66th World Health Assembly, 20-28 May 2013, Geneva, Switzerland

The 66^th World Health Assembly will be held in Geneva Switzerland, 20 – 28 May 2013.  The agenda will include consideration of Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as the draft comprehensive global monitoring framework and targets for the prevention and control of NCDs; the draft action plan for their prevention and control (2013-2020); the draft comprehensive mental health action plan (2013-2020); and disability. There is also an agenda item on Promoting health through the life course that includes both monitoring the achievement of the health-related MDGs as well as health in the post-2015 development agenda.

The agenda is available here. 

POST 2015 E-Discussion - Education for Sustainable Development

A new E-Discussion has begun on Education for Sustainable Development and will run until May 12.

Just as businesses are potentially powerful drivers of change, also are consumers. For the latter to fuel change, they need to be better aware of the impact of their choices on the environment and on the global community as a whole. Education can help address largely false dichotomies such as

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High-Level Task Force For ICPD Releases: Policy Recommendations for ICPD Beyond 2014: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All

The High-Level Task Force for ICPD, has circulated the following release on its launch of its position paper  “Policy Recommendations for ICPD Beyond 2014: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All” in New York on April 25. The HLTF is the only high-level group in the world dedicated to advancing a forward-looking agenda for the ICPD review process, is urging governments and the international community to take much bolder action to meet and build on commitments made at the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994. 185 participants, including representatives of 27 governments from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, 29 civil society organizations and networks and 11 UN agencies and the Secretariat, joined in the high-level launch co-hosted by the Governments of Finland and Mozambique, and the Ford Foundation.

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UNFPA announce winners of the 2013 United Nations Population Award

UNFPA has announced that Dr Jotham Musinguzi and the Al-Azhar University in Egypt are the winners of the 2013 United Nations Population Award.

Dr. Jotham Musinguzi has been a strong advocate for reproductive health for many years. Sunce 2007, he has been the Regional Director of Partnership in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), and has served in a variety of other public health positions, including as the Director of the Ugandan Population Secretariat.

 He played a major role in drafting the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994, as well as in ensuring the inclusion of reproductive health in the outcome documents of other UN Conferences. Dr Musinguzi was actively involved in negotiations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And in the preparation of the Maputo Plan of Action, adopted by the African Union in 2006. Most recently he contributed to the success of the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning.

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Final meeting of the High Level Panel

The final meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel (HLP) will take place in New York, 13-15 May. At this meeting, members of the HLP will finalize its report, which will be presented to the UN Secretary General on 30 May 2013.

From information that we have received, it appears that the first draft of the report was largely rejected by the HLP advisors, who met last week and that the HLP Secretariat has been asked to totally rewrite the draft.  This revised draft will be finalized on 6 May 2013, but will not be publically available.

Given that the report will in turn feed into the Secretary-General’s report, organizations are urged to write to members of the Panel, with whom they are in contact, urging that sexual and reproductive health and rights, young people and issues related to population dynamics are strongly included in their report. In writing to members of the HLP, members may wish to refer to the Monrovia and Bali Communiqués. It is important to remember that all correspondence should reach them well before their meeting on 13 May.

Young people are active at the High Level Task Force for ICPD and Commission on Population and Development

At the launch of the Policy Recommendations for ICPD Beyond 2014: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All in New York, Ishita Chaudhry, Task Force member and Founder of The YP Foundation in India, gave a graphic account of the beatings that a young Muslim Peer Educator received from her own brother for spending time with non-Muslims until she had the courage to tell him to stop. 

Young people made an oral statement to the 46th Session of the Commission on Population and Development and also found time to make a video (below) explaining why they were taking time to participate a meeting on the subject of migration.

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Special high-level meeting of ECOSOC with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

A Special high-level meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with the Bretton Woods institutions (The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)), the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was held at the UN Headquarters, New York on 22 April 2013.

In line with ECOSOC resolutions 2012/31, 2011/38, 2010/26 and 2009/30, the overall theme of the meeting was Coherence, coordination and cooperation in the context of financing for sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda.

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Global Panel of Experts Calls for Bolder Action From Governments and International Community to Meet Commitments Made at International Conference On Population And Development (ICPD)

The High-Level Task Force for ICPD (HLTF) launched its position paper Policy Recommendations for ICPD Beyond 2014: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All in New York on 25 April 2013. It proposes specific steps that should  be taken to ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality and the empowerment of women, adolescents and youth become central components of ICPD Beyond 2014, as well as of the post-2015 and SDGs agendas.

Key recommendations for action include:

1. Respecting, protecting and fulfilling sexual and reproductive rights for all through public education and 
legal and policy reforms.
2. Achieving universal access to quality, comprehensive and integrated sexual and reproductive health 
information, education and services.
3. Ensuring universal access to comprehensive sexuality education for all young people.
4. Eliminating violence against women and girls and securing universal access to critical services for all.

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Women’s Major Group Statement on Poverty Eradication at Second Session of the Open Working Group

Following the strong statemement by Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) on behalf of the Women’s Major Group (WMG) at the first session on the Open Working Group (OWG), Shannon Kowalski of the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) spoke on behalf of the WMG at the second session.

In her presentation she emphasized that the SDGs must be grounded in the protection and promotion of the human rights of all, with specific attention to the human rights of women and girls.

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Open Working Group on Sustainable Development – Second Session

As reported in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, the Second Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place on 17-19 April 2013 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

In addition to the OWG members, other member states, observers, representatives from the UN system and of Major Groups participated in the meeting that was devoted to conceptualizing the SDGs and the SDG process, and to poverty eradication.

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