1. WORLD CONTRACEPTIVE USE 2016 DATA SET

Includes up-to-date empirical (survey-based) contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning indicators for women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) who are married or in a union, drawn from 1,119 surveys (up from 1,059 in 2015).

In this edition, there is greater detail on method-specific prevalence than in previous versions, and ‘modern methods’ now includes the ‘lactational amenorrhea method’ (LAM), following agreement at a WHO technical meeting in 2015.

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/dataset/contraception/wcu2016.shtml

2.  MODEL-BASED ESTIMATES AND PROJECTIONS OF FAMILY PLANNING INDICATORS 2016

Comprehensive set of annual, model-based estimates and projections for a range of family planning indicators for the period 1970 to 2030, including median values, 80 per cent and 95 per cent uncertainty
intervals.

The estimates were updated using input data from ‘World Contraceptive Use 2016 (above) and the number of married or in-union women from the ‘Number of women who are married or in a union 2016_ (below). This edition includes estimates for SDG indicator 3.7.1 (“Demand satisfied (modern methods)”) and clearer visualization of data points. The PMA2020 surveys are treated as a separate group in the model. As in previous editions, the estimates are obtained by use of a Bayesian hierarchical model implemented with country-specific data.

Suggested citation: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2016). Model-based Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2016. New York: United Nations.

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/theme/family-planning/cp_model.shtml

3. NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO ARE MARRIED OR IN A UNION 2016

Estimates and projections of the number of married or in-union women of reproductive-age (15 to 49 years) for the period 1970 to 2030 for countries or areas, and for regions and development groups. This edition uses input data from _World Population Prospects 2015 Revision _for the population numbers (females by five-year age group for 15 to 49 years) and data on the proportion of women who are married or in a consensual union from _World Marriage Data 2015.

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/theme/marriage-unions/marriage_estimates.shtml

The current version of these data sets were produced by a team of Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations

From PPD Permanent Observer at the UN, New York, 26 October 2016

Mr. Guterres, aged 67, was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. He will become the world’s top diplomat on 1 January 2017, and hold that post for the next five years.

Mr. Guterres thanked the member States of the General Assembly for appointing him as the next Secretary-General, as well as for the transparent and open selection process they undertook. He also underlined that alleviating the suffering of the vulnerable people, in particular the refugees and those in conflict zones, and gender equality would remain key priorities for him during his tenure. The Secretary-General-designate Guterres also reiterated his belief in the values of peace, justice, human dignity, tolerance and solidarity, as well as his belief that diversity is a “tremendous asset” and not a threat. He also applauded the work of the current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and said that he would try his utmost to honour  Mr. Ban’s legacy.

The Assembly’s resolution also welcomed the historic process Member States set in motion late last year: the selection of a new United Nations Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by a few powerful countries, has for the first time in history, involved public discussions with each candidate campaigning for the world’s top diplomatic post. The selection process included public hearings with the General Assembly where candidates presented their vision and responded to the questions fielded by the Member States. These informal hearings were also televised and webcast.

The process started off with a joint call from the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council formally soliciting candidates and from the outset, acknowledged the importance of geographic and gender balance in senior posts. The process specifically sought out candidates who embody a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the [UN] Charter; who exemplify the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity; and who have proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills.

From PPD Permanent Observer at the UN, New York, 15 October 2016

In his opening remarks Mr.Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, stressed that transformative leadership and national ownership of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be key for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. He reminded the Committee that not all regions had shared equally in the progress made and that economic inequality was rife both between countries and within them.  Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia had not shared in the gains, he added.

As delegates began their debate on social development, several addressed the issue of inequality and welcomed the continuing focus on youth.  Thailand’s representative, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, and  Angola’s representative, on behalf of the African Group emphasized the need for greater investment in young people to allow harnessing  the demographic dividend and address the inequalities at the root of many global challenges.  Importance of ensuring the rights and well-being of older people was underlined by the representative of the European Union, the urging Governments to take steps to address age discrimination.  Supporting the position, the representative of the Philippines, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), confirmed that ASEAN had adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing last year.

