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Pacific Strengthens its Voice

7 April 2003

A "Pacific Voices" workshop in Wellington this week will help 30 participants to better convince their communities and governments of the importance of good reproductive health in achieving sustainable social and economic development.

As part of this they will participate in an exercise with members of the New Zealand Parliamentarians Group on Population and Development, persuading them that the New Zealand government should increase overseas development aid to the Pacific. They will then be able to apply these skills in persuading their own governments of the value of investing in sexual and reproductive health as part of population-development initiatives.

The delegates are from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Soloman Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, which are among the world’s most vulnerable countries. They will share knowledge and experiences of working in areas of sexual and reproductive health, women’s rights and HIV/AIDS.

The workshop began on Sunday and runs until Friday 11 April, was organised by New Zealand Family Planning Association International Development (FPAID), and is sponsored by the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Population Action International.

Activities will include learning how to: develop an advocacy strategy to address the growing prevalence of HIV/AIDS; promote specific issues at United Nations conferences; work with church and community groups to raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues; work with the media; and influence key policy and decision makers. Presenters will include radio and television personality Stacey Daniels in her role as United Nations Face-To-Face Campaign Spokesperson.

Family Planning Association Executive Director Dr Gill Greer said greater commitment to family planning and reproductive health programmes is needed in developing countries to slow population growth, improve maternal and child health, and protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS.

"We know from the rest of the world’s experience that countries that been most successful in reducing poverty have also done the most in reducing high levels of population growth by meeting reproductive health needs. The time has also come to acknowledge the rapidly escalating rates of HIV/AIDS in the Pacific, where research suggests figures may be five to 10 per cent higher than those reported because of delays in testing and length of incubation," Dr Greer said.

Increased political funding and commitment is important to meet the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, Dr Greer said. "The 179 countries that attended the ICPD in Cairo in 1994 agreed that population and development are inextricably linked, and that empowering women and meeting people’s needs for education and health, including reproductive health, are necessary for both individual advancement and balanced development. Unfortunately just eight countries make up 90 per cent of the contributions to achieve this, and New Zealand is one country that needs to increase its contribution."

For more information please contact: Dr Gill Greer, Executive Director, Family Planning Association, DDI (04) 382 4030, Mobile 021 627 766

Did you know that every minute around the world...
•	one woman dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
•	10 teenage girls undergo an unsafe abortion.
•	13 infants under 12 months die
•	57 people catch an STI
•	11 people are infected with HIV
•	the population increases by 150 people

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