SPRING 2010

Welcome to the Australian Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (PGPD)
e-newsletter, providing updates on PGPD activities and the latest news on population and development and sexual and reproductive health.

An Update on the PNG PGPD

In July the new CEO of ARHA, Ms. Mary Mertin-Ryan, and Ruth Webber, ARHA travelled to PNG to work with the Parliamentary Group on Population and Development that has been established there. The Hon. Malakai Tabar, MP is the Chair of the PNG PGPD and the Senior Vice Chair is Dame Carol Kidu, Minsiter for Community Development.

The ARHA staff, in conjunction with the UNFPA office in Port Moresby, identified Family Health International as a strong local organisation to act as the Secretariat for the PNG PGPD. ARHA is working to ensure there are funds to support a mentoring relationship between itself and Family Health International. Those interested in more information please contact Chair of the Secretariat, Mary Mertin-Ryan 02 6249 6566.

While in PNG, ARHA staff were also able to participate in a SPRINT Initiative training which brought together stakeholders from each of the provinces in PNG.

Further, ARHA staff participated in a meeting Chaired by Dame Carol Kidu on Safe Motherhood. Lady Kidu is convening a meeting in PNG on 22 November 2010 as a preliminary to a Roundtable Hearing on Maternal Mortality and Safe Motherhood to be held in early 2011. The PGPD will be represented at that meeting by the Chair of the Secretariat, Mary Mertin-Ryan.

63rd United Nations DPI/NGO Conference Held in Australia for the First Time

On 30 August 2010, nearly 1600 participants converged at the Melbourne Convention Centre for the 63rd Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference.  The theme of the conference was “Advance Global Health—Achieve the MDGs.”  ARHA and its partners hosted a workshop during the conference called: How to Set Up Effective NGO and Parliamentary Alliances to Facilitate Political Support for Achieving the MDGs.  The workshop was faciliated by ARHA CEO, Mary Mertin-Ryan.

Senators Claire Moore and Judith Troeth were panelists at the workshop, as well as Ms. Jane Singleton, former CEO of ARHA, and Ms. Lynne Jordan CEO of Family Planning Victoria.  The panelists spoke of the experiences of joint NGO-Parliamentarians advocacy on issues in sexual and reproductive health including the legalizing of RU 486 and securing changes to the AusAID Family Planning Guidelines. 

Senator Troeth addressing the workshop

The sexual and reproductive health and rights sector used the opportunity of the conference to build their own collaborative efforts and to increase attention to the sector through joint action.  ARHA, Marie Stopes International Australia and Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia put out a joint press release on the "vaccine-like” preventative impact that universal access to reproductive health including family planning can have on maternal mortality. 

The SRH community was extremely disappointed that despite many advocacy outreaches to the Communiqué Drafting Committee, the final outcomes statement lacked any mention of the crucial role of sexual and reproductive health and rights in achieving global health.  The sector came together strongly to express this concern.  This glaring omission renders the outcomes statement inconsistent with other United Nations declarations and there is a shared concern in the sexual and reproductive health and rights community about such a crucial health issue being overlooked.

Together, the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance along with the Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; the Australian Federation of Medical Women; the Burnet Institute; CFPA; International Family Planning New Zealand; International Planned Parenthood Federation; International Women's Development Agency; JOICFP; Menzies School of Health Research; Marie Stopes International Australia; Planned Population Federation of Korea; Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia, and; Women's Plans Foundation put out a joint press release bringing attention to this disappointing omission. 

Ian Howie, board member of ARHA and former UNFPA representative pointed to the research which found that there are 215 million women who would like to delay or prevent a pregnancy: “Why is it that we at this UN Conference cannot say that 215 million women should have access to contraception so that they can plan their families, space their births and avoid sexually transmitted diseases? Surely this is a fundamental right!” 

ARHA has called on the government to represent the rights and concerns of these 215 million women, as well as the rights and concerns of nearly 6 million more women who experience life threatening or debilitating complications from pregnancy and childbirth,at the MDG Review Summit in New York in September. 