The UN Secretariat introduced a note and three reports under the Committee’s agenda item on social development.  The Secretariat’s note on the ‘World Social Situation in 2016’ provided an overview of the global social situation.  Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals for all at all ages required identifying who had been left behind and in what ways.  The full report on the situation examined patterns of social exclusion and found that some people were excluded from access to resources and had little voice in political processes.  The report also argued that promoting social inclusion required, among other measures, those to facilitate participation. Leaving no one behind also required special measures and called for institutional change.  A growing body of evidence pointed to family policies contributing to poverty reduction.  The report emphasized that gender equality started in families and must be secured in access to justice and fair family laws.

Education was high on the list of priorities for delegates many of whom called for greater access to quality education and better employment opportunities.  The findings of UNESCO’s report, “Literacy for Life: Shaping Future Agendas”, introduced in the meeting by UNESCO Director General, stressed that literacy was a development accelerator, contributing to efforts to realize an equitable, inclusive and sustainable world.  Hence building institutional capacity in literacy, placing particular emphasis on literacy for women and girls and innovations, such as digital learning, are key components of any national approach to expanding literacy.

Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) shared the floor with youth representatives grappling with issues of inequality, unemployment and xenophobia that hampered young people’s advancement and driving inequality. Youth delegates urged for better access to education, inclusion of youth in decisions and reminded the Member States that while education was a human right, 59 million children of primary school age remained out of school.  Many of them had been displaced by war and violence, which made the current refugee and migrant crisis a generational one.

In turn, country delegates shared steps their Governments had taken to include young people in policy making, supporting an increase in youth volunteerism, involvement in interest groups and involving young people in social decisions, and in formulating policies and implementing programmes. Taking a broad perspective, Nigeria’s representative urged the United Nations to create a youth agency that would integrate youth issues throughout the 2030 Agenda.

Delegates from the various PPD member countries addressed the Committee including Egypt ,  India,  Mexico, Morocco, Viet Nam, Kenya, Sri Lanka,  Tunisia, , Bangladesh,  China, , Ethiopia,  Indonesia,  , Pakistan, Senegal, , South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. PPD was represented in the Committee’s deliberations by the Permanent Observer.

From PPD Permanent Observer at the UN, New York.
08 October 2016

PPD, the intergovernmental organization to promote South-South Cooperation has an observer status in United Nations. As the observer of the UN,  As part of its advocacy efforts, PPD traditionally tables statements on emerging issue at the General Assembly. At the recently concluded 71^st Session of the UN General Assembly, PPD tabled two statements on: a) Facilitating commitment to the ‘New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants’;  and b) Promoting the global agenda for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Statement Addressing the Large Movement of Refugees and Migrants

PPD statement addressing the issues related to ‘Large Movement of Refugees and Migrants’ was tabled at the 71^st Session of the UN General Assembly on 19 September 2016. This was presented at the High Level Plenary segment of the meeting Addressing the Large Movement of Refugees and Migrants at the ECOSOC Chamber.

Executive Director Dr. Joe Thomas presented the statement on behalf of PPD. As an observer of the United Nations, PPD reaffirmed its full commitment to the spirit of the ‘New York declaration for refugees and migrants’. PPD believes in fostering strong intergovernmental efforts to promote the agenda for adoption of the global compact of safe, orderly and regular migration. PPD will facilitate the commitment within the framework of South-South Partnership through greater support for capacity building, encouraging commodity and technology transfer, policy and advocacy/dialogue, knowledge sharing, developing partnership and population diplomacy.
http://joethomas.in/2016/09/20/statement-at-the-general-assembly-seventy-first-session-high-level-meeting-on-addressing-large-movements-of-refugees-and-migrants-un-headquarters-19-september-2016/

Statement on Antimicrobial Resistance

PPD tabled its proclamation at the High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance held during the 71st Session of the UN  General Assembly. The statement acknowledged that the political declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the subsequent blueprint of tackling  AMR within the WHO ‘global action plan on Antimicrobial Resistance’ and its five overarching strategic objectives is a landmark achievement of the global community. PPD offers its strong commitment to implement the action plans and AMR activities at the national, regional and global level with specific emphasis on South-South Partnership. In this regards, PPD urged  the 71s session of the general Assembly on the implementation of this declaration to include information on steps taken to promote greater South-South partnership to address AMR.
http://joethomas.in/2016/09/21/ppd-statement-on-amr-tabled-at-the-unga/

At this high level meeting on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), Heads of the States, Heads of Delegations and other Global leaders discussed on how to shape the international agenda using the foreign policy realm to address increasingly complex health challenges. This is the fourth time in the history of the UN that a health topic is discussed at the General Assembly (HIV, non-communicable diseases, and Ebola were the others).

