PPD at UNDP/UNFPA Board meeting

UNFPA Executive Director Ms. Thoraya Obaid praised the vital role of PPD on its continuous success in forging crucial links between different participants and stakeholders in various development initiatives. Ms. Obaid acknowledged that PPD's wide-ranging involvement and efforts have helped galvanize ever-increasing and impactful South-South Cooperation. She was speaking in the first regular session of the UNDP/UNFPA Board, for 2009, held at the United Nations, in New York, from 19 January to 22 January, 2009.

Mr Jyoti Shankar Singh, Permanent Observer of PPD to the United Nations, was among several high-profile officials attending this meeting. Mr. Singh raised concern on the continuing shortfall in requisite funding for important Family Planning initiatives in the meeting which was backed strongly by the board members.

He informed the participants in the meeting that in 2009, several international, regional and national activities will be implemented by PPD to accelerate the guidelines and goals of ICPD+15. These activities are expected to provide an opportunity for better identification of constraints and challenges in implementing ICPD targets and MDGs. He emphasized on the integration of relevant issues like HIV/AIDS, violence against women and reproductive health commodity security with existing Reproductive Health programs in the developing countries, to fulfill the goals and strategies of the ICPD program of action.

Expert Group Meeting on Population and Poverty held in Bangkok

Mr. Harry Jooseery, Executive Director of PPD attended an expert Group Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from 3rd to 5th February 2009 jointly organized by ESCAP and UNFPA. The joint initiative aimed to assess the progress made in the implementation of the Plan of Action policies on population and poverty, adopted at the Fifth Asia and Pacific Population conference held in 2002. During the meeting the PPD Executive Director took part in an extensive panel discussion on Partnership and South- South Cooperation along with other eminent members of the development world.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) is expected to provide renewed impetus for the full implementation of the Plan of Action on Population and Poverty adopted at the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference in 2002, as crucial means to achieve the MDGs, thereby further fostering the integration of population concerns into development planning and strategies. In addition, the EGM is expected to provide valuable inputs to the ICPD+15 processes that would review and assess progress in the implementation of the ICPD Program of Action (PoA) in the region.

Philippines as a potential new member of PPD

The Executive Director of PPD had an insightful and beneficial meeting with the Minister of Health of Philippines and the head of the Population Council discussing Philippines as a potential future member of PPD. The meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand where they also discussed on the prevailing population and development scenarios in the Philippines, as well as in the wider region.

Dissemination of PPD's Generic Modules at BKKBN Training Centers

A Dissemination workshop on PPD’s Generic Modules on Population, Reproductive Health, and Gender organized by The Center of International Training and Collaboration of BKKBN , Indonesia on 23 February 2009. Thirty five participants representing six BKKBN Provincial Training centers and 2 training divisions of BKKBN central office attended in the workshop.

Participants of the Events

To ensure effective use of the modules, BKKBN had translated generic modules from English to Indonesian language and developed a curriculum consisting of the four modules as a single training package.

CDC offered 10 fellowships to PPD Member countries in 2009

Through rigorous training and research opportunities, the Cairo Demographic Center (CDC) nurtures a new generation of specialists in demography in the developing world, who are concerned with the study and analysis of critical population issues. It fosters innovative interdisciplinary approaches to population studies and helps policy- makers design and implement appropriate population and development policies. The CDC maintains strong relations and cooperation with national, regional and international population organizations.

PPD in collaboration with Cairo Demographic Center (CDC) has been providing one-year International Fellowships for Diploma Courses on demographic and related family planning and reproductive health issues since 1999.

In 2009, CDC offered 10 fellowships to PPD Member countries. Recipients of the fellowship are: Mr. Alpha Sey and Mr. Haruna Sanyang from the Gambia, Mr. Samindra Pratap Singh from India, Mr. John Charles Luwa and Mr. Andrew Kudeesa Ssewyowga from Uganda, Mr. Jawad Mohammad Ali Al-Shaibani and Ms. Karima Saleh Mahrouz from Yemen, Mr Blessed Bukosi Gumbie from Zimbabwe, Ms. Busi Malaza and Ms. Thandi Sibisi from South Africa.