The Hon Kevin Rudd took up this challenge as one of his first official acts as Foreign Minister and together with the USA, UK and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Australia entered into an Alliance for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health announced at the MDG Summit in New York. Discussions between ARHA and AusAID have clarified that this is an operational alliance rather than a funding mechanism. 

WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and World Bank Publish New Figures on Maternal Mortality

On 15 September 2010, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank published a report entitled: Trends in Maternal Mortality 1990-2008: Estimates Developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank.  The report states that over the 18 year period there has been a 34% decline in maternal mortality rates (MMRs) from 540,000 deaths annually in 1990 to 358,000 deaths annually in 2008.   This equates to an annual MMR decline of 2.2%. 

The figures presented in the report will be the officially cited figures on Maternal Mortality.  Within hours, however, concerns over the figures and the impact they will have on specific countries and regions were raised.  Kenyan reproductive health expert Joachim Osur drew attention to problems of presenting averages and ‘overall’ statistics saying “the decline must be concentrated elsewhere in the world, because the situation in sub-Saharan Africa continues to be bad.”

The report acknowledges that maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa remains extremely high.  It continues by stating that of the seven countries outside of sub-Saharan with the highest maternal mortality rates, six of them are in the Asia Pacific region: Afghanistan (1400 per 100,000 live births), Lao DPR (580), Nepal (380), Timor Leste (370), Bangladesh (340), and Cambodia (290).  Further, Oceania is the third most concerning region for maternal mortality, behind sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. 

Despite acknowledgements of progress, the annual average improvements in maternal mortality rates represents just 2.2 percent decline.  In order to reach MDG5 by 2015 the average MMR needed to decline by 5.5% annually.  The report acknowledges that given this slow progress the international community is very far off-track to achieve MDG5.   For the full text of the report Click Here

Annual State of World Population Report Launch and Seminar on Gender and Conflict

The PGPD and UNFPA, along with Australian Reproductive Health Alliance partnered once again to launch the UNFPA’s annual State of World Population Report in Australia.  The report launch was held at Parliament House Theatrette on 20 October 2010 and was followed by a seminar on the topic: Gender and Conflict.  The report’s focus on women in conflict was chosen to call attention to the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325: the first resolution passed by the Security Council to address the impact of war on women, and women’s contributions to conflict resolution and peace.

 
Senator Claire Moore, Chair PGPD opening the 2010 State of World Population Report Launch, Parliament House, Canberra

The media launch was opened by Senator Claire Moore, Chair of the PGPD and the report was launched by Mr. Najib Assifi, Deputy Regional Director of UNFPA and The Hon Kate Ellis, Minister for the Status of Women. Mr. Dana Hovig, Chief Executive of Marie Stopes International Global Partnership also spoke at the launch. 

Mr. Najib Assifi, Asia Pacific Deputy Regional Director, UNFPA

Directly following the launch was a public seminar on the report’s theme: Gender and Conflict.  The seminar was moderated by Ms. Virginia Haussegger of ABC TV News and included presentations from Ms. Naomi Steer, National Director of Australians for UNHCR; Professor Anthony Zwi of UNSW’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine; Dr. Bina D’Costa of ANU’s Centre for International Justice and Governance; Ms. Madeleline Willis, ARHA Intern, and; Ms. Delia Quigely, Australian Federal Police. 

The presentations covered a vast array of concerns in the field of gender and conflict including internally displaced persons and refugee women, the SPRINT Initiative for sexual and reproductive health responses in emergencies, women peacekeepers and an assessment of the multilateral agencies’ emergency response policies with a focus on the implementation of a sexual and reproductive health response.  The event was open to the public and was widely attended by the relevant bureaucrats, NGO community and interested public. A special thank you to Virginia Haussegger of ABC TV News for lending us her time and for working closely with us to make the event a success.

PGPD: Funding Update

Members of the PGPD will recall that ARHA was set to close its doors with dignity in September 2010 due to a loss of core funding.  We are pleased to announce that core funds for operations have been secured for an additional two years, ensuring we will continue on through 2012. 

