25 November 2009: EPWG Seminar on HIV/AIDS
On 25 November 2009, in Strasbourg, the EPWG in cooperation with UNAIDS, Stop AIDS, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the International Partnership for Microbicides hosted a seminar for MEPs on ‘the global response to HIV/AIDS: what Europe can do’, in advance of World AIDS Day. UNAIDS presented its 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update and the NGOs present made presentations on the current political context regarding the response to HIV/AIDS in EU development cooperation. According to UNAIDS, an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide live with HIV. Despite improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, 2.7 million people became newly infected with the virus in 2008. Every day, some 7,400 people become infected with HIV, and for every 2 people who go on treatment, 5 become HIV infected. MEPs agreed there is no time for complacency in EU efforts to stop new HIV infections. To ensure universal access to prevention, more HIV prevention is needed as well as new and better types of prevention. It was highlighted that the linking of SRHR and HIV/AIDS policies, programs, and services is often neglected whereas these linkages are essential for meeting the health related MDGs. Today, many people still do not have regular access to an effective method of HIV prevention. The recent positive developments in the search for new biomedical approaches illustrate that progress is being made and that we must expand research for new HIV prevention technologies including vaccines and Microbicides and ensure that they have long term and sustainable funding.
18 November 2009: Launch of the UNFPA State of World Population 2009
On 18 November 2009, the EPWG, in collaboration with the UNFPA, launched the UNFPA State of World Population (SOWP) 2009 Report, Facing a changing world: women, population and climate. SWOP 2009 has found that family planning, reproductive health and gender relations could influence the future course of climate change and affect how humanity adapts to it. The report states that international climate change agreements and national policies are more likely to succeed in the long run if they take into account population dynamics and women’s well-being and access to services and opportunities. Speakers included Ms Eva Joly MEP, Chair of the Development Committee; Mr Koos Richelle, Director-General of EuropeAid; Mr Mabingue Ngom, Director of UNFPA Programmes Division and Mr Ben Vanpeperstraete, from the European Youth Forum (EYF). The launch was chaired by Ms Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP, President of the EPWG. There were more than 50 participants, including representatives from the EP, EC, UN, ACP missions in Brussels and of the civil society. Ms Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP opened the launch and called for immediate EU action to reduce harmful emissions and for increased investment to address the human dimension of climate change and empower women by investing more towards universal access to SRHR. Ms Eva Joly MEP stated that climate change and improving the situation of SRHR in developing countries is crucial for the EU if we want to achieve the MDGs. Ms Joly pledged to work hard as the chair of the development committee to ensure that women in developing countries are better educated and have better access to healthcare, which is a prerequisite for meeting the MDGs. Mr Koos Richelle informed the EC has spent €150 million on SRHR in developing countries in the period 2002-2008 and that it is investing a lot to address climate change in developing countries. Mr Mabingue Ngom then presented SOWP 2009 and said if women were given the right to plan their family size, it would protect their health, facilitate sustainable development and ultimately ensure lower CO2 emissions. Mr Ben Vanpeperstraete said today’s youth is the most vulnerable generation to climate change without being responsible for it. However all generations are together in this fight and it is crucial to finalise a legally binding agreement on climate, with active youth involvement. Ms Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP concluded by stressing that urgent EU action is needed to tackle climate change while fully recognising its links with population and thus increasing efforts toward universal access to SRHR.
29 April 2009: Launch of the UNIFEM’s Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009
On 29 April 2009, the EPWG, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), hosted the launch of UNIFEM’s flagship report, Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009, Who Answers to Women? Gender & Accountability, published half-way to the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It highlights the analysis of governments’ and international institutions’ accountability to women. The meeting was chaired by Ms Anne Van Lancker MEP and President of the EPWG.
Ms Joanne Sandler, Deputy Executive Director Programmes, UNIFEM, New York, presented the report, focusing on three areas in which Progress examines accountability to women: politics, services, and international aid and security institutions. Following Ms Kousalya Periasamy’s (President of the Positive Women’s Network – PWN+, India) presentation on the work of PWN+ in enhancing government’s accountability to HIV-positive women, Ms Irene Horejs (Head of Unit B3 in DG Development, European Commission), Ms Van Lancker and Mr. Martijn Pakker (Stop AIDS Alliance) exchanged their views on the EU’s accountability framework on gender equality and HIV policies.
In the course of discussion, it was noted that although the new aid modalities allow for higher leverage, budget support do bring about challenges when it comes to delivering development outcomes, including gender equality. The EC has an important role to play in promoting political dialogue with governments and in supporting the involvement and monitoring capacities of women, civil society organisations and parliamentarians, in line with the principle of democratic ownership. In this regard, it is crucial to build the capacities of national women’s machineries and civil society organisations to hold governments accountable for their commitments on gender equality and support their capacities to participate to national decision-making around budget support. Gender-responsive budgeting can play a key role in supporting the delivery of development outcomes. Finally, the reform of the UN gender equality architecture by merging the existing entities into a fully-fledged agency would enhance the UN’s ability to deliver as one. For the minutes, please click here.
7 April 2009: EPWG side event at the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The 17th session of the ACP - EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) was held in Prague, Czech Republic from 6 to 9 April 2009.
The JPA adopted several resolutions on issues such as ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in ACP and EU countries; Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs); the social and environmental consequences of climate change and; the role of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in addressing the food and financial crisis in ACP countries.
In addition, the JPA conducted its traditional sittings of question time with the European Commission and the ACP and EU Council Presidencies. Michael Cashman MEP raised an oral question to the European Commission on its awareness of Global Parliamentary Call to Action on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)+15 recently launched by Marie Stopes International (MSI), in collaboration with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF). For the full overview of the JPA: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/acp/60_17/information/default_en.htm
On Tuesday 7 April, the EPWG organised a side event on ICPD+15, co-chaired by Ms Glenys Kinnock MEP, Co-President of the JPA and Ms Anne Van Lancker MEP, President of the EPWG, with an important participation of ACP delegates and civil society representatives.
The event consisted in a presentation by Mr Getachew Bekele, MSI Senior Adviser, on the Maputo Plan of Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and the Global Call to Parliamentary Action; a presentation from IPPF European Network young advocates on the ICPD+15 and counting campaign as well as the screening of a part of the BBC documentary Dead Mums Don’t Cry.
26 January 2009: EPWG meeting with H.E. Sandra Roelofs, First Lady of Georgia
On 26 January 2009, the EPWG in cooperation with the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, hosted a lunch for a Georgian delegation headed by the First Lady of Georgia, H.E. Sandra Roelofs and George Tsereteli MP, Vice-President of the Georgian Parliament. The meeting was chaired by Anne Van Lancker MEP and participants included Gabriela Cretu MEP, EU Commission officials as well as representatives from Civil Society.
The Georgian delegation presented the situation of sexual and reproductive health in Georgia, also in the light of the recent conflict with Russia. In Georgia, Ms. Roelofs works on a daily basis towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a special focus on the reduction of maternal and child mortality, extreme poverty and infectious diseases. Since October 2004 The First Lady is the chair of the Georgian Coordinating Mechanism for projects of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and of the Reproductive Health National Council of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
For the agenda, please click here.
