtar argued, “Although Islam has endorsed conception for 1,400 years, many Muslim countries across the planet have the lowest rates of birth control, according to the United Nations Population Fund, despite the fact that Muslim women want fewer children and know about contraception. There is an apparent discrepancy between Islamic theological opinion and the real lives of Muslim women.” Read: Asia Sentinel
INDONESIA: Newspaper Profiles UNFPA Youth Leader
The Jakarta Globe published a profile on 18 June of a member of Hendri Yulius Wijaya, a member of UNFPA Indonesia's Youth Advisory Panel. The paper wrote, “Hendri Yulius Wijaya doesn't turn 22 for another month, but the work he's done to teach adolescents and adults alike about gender equality and equal rights will influence generations. Hendri talks about his work with UNFPA and tells us what it's like to be a male feminist.” Read: Jakarta Globe
GHANA: Midwife Recognized With International Award
GNA reported on 18 June that Jhpiego, a global health non-profit affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, has honoured Hajia Mary Isaka, a 53-year-old Ghanaian Midwife from Zorkor, a village in the Upper East Region of Ghana, with an international Midwife Champion of the Year Award. UNFPA was among the organizations contributing nominations for the award. Read: GNA
DRC: To Be Healed, Congolese Need to See Justice Done
The Mail and Guardian (South Africa) reported on 18 June that in 2009 half of all victims of sexual violence in the DRC were children, according to UNFPA. In eastern DRC where fighting between armed groups continues to cause widespread instability and where more than a million people are displaced, sexual violence has become a standard weapon of war, a tool to destroy communities and to intimidate them. Unicef estimates that currently one quarter of all cases of sexual violence against minors are perpetrated by members of armed groups. Read: Mail and Guardian
CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE): UNFPA Sponsors Documentary On Traditional Leaders And HIV/AIDS
Congo-site reported on 18 June on the presentation in Brazzaville of a UNFPA/UNESCO-sponsored documentary on the role of tradtional leaders against HIV/AIDS produced by the National AIDS Committee. The film outlines the central role of traditional leaders in the Congolese community in the sensitization for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Read in French: Congo-Site
CANADA: “Honour” Killings Increase in Canada, Says Researcher
Multiple media outlets cited, on 18 June, UNFPA’s finding that 5000 girls and women are murdered by family members in instances of “honour" killings every year in a report on a researcher’s finding that such crimes are increasing in Canada. Read: Thaindian, Canwest
MALAWI: Population Growth Issues Beyond Numbers – UNFPA
The Daily Times reported on 18 June that UNFPA representative Athanase Nokirishaka called for a broader approach to population issues, based on a shift from concern over simple demographics to address the full spectrum of human rights issues, such as early marriage and adolescent pregnancy; the country’s increasing urbanization; as well as the pressures and opportunities presented by a growing population.
GLOBAL: CONTINUING COVERAGE ON 2010 WOMEN DELIVER CONFERENCE
COSTA RICA: Radio ADN reported on 16 June, that world leaders and UNFPA’s Executive Director called for a substantial increase in investment in midwifery services for developing countries during the Women Deliver conference, the largest global conference on maternal health. "There are still gaps, many women are still dying from preventable causes and therefore we now betting that we must begin to train midwives," said UNFPA Gender Adviser in Costa Rica, Marianne Lizana.
MONGOLIA: The UB Post reported on 18 June that a delegation from Mongolia attended the 2010 Women Deliver conference. The article quoted UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid’s statement opening the conference: “Every woman has a right to plan her family. If she can plan her pregnancies, she can plan her life and make greater contributions to her family, community and nation.”
NIGERIA: The Nation published an editorial on 17 June reflecting on the 2010 Women Deliver conference and declaring, “We are appalled by the statistics from the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA which show that about 215 million women that prefer to avoid pregnancy could not gain access to effective contraceptives. The report, in addition, indicated that women also lack access to skilled care before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth, including obstetric care. Also, legal and safe abortions which could help reduce maternal mortality when and where necessary are not available, while an estimated 70,000 women die yearly from unsafe abortions.” Read: The Nation
TANZANIA: The Daily News reported on 15 June on the Women Deliver conference, and its focus on the slow progress toward Millennium Development Goal 5, which seeks a dramatic reduction in maternal deaths and improvements in women’s health during pregnancy and childbirth. The article noted that UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid presented a draft version of the UN Secretary General’s Joint Action Plan for women’s and children’s health.
UZBEKISTAN: UzReport reported on 16 June that UNFPA in Uzbekistan organized a media briefing dedicated to Women Deliver Conference, the largest ever event on maternal and reproductive health. The briefing participants learned that the Women Deliver Conference headed by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Executive Director of UNFPA Thoraya Ahmed Obaid and other world leaders was organized to promote investment in women and share solutions that can empower girls and bring down maternal deaths and disabilities at the global level. "The good news is that efforts to reduce maternal mortality seem to be producing results. Many countries, Uzbekistan included, are making progress. But many countries are still off track to reduce maternal mortality by 75 per cent and achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015. Every year millions of women suffer from pregnancy-related complications and many die from them. Most of these deaths can be averted even where resources are limited," said UNFPA Representative a.i. in Uzbekistan Jan Sorensen during his opening statement at the media briefing held in Tashkent.
URUGUAY: Sexual and Reproductive Health Resource Guide Published
Hoy Canelones reported on 18 June that the NGO, Gurises Unidos, along with UNFPA, the Ministry of Public Health and the departmental government of Canelones presented a guide on sexual and reproductive health resources in the provinces of La Paz, Las Piedras and Progreso. The guide aims to inform citizens about their sexual and reproductive health-related rights and facilitate their access to the existing resources in the area. Some of the issues included in the guide are contraception, pregnancy and delivery care, STI HIV/AIDS.Read in Spanish: Hoy Canelones
RWANDA: UN Staff Mark World Refugee Day with Donations
The New Times reported on 18 June that staff members of UNHCR Rwanda and UNFPA led an effort to donate an assortment of items to the Youth and Handicapped Centre located at Gahanga, a Kigali suburb. The occasion of donating to the orphans was organized as part of the planned activities leading up to the celebration of World Refugee Day. Read: The New Times
MONGOLIA: “Demographic Window” And the Possibility of a Brighter Future
The Mongol Messenger reported on 18 June that, during the 9 June national consultative meeting, UNFPA, the standing committee of Parliament, and other policy and decision makers discussed the significance of the high proportion of able-bodied young people and the prospects for taking advantage of Mongolia’s current “demographic window,” for economic development. At the meeting, UNFPA Representative Arjentina Matawel discussed the need for policy and programmes to take into account demographic issues.
HAITI: UNFPA Supports Training For Haitian Medical Professionals on Fistula Care
Radio Kiskeya reported on 18 June that 30 to 40 per cent of obstetric fistula cases found in Haiti concerned women who were operated in hospitals, according to a study financed by UNFPA and carried out by the Anthropology department of the Ethnology Faculty of Haiti State University. UNFPA/HAITI’s technical adviser in reproductive health said that the agency will send a team of Haitian specialists to train in South Africa. “At the Haiti State University Hospital, there is a team which has some experience with fistula. But what they need is a thorough training concerning complex cases,” stressed UNFPA reproductive health expert, Dr. Michel Brun.