The Member States endorsed the Declaration agreeing to a set of commitments, acknowledging a shared responsibility to manage large movements of refugees and migrants in a humane, sensitive, compassionate and people-centred manner.  They agreed to do so through international cooperation while fully recognizing the varying national capacities and resources in responding to those movements,

The Declaration underlined the importance of working collectively and, in particular, with origin, transit and destination countries, noting that “win-win” cooperation in that area would have profound benefits for humanity.  The declaration’s outlined a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, as well as a comprehensive refugee response framework.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled that “the bitter truth is, this summit was called because we have been largely failing”.  The summit “cannot be reduced to speeches and feel-good interviews”, he said, emphasizing the urgent need for action.

To foster such action, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a new global campaign called “Together — Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”.  He urged States to join the campaign and commit to concrete steps in that direction adding that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was advancing the same principles as the Declaration, with the common goal of leaving no one behind.

Peter Thomson (Fiji), President of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly, expressed hope that the new campaign would help to overcome the hostile and hateful rhetoric that some refugees and migrants were facing.  “The well-being of millions rests with us at the United Nations,” he said.  “We must not fail them in their hour of need.”

Also during the opening segment, Secretary-General Ban and Director General William Lacy Swing signed the United Nations-International Organization for Migration (IOM) Agreement.

Throughout the day, almost 200 Heads of State and Government, senior officials, representatives and observers agreed that countries must together embrace a robust action plan to address the needs of refugees and migrants and fight against the xenophobia they faced.

Also delivering statements during the opening segment were Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson; Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group; Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Ms.  Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women); Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

During the day, Heads of State and Government chaired six round tables covering the following issues:  “addressing the root causes of large movements of refugees”; “addressing drivers of migration, particularly large movements, and highlighting the positive contributions of migrants”; “international action and cooperation on refugees and migrants and issues related to displacement:  the way ahead”; “global compact for responsibility sharing for refugees; respect for international law”; “global compact for safe, regular and orderly migration: towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving full respect for the human rights of migrants”; and “addressing vulnerabilities of refugees and migrants on their journeys from their countries of origin to their countries of arrival”.

Participating in the plenary discussion were Heads of State and Government, as well as other senior officials from 193 member countries of the UN. Presidents or Heads of Governments of the following PPD member countries made statements at the plenary :   Bangladesh, China,  Egypt, Ghana,  Gambia, India, ,  Indonesia,  Jordan, Kenya,  Mexico ,  Morocco,  Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Senegal, Thailand,  Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. PPD participated in the deliberations and the Executive Director Dr. Joe Thomas delivered a statement at the Plenary on behalf of the organization.

From PPD Permanent Observer at the UN, New York.
19 September 2016

The journal will be devoted to publish the high quality research on reproductive health and rights, HIV/AIDS, poverty alleviation and women empowerment, and other areas in line with ICPD goals and SDGs, and their corresponding priorities.

The idea of the journal is covering the unique blending of programme implementation and policy issues with social sciences – demography, economics, sociology, anthropology and international relations, as well as development studies. The journal is equally interested in articles on the blend of biomedical and social sciences in addressing the challenges for development of PPD member countries. Journal is expected to present a coherent set of short papers written by different authors devoted to specific theme.

An international editorial board will be formed with subject experts drawn from member and non-member countries. Depending on the need an advisory committee will also be formed. Editor in Chief will be the in-charge of the journal.

Review: International best practices for peer reviewed journals will be followed in carrying out the review process. An article will be reviewed by three volunteer reviewers blindly. Editor in-chief will decide acceptance or rejection of articles based on reviewers’ comments.

Medium of publication and access: It will be online, open access in English language and free for the authors.

First issue is expected to be available by the end of the year and the formal launching will be held early of the next year. Detail of the editorial board and the submission instruction will be shared in a follow up announcement.

A review of African countries’ progress in achieving the MDGs revealed that the health-related MDGs remain unfinished business in the post-2015 development agenda.