The efforts of many were crucial in securing these funds and have allowed ARHA to continue to work with the PGPD and UNFPA to advance the sexual and reproductive health rights of all, both at home and globally.  In particular we share our thanks with Senator Claire Moore and the PGPD Executive as well as Ms. Jane Singleton, AM for their tireless efforts to ensure that ARHA would remain operational and continue its work with the PGPD, as well as its other programs. 

While our funding situation is no longer critical, it remains an urgent priority to secure on-going funding to allow planning for a long-term and strategic intervention in sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy. If members would like to discuss this in more detail, please contact the Chair of the Secretariat, Ms. Mary Mertin-Ryan, on 02 6249 6566. 

What have PGPD Members been up to?

On 31 August 2010, a meeting of Victorian State PGPD members was held in Melbourne at the Victorian Parliament House.  The Hon. Maxine Morand hosted the meeting and the group of 12 MPs discussed the formation of a state sub-branch of the PGPD to assist them to more actively engage PGPD objectives.  It was decided that the group would convene soon after the Victorian election in November 2010 to ensure that the state sub-branch was constituted early in the tenure of the new Parliament.  Where funding allows, ARHA will provide secretariat support to the state sub-branch and will be working with other state members to assist in establishing these sub-branches throughout the country.  We look forward to increasing our work with the state/territory based PGPD members. 

l-r: Joanna Lindner (Secretariat); Mr. John Pandazopoulos, MP (Member for Dandenong); Rose McConnell (Secretariat)

On 18 August 2010-- In South Australia Ian Hunter, MLC; John Gazzola, MLC and Steve Georganas, MP hosted a cocktail function to promote the White Ribbon Campaign to end men’s violence against women.  All three men are White Ribbon Ambassadors and strong supporters and role models on the issue.  The event was held in Adelaide’s Old Parliament House Chamber and was attended by His Excellency the Governor of South Australia and Premier Mike Rann, as well 50 other White Ribbon Day Ambassadors.

l-r:Hon John Gazzola MLC, Hon Ian Hunter MLC and Steve Georganas MP

Special guest speakers Gavin Wanganeen (Former Captain, Port Adelaide Football Club) and Sam Ciccarello (CEO Adelaide United Football Club) shared their personal reasons for joining the White Ribbon Day campaign and Ambassadors left the event inspired and enthusiastic to spread the message.  Ian Hunter and John Gazzola are now looking to expand the White Ribbon Day Campaign over the next 12 months.  For more information about becoming a White Ribbon Ambassador or having involvements in activities to support the elimination of violence against women please contact the Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Joanna Lindner on 02 6249 6566

19 October 2010, Canberra- A meeting of the PGPD was convened on the 19th in order to take advantage of the visit by Mr. Najib Assifi, Asia Pacific Deputy Director UNFPA. Mr. Assifi spoke to the members present about the structure of the UNFPA and its recent move to Regional Offices. The discussion focused largely on the Pacific and the ongoing need to address problems related to sexual and reproductive health including STI/HIV transmission, teen pregnancy, violence against women and lack of gender equality.

On 21-22 October, two PGPD members attended a workshop on the Elimination of Violence against Women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  The Australian delegation was comprised of Senator Helen Kroger and Mr. John Hyde, MLA (Member for Perth).  Over 90 Parliamentarians from 19 Asia Pacific countries were in attendance.  The workshop asked Parliamentarians to do a stock-take of legislative action on the elimination of violence against women.  A number of resource people also participated in the various panel sessions of the two-day workshop including a representative of UNAIDS, and Partners for Prevention, a UN Initiative bringing together UNDP, UNIFEM, UN Volunteers and UNFPA in joint work towards the elimination of violence against women through the engagement of men and boys. 

l-r: Joanna Lindner (Secretariat), Senator Helen Kroger, John Hyde, MLA (Member for Perth), Anggiet Ariefianto, Gender Unit Manager Australian Embassy, Indonesia

Senator Kroger addressed the workshop during the final plenary session and urged each country to look into, and make as a central advocacy tool, the economic costs of addressing violence against women.  Such a costing has been carried out in Australia and places the economic costs of violence against women at $13.6 billion dollars annually and estimates that this will increase to $15.6 billion annually if the issue is not addressed by 2021.

