17th Executive Committee Meeting 2011
The 17th Executive Committee meeting of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) was held in Delhi from 2-4 April, 2011. The meeting was organized by PPD in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
H.E. Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad chairing the Executive Committee Meeting
The following members attended the meeting:
- H.E. Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Honorable Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India and Chair of PPD
- H.E. Dr. Li Bin, the Vice Chair, Minister of National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), Government of the People’s Republic of China
- H.E. Prof. Dr. AFM Ruhal Haque, Host Country Board Member and Honorable Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
- Dr. Boniface Omuga K’Oyugi MBS, Secretary and CEO of National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD), Government of Kenya
The Executive Committee will meet again in June from 23-24, 2011 in Dalian City, China as follow up on decisions taken at the New Delhi meeting.
Collaboration with World Bank for Project in Bangladesh, Uganda & Senegal
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and PPD have signed an MoU for a new project on raising Voices from South for integration of a Human Rights Based Approach to Maternal Health. The project is under the World Bank’s Population and Reproductive Health Capacity Building Program (PRHCBP). This program is to support innovative ways to stimulate and sustain local responses for population and reproductive health needs.
The project will support PPD in facilitating multi-stakeholders’ participatory process for integration of Human Rights Based Approach to maternal health through utilizing its existing National Task Forces. The activities will be implemented in 3 PPD member countries: Bangladesh, Uganda and Senegal.
Meeting of the UN Commission on Population and Development
PPD delegation attended the 44th Session of the Commission on Population and Development in New York from April 11-15, 2011. The delegation comprised of Africa Regional Office, PPD’s Permanent Observer at UN and the Executive Director, PPD. This year`s session theme was “Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development” and 47 countries participated in the session.
Mr. Sha Zukang, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, in his introductory statement, spoke of the world leaders’ call at the MDG Summit in September 2010 for universal access to Reproductive Health by 2015. He reminded that “Their appeal reflects the lessons of history. Lower levels of fertility are associated with higher family incomes, increased well-being for women and children, and fewer maternal deaths.”
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the new Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (Unfp) said it is time to make universal access to Reproductive Health a reality. He proclaimed that U.N. members and all development actors should take urgent action and show stronger political will to make a final push in achieving universal access to reproductive health, empower women and reduce poverty. He urged for closing the $24-billion gap in funding for implementing the Programme of Action (PoA) of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
Meeting with H.E. Ms. Bathabile Olive Dlamini, Member of PPD Board and Honorable Minister for Social Development, Government of the Republic of South Africa
PPD team lead by Executive Director, Mr. Harry Jooseery met H.E. Ms. Bathabile Olive Dlamini, Member of PPD Board and Honorable Minister for Social Development, Government of the Republic of South Africa, on the 19th April 2011. The team briefed him on PPD’s mission and vision and the new Strategic Business Plan and upcoming international conference on Population Dynamics, Climate Change and Sustainable development to be held in Pretoria in October-November, 2011. Mr. Jacques Van Zuydam, South African Partner Country Coordinator, Mr. Zane Danger Special Advisor to the Minister and Ms. Christa Krugar also attended the meeting.
PPD Team with H.E. Ms. Bathabile Olive Dlamini, Honourable Minister for Social Development, Government of the Republic of South Africa
Fellowships from South Africa to PPD
South Africa Provided 25 Fellowship to PPD in the year 2011 for a short course on Leadership Training on Sustainable Development: The Population, Environment and Development Nexus. The South African Government, with the support of the Leadership for Environment and Development Program organizes this program twice a year. The Scholarship covers accommodation, meals and registration fees.
For the April session of the LEAD Program 2011, 11-professionals from PPD member states were awarded the opportunities to complete this course.
During the 2009 Board meeting, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Social Development announced the scholarship and told that the South African Government, with the support from the LEAD Program, will provide 1-fellowship to each PPD member countries to participate in the short course.
Human Resource Development for Health Professionals in PPD Member States: Contribution from India
The Government of India once again graciously offered 10 scholarships to PPD Member States for 2011-2012. These fellowships are for a 1-year Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Management (PGD PHM) at National Institute of Health and Family Welfare located at New Delhi, India. The course fees, accommodation and meals together with allowances of Rs. 5000 for each participant are fully taken care by the Government of India under the program.
The Diploma course has been designed with an aim to develop capacities of the public health professionals and enhance their managerial capabilities by providing them with tools to efficiently contribute to the improvement of the health indicators in their respective countries. The Fellowship Program of PPD is an excellent example of the organization’s efforts in strengthening Human Resources for Health through South-South Cooperation.