The involvement of legislators is strategic  to effective and sustained program and policy response. It is within this context that Partners in Population and Development – Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) in partnership with Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health (NEAPACOH) and other like-minded partners have organized a two days high level policy advocacy meeting with African parliamentarians and stakeholders engaged in FP, RH and Maternal and Child Health programs which will take place on June 28 – July 1, 2016, in Kampala. The theme of this meeting is; “From Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Challenges and Opportunities for Parliaments to enhance Reproductive Health/ Family Planning”.
The objectives of this eighth meeting, in a series, are to:

•  Assess progress made, challenges and lessons learned on achieving the country commitments made at the September 2014 NEAPACOH meeting;
•  To have a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities for SRHR in the post-2015 development agenda;
•  Share experiences and innovative practices on the implementation of RH including FP commitments in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
•  Enhance accountability, political leadership and stewardship for the implementation of RH/FP  frameworks in the region in the context of the SDGs; and
•  Develop country-specific action plans for parliamentarians that promote RH/FP for implementation over the coming 12 months.

In order to achieve  the objectives of this meeting, the organisers have invited at least two MPs who chair or/and members of the health committees from their respective parliaments, and their technical personnel. The  invited delegates  will arrive in Kampala on 26th June to attend a two days precursor training workshop tailored to building capacity of Parliament technical staff in sourcing relevant information and evidence for MPs to support their debates in Parliament and in decision-making.

This meeting is jointly organised by PPD ARO and partners namely African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Population Council through the STEP UP Project, and Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA).

Given the unique nature of their roles of legislation, budget appropriation and oversight, it is important to provide space for MPs, to understand the transition from MDGs to SDGs and what they need to do in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is the locus of the meeting.

Close to forty African countries are expected to attend the meeting. The opening of the meeting  will be presided by the Minister of State for Finance Planning and Economic Development of Uganda and  the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda will preside over the closure of the meeting.

The program for the meeting is available online by clicking on the links below
NEAPACOH Program (English)
NEAPACOH Program (French)

A number of key documents from the meetings are available online by clicking on the links below;

Remarks:

Speech by Dr. Joe Thomas Executive Director Partners in Population and Development

Day One: July 29, 2016

From Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The Interface

From the MDGs to SDGs: Challenges and Opportunities for RH/FP

Leadership and Stewardship for SDGs

Investing in young people will accelerate harnessing the Demographic Dividend in Africa

Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA)

Strengthening Evidence Use in Parliament: The Role of MPs

Enhancing the demographic dividend for socioeconomic transformation in Africa – the role of parliamentarians

Day Two: July 30, 2016

Country Progress, Achievements and Challenges Regarding the implementation of country specific-actions made during the previous NEAPACOH meeting

Parliament of Ghana

Parliament of Burundi

Parliament of Uganda

Parliament of South Sudan

Parliament of Swaziland

Parliament of Malawi

Parliament of Ethiopia

Parliament of Kenya

H.E. Mr. Wang Pei’an, Honorable Vice-Minister of National Health and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), Government of the People’s Republic of China and Dr. Joe Thomas, Executive Director of PPD signed the MOU in the presence of H.E. Dr. Li Bin, Honorable Minister of NPFPC, Government of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Zahid Maleque, Honorable State Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Ridha Gataa, President Director-General, National Board for Family and Population, Ministry of Public Health, Government of Tunisia, Mr. Thokozani William Magwaza, Director-General, Department of Social Development, Government of the Republic of South Africa, Mrs.  Margaret Tambudzai Matongo, Deputy Reproductive Health Officer, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Zimbabwe.

This grant would be utilized for asset creation of the Inter-Governmental Organization, PPD in promoting South-South Cooperation for enhancing, reproductive health, family planning, addressing population dynamics,  population and development.

The MOU was signed at the opening of the 28th Executive Committee meeting of PPD held in Beijing.

This report presents a proposal of global indicators for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. The proposal includes indicators for all Goals and targets, with some indicators already fully defined and a few requiring refinements following further consultation.

A core element of the global indicator framework is the disaggregation of data and the coverage of particular groups of the population in order to fulfill the main principle of the 2030 Agenda of leaving no one behind

The expert group is of the opinion, ‘Sustainable Development Goal indicators should be disaggregated, where relevant, by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability and geographic location, or other characteristics, in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics’.

