General News
Asian Parliamentarians Promote Family Planning at 5th International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in Istanbul
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development has sponsored 60 parliamentarians from the region to the ongoing5th International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (ICPD) in Istanbul. AFPPD is also among the sponsors and organisers for this major global parliamentarian event being held just two years prior to the completion of ICPD. The big event in Istanbul is also partly funded by Japan through the Japan Trust Fund.
Over the next two days, over 200 MPs from 107 different parliaments who are committed to protecting the reproductive wellbeing of women and girls will meet in Istanbul under the auspices of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. In the presence of leading actors from the international development community and the Prime Minister of Turkey, they will discuss the strategies that are urgently required to speed up the achievement of the ICPD Programme of Action.
The gathering is particularly crucial as, and the deadlines originally set for the ICPD Programme of Action (2014) and the Millennium Development Goals (2015) are fast approaching, at a time when world population has reached 7 billion. And the framework that will follow them both sets of goals has not yet been decided upon. Meanwhile the development community was also recently heartened to hear that its concerted efforts are paying off, as statistics released by the UN show that maternal mortality rates are falling across the world. Moreover, world governments’ interest in SRHR issues is set to be in the global spotlight in the near future, as a Global Family Planning Summit will be taking place in London in July, organized by DFID, UNFPA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Expectations ahead of the event, which has gathered more parliamentarians from around the world than any of its predecessors, are high within the CSO community, where its importance for SRHR in the future of development is widely noted. Tewodros Melesse, the Executive Director of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation, neatly summed up this interest : “IPCI is a crucial event. It brings together Parliamentarians from around the world to look at the best ways for advancing the implementation of the ICPD. Without the tireless efforts of these parliamentarians the ICPD PoA would be just another paper plan, but with them, and the incredible support they have shown over the years, this still visionary document has turned into a highly influential tool that has transformed the lives and well-being of millions around the world, particularly those that are most vulnerable.”
This sentiment has been echoed across the CSO world. The event has also already aroused the curiosity of the media, and this interest is set to intensify across Europe and beyond in the next few days.
At the event a powerful outcome declaration will be agreed upon by the participating MPs, which will stand as an important contribution to the international discussion on the future of the post-MDG & ICPD development framework. Following the event this declaration will be published on the conference’s website: http://www.ipci2012.org.
For any enquiries about the event please do not hesitate to contact AFPPD: afppd@afppd.org
Additional Information
Country: Association of South East Asian Nations
Website: N/A
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Source: afppd@afppd.org
When: 29/5/2012
