CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: UNFPA Supports Women Through Legislative Election Campaign
MNTV, Top TV, DRTV and Tele-Congo broadcast, from 4 July to 8 July, three UNFPA spots designed to encourage women to participate in the electoral process and vote on 15 July and 5 August. Two spots show Congolese men and women encouraging women to vote in their own words. A third spot shows Congolese women leaders explaining to women why they should vote. The spots are broadcast 6 times a week on each channel until election day on 15 July 2012. These spots are part of the US-sponsored programme for women mobilization to the 2012 and 2013 legislative and local elections. Viewin French: YouTube
ETHIOPIA: UNFPA Holds Advocacy Workshop
CAPITAL on 8 July reported that a high-level advocacy workshop was held on 4 July, involving the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, UNFPA and other stakeholders. The advocacy workshop on universal access to reproductive health services and family planning was held as a run-up event to World Population Day and the London Summit on Family Planning taking place on 11 July. The workshop deliberated on such issues as achievements made so far and existing challenges in improving access to family planning, addressing the very high unmet need in the country, and ensuring universal access to reproductive health services.
PARAGUAY: We Must Prepare for Future Urbanizing
Economic Supplement ABC reported on 8 July on the opening of the Meeting of the Special Committee where the ECLAC document on population, territory and sustainable development, developed jointly with the UNFPA, was presented. The research argues that development planning opportunities must be explored to ensure future development. Read in Spanish: : ABC
INDIA: Minister Stresses Pre-marital Counselling
The Hindustan Times on 8 July reported on the two-day World Congress on Population Stabilisation and Women's Health. UNFPA Representative Frederika Meijer addressed the group saying that access to family planning would save the lives of thousands of women and 1.1 million newborns. She also stressed that half of young girls in India are married before they are 18 years old, heightening their risk of complications or death in childbirth. One in four young women 15-24 years of age dies during childbirth in India.