Senator Helen Kroger addressing the final plenary session of the AFPPD Workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 22 October 2010

Ms. Gillian Brown, Principle Gender Advisor in AusAID, also attended the workshop. 

PGPD to Launch New Sub-Committee:

Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women

The PGPD is excited to announce the launch of its new Sub-Committee: Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (MPEVAW).  The group recognizes that men have the responsibility to, and must play a central role in, the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.

The formation of the group is a precursor to the United Nations International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women and White Ribbon Day, both of which take place on the 25th of November

Membership of the MPEVAW is extended to all male parliamentarians who are existing members of the Parliamentary Group on Population and Development. The PGPD is delighted to have both state and federal members joining the group to date.

An inaugural meeting will precede the launch of the Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, during which members will sign an outcome statement to demonstrate their on-going dedication to taking a leadership role to address the issue.

The launch will take place from 9:30-9:45am  on the 24th of November at Parliament House, Committee room 1R4.

The PGPD and MPEVAW would like to thank the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and Japan Trust Fund for their generous support and contributions.

Please contact the PGPD Secretariat at secretariat@pgpd.asn.au or on (02) 6249 6566 to register your interest in attending the launch or to find about more information about the MPEVAW.

Young Parliamentarians’ Views on Development Issues—Research Report

The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA) is currently undertaking a research project into young parliamentarians’ views on population and development issues. Young Parliamentarians are defined as 35 years or younger for the purpose of the study

A survey has been designed and distributed to the eleven eligible parliamentarians seeking their opinions on a range of topics, including what motivated their choice to join federal politics, what they feel to be some of the most compelling development issues currently being faced, how the role of young parliamentarians differs from older generations (if at all), and what challenges are not yet being adequately addressed.

The findings of this study, including an overview of common themes or urgent concerns, will be compiled in a document available from the ARHA website from early 2011. The outcomes of this study will be used by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) to build their capacity to work with young parliamentarians on the issues about which they feel most strongly.  ARHA thanks the financial assistance of the AFPPD and Japan Trust Fund which has enabled us to carry out this research.

ARHA Launches Report on Pregnancy Termination Legislation in the Pacific

The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA) has recently undertaken extensive research into the legal status of pregnancy termination in the Pacific region. The final report, ‘The Status of Pregnancy Termination Legislation in the Pacific,’ incorporates a range of data regarding abortion legislation, contraceptive methods, percentage of births with skilled attendants, and fertility and maternal mortality rates throughout the region.

Pregnancy termination is deemed illegal in many Pacific countries, which often has serious impacts on women’s reproductive health and maternal mortality. Maternal mortality rates in the Pacific reach as high as 470 (per 100,000 live births) in Papua New Guinea, and 380 in Timor Leste, compared to just 4 in Australia.

The findings of ARHA’s research reflect the continuing need to work towards the ICPD Programme of Action, and Millennium Development Goals 5a and 5b. The report was officially launched on the 19th of October 2010 during the first PGPD meeting following the convening of the 43rd Australian Parliament, and was distributed to the members in attendance as well as to guest speaker Mr. Najib Assifi, UNFPA Deputy Regional Director Asia Pacific.

ARHA anticipates that the report will be an invaluable resource for both individual parliamentarians and parliamentary groups in the region concerned with issues of population and development, and the role of legal abortion within these. The research and production of this report was made possible with funding from AFPPD and Japan Trust Fund; ARHA thanks them for their continued support.  For a copy of the report please contact ARHA on  02 6249 6566

Upcoming events…

27 November 2010, Bangkok- The AFPPD will be holding its 68th Executive Committee meeting in Bangkok.  Senator Claire Moore will be attending as an Executive Committee member of the AFPPD.

27-28 November 2010, Bangkok- A workshop on Young Parliamentarians and ICPD Issues is being convened by AFPPD.  The workshop builds on the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.  Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will be attending the event on behalf of the PGPD.  A small research project on the views and concerns of the young, federal parliamentarians in Australia is currently being conducted by the PGPD Secretariat with the aim of contributing a draft report to the proceedings of the Young Parliamentarians workshop.  There are currently two spots left for Australian delegates, parliamentarians aged 35 years old or under.  If you are interested or have any questions please contact the Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Joanna Lindner at secretariat@pgpd.asn.au or tel: 02 6249 6566

29 November 2010, Bangkok- A Regional Standing Committee of Women, hosted by AFPPD will back-up to the 68th Executive Committee meeting and the Young Parliamentarians workshop on 29 November 2010.  Senator Claire Moore is the convenor of the Regional Standing Committee of Women.