Table No1.  ICPD Goals, Targets and Indicators

http://www.partners-popdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Report_IAEG_on_SDG_Indicators_March_2016.pdf

Partnership is one of the six key elements for delivering SDGs. Partnership is to catalyse global solidarity for sustainable development. South to South Partnership (Partnership of developing countries) and collaboration has an enduring legacy for achieving population and development goals from International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) era. The ICPD Programme of Action (PoA), adopted in 1994 by 179 Member States, laid out a far-sighted plan for advancing human well-being that places the human rights of individuals, rather than numerical population targets, at the centre of the global development agenda. ICPD PoA, later on metamorphosed to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and further graduated to SDGs. Though, there are no specific population related goals are assigned among the 17 SDGs, many of the goals do overlap with key determinants of population dynamics.
In this context, this strategic ministerial south to south dialogue on Population and Development is hosted to develop a roadmap and identify the key actions for further promote SSC in population and development.
The “International Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on South-South Cooperation in Population and Development” is proposed to be held on 18 March 2016 in Beijing, China.

The Dialogue will be jointly organized by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Partners in Population and Development (PPD).  The specific  objectives of this strategic dialog are:

• To develop a roadmap and identify the key actions for further promote SSC in population and development for 2030 SDGs.
• To identify the key areas for collaboration between Government of China (GoC) and the other developing countries, especially  African countries, as well as the role of UNFPA.
• To examine the potential of adapting best practices in the delivery of integrated SRHR service with the technical support of UNFPA across PPD member countries through SSC.
• To strengthen the cooperation between PPD member states and improve the capacity for the integration of population dynamics in development planning.

The deliberations and the outcome  of the Ministerial Strategic Dialogue is expected to be endorsed by PPD Exco meeting  to be held b on 19 March 2016 back to back to  ministerial Strategic Dialogue South-South Cooperation, a euphemism for cooperation between developing countries have  initially implemented sporadically and subsequently through the institutionalized mechanism by  various governments and numerous international stakeholders in different forms and manifestations, have now emerged as  a  versatile and systematic development cooperation paradigm worldwide benefiting millions of men, women, youths, adolescents and children in the Southern countries.

By its own merit, South-South Cooperation acquired significant accomplishment and recognition from international community including the United Nations, eventually reflected prominently in the post 2014 ICPD Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda as an important catalyst for their accelerated implementation in the next 15 years.

During the last two decades, South-South Cooperation (SSC) programs enabled stabilization of uneven population growth, reduction of fertility, reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality, improvement of contraceptive prevalence and safe motherhoods under broad spectrum of reproductive health and embraced newly emerged issues such as population ageing, migration and urbanization etc. in the developing world, within the framework of Post-ICPD and SDGs.  Notably these accomplishments have been made increasingly with the technologies, expertise and resources drawn from the Southern countries themselves.

In the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world community in September 2015, and the High-Level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation held concurrently at UN in New York and for acceleration of the momentum gathered overtime, the “International Ministerial Dialogue” is being organized to develop a roadmap for its enhanced implementation in the coming 15 years concurrently with SDGs.

The dialogue will focus mainly, among others, on South-South Cooperation in Family Planning, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Population Dynamics in the broader context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A total of  about 80 participants (65 from overseas and 15 from China) are expected to participate in this dialogue. Ministers of health  along with high level delegation from 1)  Ethiopia, 2) Senegal, 3) Ghana,  4) Kenya, 05) Mali, 06) Nigeria, 07) Pakistan, 08) Vietnam, 09) Yemen, 10) Sri Lanka, 11) India, 12) South Africa, 13) Tunisia, 14) Mexico, 15) Benin, 16) Zimbabwe, 17) Bangladesh, 18) Egypt, 19) Gambia, 20) Indonesia, 21) Jordan, 22)  Morocco, 23) Sierra Leone, 24) Liberia, 25)  Thailand, 26) Uganda, 27) Guinea and 28) Brazil are expected to attend this high level event.

For further details please contact
Dr Joe Thomas
Executive Director,
Partners in Population and Development
e-mail: jthomas@ppdsec.org