CSO consultation on Population and Development: Ensuring Rights and Choices

A one-day CSO Consultation on Population and Development: Ensuring Rights and Choices will be held at the Palais des Nations, 14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday 18 October 2023 from 08.00 – 18.00. It will precede the UNECE Regional Conference on ICPD30, to be held on 19 and 20 October also at the Palais des Nations, and will provide an opportunity for CSO input into the process.

Organizations wishing to participate are invited to register here. Self-funded participants can register until 6 October 2023.  

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Leading to ICPD30: CSO briefing on ICPD30 regional review

On behalf of the ICPD30 Secretariat for the UNECE region, we are pleased to invite you to a virtual consultation for civil society on 08 September 2023, from 15:00 to 16:00 Central European time. The focus will be the upcoming ICPD30 Regional Conference, to be held in Geneva on 19-20 October.

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Leading to ICPD30 No 4: Extracts from UNECE Regional Report on ICPD PoA: (b) Families, sexual and reproductive health over the life course

The 2013 Chair’s summary called on Member States to “guarantee universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care” including, among other measures,  strengthening comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes by training professionals; removing barriers to access contraceptive methods; eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity; and ensuring the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 

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Leading to ICPD30 No 3: Extracts from UNECE Regional Report on ICPD PoA: (a) Population dynamics and sustainable development

A “long-term, holistic, rights-based approach” should be taken to population dynamics and its linkages with sustainable development, according to the 2013 Chair’s summary, which called upon UNECE Member States to “invest in human capital across generations by enhancing their access to quality education, decent work and health and social services, prompting healthy lifestyles, and supporting their involvement in decision-making.” Moreover, Member States were encouraged “to reduce CO2 emissions and strive for energy efficiency.”

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Leading to ICPD30 No 2: Extracts from UNECE Regional Report on ICPD PoA: demographic and social context

Extracts from the United Nations Commission for Europe Report on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development is now available. It provides detailed information on progress and obstacles encountered since the last review in 2018 and highlights achievements and setbacks in population and development outcomes and identifies areas where accelerated efforts are required, taking into account the evolving demographic, social and economic realities in the region. The review focuses on the three thematic priorities that were formulated in the 2013 Chair’s Summary, namely population dynamics and sustainable development; families, sexual and reproductive health over the life course; and inequalities, social inclusion, and rights. These three topics, which will be included in follow-up postings, will form the basis for the thematic sessions during the Regional Conference.

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Leading to ICPD30 No 1: European Regional Conference on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)

No 1: UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Conference on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 

The annotated provisional agenda for the Regional Conference on International Conference on Population and Development, to be held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland on 19-20 October 2023, is now available.

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The Water Song

The Water Song is a Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat) project. It involves young people and supports the importance of access to water and the need for action. 

It was written by Kendra, a 15-year old South African schoolgirl and David Cousins, singer-songwriter of the UK heritage band Strawbs, during her Christmas school holidays. She took the song to the Head of Music at her school, St Dominic’s Priory in Gqeberha, who agreed to join in the project - and to make it fun… 

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Gorilla Gazette no 11

The 11th edition of the Gorilla Gazette is now available.

In this edition we spend time getting to know Kasigazi, a silverback of the Kahungye 2 family.

It's the rainy season in Bwindi and the gorillas, along with their friends in Nkuringo, are making the most of it. Water tanks are filling up for the coming months but there still aren't nearly enough of those to go around!

Gorilla gazette issue 10

The latest issue of the Gorilla gazette has now been posted!

Click here to find out about not only the gorillas in the Nkuringo family, but also about the forest elephants whose feeding grounds in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is not far from the village where the members of the NCENT women’s group live… 

The Commonwealth Medical Trust thanks you for your continued support which is allowing us to help improve the health and lives of the women and their children who live in this part of Western Uganda, for example through the provision of water tanks. 

Gorilla gazette issue 9

Stop press… The gorillas are back with the Gorilla gazette issue 9.

Click on http://ngosbeyond2014.org/gorilla-gazette-newsletter/ and hear the latest news from the gorillas in Bwindi and the women and their families that nearby. 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and thanking you for supporting the Commonwealth Medical Trust in its work in this part of Western Uganda…