PPD :: Newsletter : Issue 21 - May

PPD at UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board

The PPD Executive Director Mr. Harry S. Jooseery urged for the enhancement of international and bilateral assistance to South-South Cooperation in order to achieve ICPD goals and MDGs. Mr. Jooseery made this statement at the occasion of the Annual Session of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board. Mr. Jooseery affirmed that the South needs to be more united, especially in the present context of financial downturn.

Mr. Jyoti Singh, Permanent Observer of PPD to the United Nations, attended the UNFPA segment. Mr. Jooseery made a statement at the meeting on behalf of PPD.

Partner Institutes from Anglophone Africa met in Nairobi, Kenya

Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS), organized the first regional meeting of PPD Partners Institutions (PIs) for Anglophone Africa in Nairobi, Kenya from 21 May to 22 May 2009. Participants from PIs along with representatives from different international organizations including PPD attended the two-day meeting. The objective of the regional meeting was to reinforce the integration of PPD Generic Modules (GM) into the existing training programs of PIs.

First regional meeting of Partners Institutions, Kenya

Dr. Boniface O’muga K’Oyugi MBS, PPD Board Member and Chief Executive Officer, National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) inaugurated the meeting for in Kenya. Mr. Harry Jooseery, the Executive Director of PPD addressed this first regional meeting of PIs.

PPD Anglophone Africa Network is composed of the CAFS in Kenya; Cairo Demographic Center(CDC), Egypt; Population Studies and Research Institute(PSRI), University of Nairobi, Kenya; and Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics(ISAE) from Makerere University in Uganda.

International Seminar on South –South Cooperation Strategies for Population and Development in China

The Government of China in association with PPD organized an International Seminar on South –South Cooperation strategies for Population and Development at Taicang, , China. Vice- Minister, National Family Planning Commission China and member of PPD International Program Advisory Committee (IPAC), H.E. Dr. Zhao Baige made a keynote speech at the opening session of this seminar on “From Cairo to China”.

Government high officials from different Afro-Asian countries and representatives from IPPF, ICOMP, and UNFPA were present on this occasion. In this, two-day long seminar participants discussed about the different aspects relevant to Population and Development. The Executive Director of PPD Mr. Harry S. Jooseery presented a paper on South -South Cooperation Strategic Directions and Role of PPD in the Context of Emerging Changes. Adjacent to this, Director of PPD Africa Office, Dr. Jotham Musiguzi was a speaker on the session: Impact of Global Financial Crisis and Mr. Hu Hongtao, Deputy Director – General, Department of International Cooperation, NPFC, China and Partner Country Coordinator of PPD was a speaker at a session on South-South Cooperation.

Tenth membership meeting of the Reproductive Health Supply Coalition (RHSC) held in London

PPD asserted its commitment to promote Reproductive Health Commodity Supply and security in developing countries during the Executive Director’s Participation at the Tenth membership meeting and Executive Committee meeting of the RHSC held in London from June 4-5, 2009. UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) hosted this meeting.

Since its establishment in 2004, the RHSC has held regular meetings of its general membership. These events have enabled Coalition members and guests from around the world to renew ties, share ideas, learn of new developments in the field of reproductive health commodity security. It is to be noted that PPD is an Executive Member of the RHSC since 2008.

New Board Member from South Africa

The new Minister for Social Development, Republic of South Africa, H.E. Edna Molewa is the new Board Member of PPD, as from May2009. She is a member of the National Executive Council of African National Congress Women's League since 2003 and Chairperson of ANCWL in the North West Province. PPD wishes plenty of success to the new Minster and new Board Member from South Africa.

H.E. Edna Molewa

International Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health held in Spain:

The Spanish Government hosted an International Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Madrid on 22-24 June 2009. This meeting created a space to share experiences, debate ideas and offer future proposals to confront challenges raised for healthcare, sexual, and reproductive rights in Africa and Spain.

Mr. Harry. S. Jooseery, Executive Director of PPD, attended different round table sessions of this event on an invitation of the First Vice-president of the Spanish Government. 250 men and women participated in this Forum from Africa, Spain and other European Countries together with women leaders from multilateral organization and United Nations Agencies engaged in the development of sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Breakfast meeting at Uganda House, New York

In conjunction with the Annual Session of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board (26 May to 5 June 2009), the Permanent Mission of Uganda to the UN and Partners in Population and Development (PPD) organized a briefing on South-South Cooperation and PPD on 27 May at Uganda House, New York for ambassadors and representative of country missions in New York .

Mr. Singh briefing on South-South cooperation and PPD

The briefing was attended by the representatives of: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Uganda; and Mr. Werner Haug, Director of the Technical Division, UNFPA and Mr. Bunmi Makinwa, Director, Africa Division, UNFPA. Mr. Harry Jooseery, Executive Director of PPD and Mr. Jyoti Singh, Permanent Observer of PPD to the United Nations, facilitated the meeting together with Ambassador in Uganda.

PPD ARO celebrated the adoption of the resolution by the Human Rights Council

Dr. Jotham Musiguzi Regional Director for PPD Africa office pointed out that “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. Dr. Musiguzi made this statement while the PPD Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) celebrated the recent adoption of a groundbreaking resolution on maternal mortality and morbidity by the Human Rights Council on June 17, 2009.

PPD ARO called 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.

National Support Structure Workshops on South-South Cooperation

In order to build national ownership for South -South Cooperation and synergize efforts with all stakeholders involved in Reproductive Health, Population and Development programs, PPD proposed to build up National Support Structure in its member states. National Task Forces are constituted with involvement of key actors at the National levels. The Partner Country Coordinator in each PPD member country heads the National Task Force.

In this context, PPD organized five South- South Workshops in different Partner countries throughout May – June 2009 and this journey started with two new PPD member : Ghana and Ethiopia; followed by Zimbabwe, Jordan and Tunisia.
The Executive Director of PPD, Mr. Harry Jooseery attended all these workshops and provided support in institutionalizing the concept of National Support Structure. All workshops agenda has had a daylong program with stimulating presentation is on the country perspective on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, ICPD goals and MDG. Different Ministries, Civil Society Organizations and NGOs working in the field of Population including Reproduction Health/Family Planning at national level participated in all of these meetings as strategic partners.