18 December 2010, Port Macquarie-  The Regional Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women will be hosted by Mr. Rob Oakeshott in Port Macquarie at the end of December.  The group will come together to build on the work that was started at their inaugural meeting in Bangkok in September 2009.  The new sub-committee of the PGPD: Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women will be represented at this meeting by Mr. Rob Oakeshott who is a co-convenor. 

Early 2011- ARHA, as the key advocacy partner in the SPRINT Initiative,  is coordinating a training for Australian Defence Personnel.  The SPRINT Initiative (Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme in Crisis and Post-Crisis Situations in East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific) seeks to get stronger implementation of the MISP (Minimum Initial Service Package) on Sexual and Reproductive Health into the standard emergency response protocols.  MISP is an international standard of minimum service provision in health as recognized by the Global Health Cluster in emergency response, however, its implementation is often neglected.   Dates have not yet been selected but we welcome the involvement of PGPD members.  To discuss further, please contact the Chair of the Secretariat Mary Mertin-Ryan on 02 6249 6566. 

Early 2011 - A Parliamentary Roundtable on Gender Based Violence in the Pacific will be organised by the PGPD in the first half of 2011.  The event is in the early stages of planning and we will continue to update the PGPD.  For any questions or to seek involvement in the planning process please contact the Chair of the Secretariat Mary Mertin-Ryan on 02 6249 6566.

What's in the Headlines?

August 2010--Australia to provide $85 million over four years to assist Pacific countries to address Maternal health (5 August 2010, Stephen Smith)

September 2010--Australia’s aid to Pakistan now totals $75 million (17 September 2010, Kevin Rudd); on 31 August it was announced that the deployment of civilian medical personnel from Australia to Pakistan included specific expertise to address maternal and child health to the flood-affected displaced Pakistanis. 

September 2010-- The Australian Women's Coalition (AWC), the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) and the Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS) launched a report on 24 September 2010 which proposed a long-term model of care for the one in three Australian women who are survivors of sexual violence.  The report presents a comprehensive set of recommendations for addressing physical, social, and psychological care requirements.  To request a copy of the report  contact  Jasmine Pagano at jasmine@amansw.com.au  or 02 9439 8822

September 2010-- Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has been appointed Under Secretary General to lead UN Women.  The amalgamation of four UN agencies working on women’s empowerment and gender issues was announced by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in June 2010.  The new agency will become operational from January 2011 and there has been an outpouring of support for the selection of Dr. Bachelet, the first female president of Chile.

November 2010--Australia will commit $14.5 million to UN Women over two years commencing 2011.  Foreign Minister Rudd and Minister for Women Ellis confirmed this week that they will work closely with the USA on projects to combat violence against women.

International Parliamentary Groups on Population and Development

Similar parliamentary groups to the PGPD exist in countries all over the world. Links to some of these can be found below.

NZPPD – New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development

APPG UK – The UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health

AFPPD – Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development

IEPFPD – The Inter European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development

IAPG - The Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development

FAAPPD - Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development

PGPD Website

The PGPD website www.pgpd.asn.au contains information on members, PGPD's activities, reports and photos from conferences and meetings,and resources on current population and development issues. A membership brochure for parliamentarians interested in joining PGPD can also be downloaded.

PGPD Secretariat

The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance provides the secretariat to the PGPD.

Contact
Mary Mertin-Ryan - Secretariat Chair
Joanna Lindner - Parliamentary Liaison, Advocacy and Communications Officer
02 6249 6566 or email
PO Box 140 Campbell ACT 2612

If you have any news to share with PGPD members please contact the Secretariat and we will endeavor to put it in the next newsletter. For time-sensitive matters please advise.

Season's Greetings and see you in 2011!

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