In 2010, Government of India offered scholarship to PPD member countries namely Bangladesh, Nigeria, The Gambia, Vietnam, Thailand and China, for a 1-year Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Management.
Meeting with UNFPA Executive Director
A delegation of PPD met Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin Executive Director, UNFPA at his office in New York. The delegation comprised of Dr. Sugiri Sheriff, the PPD Board Member of Indonesia, Mr. Jooseery, the PPD Executive Director, Dr. Jotham Musigunzi, PPD’s Africa Regional Director and Dr. Rao, PPD’s Permanent Observer at UN.
On behalf of PPD, the Chairman of BKKBN thanked the UNFPA Executive Director for inviting PPD to the meeting and supporting PPD; he requested UNFPA to continue its support to PPD. Mr. Jooseery presented a brief history of PPD and UNFPA relations since PPD’s establishment and described the nature of past collaboration and appealed for continued assistance. He described the institutional aspects of PPD, including National Task Forces, PI network, compilation of innovative practices, fellowships being provided by member countries and training programmes of the South. He described the upcoming PPD’s International Conference on Population Dynamics and Climate Change. He also outlined PPD’s efforts in formulating the next Strategic Business Plan for 201-2014 and the proposed main focus areas of the new plan.
The Executive Director of PPD briefed Dr. Babatunde on the new strategic direction of PPD and invited him to PPD’s governance meeting to be held in October / November 2011 in Pretoria , South Africa.
The UNFPA Executive Director thanked the PPD delegation for visiting UNFPA and for the presentation. He promised that UNFPA would review all the materials submitted to them and will get back to PPD.
Meeting with the Permanent Representative of Uganda to t he UN
The PPD Team comprising of Mr. Jooseery, Dr. Musigunzi and Dr. Rao paid a courtesy call to the H.E. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda the Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations. It should be noted that Uganda has been very kind in hosting the PPD programs for Liaison Office in New York in the Uganda House for a number of years, which is very close to the UN Headquarters. Through the supportive intervention of Dr. Muzsigunzi in the past and at present, PPD has been fortunate in finding a home in the Uganda House, especially through sharing its premises with another Observer Mission to the UN, under agreed upon terms and conditions.
H.E. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda
The Team took advantage of the meeting with the Ambassador to thank him for continuously housing PPD’s office in the Uganda House and also sought his support and approval for continued stay. The Ambassador expressed appreciation to PPD for being part of the Uganda House and for the good work of PPD. The Ambassador committed to provide continuous support to PPD.
Breakfast meeting:
PPD organized a breakfast meeting jointly with the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh on the 14th April 2011 at the Bangladesh Mission premises in New York. The meeting was organized in the context of the 44th session of the Commission on Population and Development for the participants of PPD Member Countries, as well as for the representatives of the Permanent Missions of PPD member countries located in New York.
The main objectives of the meeting were to brief the participants on PPD, particularly with regard to activities undertaken and to be undertaken by the PPD in formulating its next Strategic Business Plan covering the period 2012-2014. The meeting was intented to seek inputs from the participants on both the process of undertaking the exercise and the issues, concerns and priorities that should be pursued in the PPD Business Plan for the future.
PPD organized a breakfast meeting jointly with the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh
The meeting was attended by a large number of participants, around 45 participants from PPD member countries e.g. Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia including participants form the UNFPA and PPD. The meeting was chaired by H E Dr. Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations.
STEP UP Consortium organizes Stakeholders Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Strengthening Evidence for Programming on Unintended Pregnancy Consortium (STEP UP) lead by Population Council and funded by DFID. PPD is one of the members of this Consortium. Objective of this consortium is to produce high-quality evidence that improves the health of the poorest individuals, particularly women, in developing countries and accelerates progress towards poverty reduction and achievements of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Goal 4 and 5.
Participants of the STEP UP consortium’s stakeholder meeting
STEP UP Consortium organized a stakeholders meeting at BRAC center Dhaka on the 18th April 2011. The main objective of the meeting was to initiate Consortium’s activities in Bangladesh. The meeting was chaired by Mr. D K Nath and moderated by Dr. Zaffar ullah Khan. Project Director Mr. Stan Berstain gave an overview of the project and presented the Research Theme proposed for Bangladesh during general discussion. Participants actively participated in the discussion on unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion /MR and prospects of the projects. Dr. Nazrul Islam and Dr. Mahbubur Rashid represented PPD at the meeting.
