The outcome document of the 44th annual session of the Commission on Population and Development which concluded last week reaffirms the landmark International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action and brings the international community one step closer to ensuring that all people have access to necessary reproductive health services. Read more...
Updates
Human Rights Upheld at the United Nations 44th Commission on Population and Development
April 19th, 2011
Statement by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin at the Commission on Population and Development
April 12th, 2011
Statement by: Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund at the United Nations Commission on Population and Development 2011
Mister Chairman, Members of the Commission, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
If you were born before 1967, you’ve seen world population double. As our population approaches 7 billion, every person particularly adolescents and young people should be able to enjoy human rights and human dignity. Every person should have the opportunity to make the most of his or her potential. Read more...
Goals for the Commission on Population and Development (CPD)
April 11th, 2011
The 44th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) begins today, Monday April 11th , and lasts through the week. Ambassador Brian Bowler of Malawi will chair the session, which will cover the theme of “Fertility, reproductive health and development”. This year’s CPD is particularly significant, and Women Deliver is grateful for the opportunity to participate. As part of our advocacy efforts, we have joined together with other organizations committed to furthering the International Conference on Population and Development’s (ICPD) goals, including sexual and reproductive health and protection of human rights. Read more...
Simply Everything: An Interview with Imane Khachani
April 6th, 2011
By: Chally Kacelnik; originally posted in Feministe
Last month, Women Deliver – a fantastic organisation dedicated to improving women’s and girls’ health and wellbeing globally – released the Women Deliver 100. It’s a list of inspiring people, well, delivering for girls and women in all kinds of areas: health, politics, the media, and so on. Out of all those people, there was one I very badly wanted to interview, and her name is Imane Khachani. She’s a twenty-nine year old doctor from Morocco, and she’s one of those people who seem to get as much life and amazing activism into as little time as possible. She was a Special Youth Fellow at the United Nations’ Fund for Population, among other work with the UN, and has collaborated with the Department for Gender, Women and Health at WHO, not to mention Oxfam. Taking a particular interest in HIV/AIDS, she’s worked on sexual and reproductive health programs for young people at home and regionally, and has put together guides for addressing these needs in humanitarian settings. She’s just kind of jaw-droppingly amazing, if you will well know if you caught the video I posted recently. Click through to read the interview with Imane Khachani...
Human Rights Day: Recognize Maternal Health, Sexual and Reproductive Rights
December 10th, 2010
Today, December 10, is Human Rights Day. As we at Women Deliver have been saying all year, maternal health is a human right. The right of all women to quality health care must be ensured to prevent the deluge of avoidable maternal deaths and injuries that happen every day. Maternal health care must be available, accessible, and of high quality. When countries fail to provide such care, it is a violation of women’s rights to life, health, equality, and non-discrimination. Read more...
11 Actions to Take for World AIDS Day 2010
December 1st, 2010
By: Joanna Hoffman, Program Associate for Women Deliver
Today marks World AIDS Day, and with it comes reflections over both progress made and what lays ahead in preventing HIV/AIDS transmission, exploring treatment options for those infected, and removing stigma and discrimination from the disease. A new report by UNAIDS provides ground-breaking data from 182 countries, and is hailed by the Director of the World Bank’s Global HIV/AIDS Program, Dr. David Wilson, as “one of the most encouraging and substantive reports on the course of the epidemic we’ve seen in years.” Read more...
New UN Report: The State of World Population 2010
October 22nd, 2010
Effective peace-building requires women’s active participation, according to the The State of World Population 2010, published this past Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund. The report’s release coincides with the anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325, a pivotal commitment to ending the abuse and marginalization of women in conflict and in peace-building initiatives.
New Reports Show Regional Disparities Exist for Mexican Women
September 7th, 2010
Two new studies released by the Guttmacher Institute showcase new research on maternal health issues in Mexico. The reports, “Addressing Adolescent Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities,” and “Barriers to Safe Motherhood in Mexico,” (reports available in Spanish only) discuss sub-national data on access to sexual and reproductive health resources and maternal mortality rates. Read more...
Unmarried Young Indian Women Face Obstacles To Obtaining Early Abortions
August 26th, 2010
A new study released by the Population Council, New Delhi shows that young, unmarried women in India encounter barriers to obtaining an abortion procedure early in their pregnancies. The study took place in Jharkand and Bihar, surveying 549 unmarried women who had an abortion between 2007 and 2008. Delayed recognition of pregnancy, lack of awareness that abortion is legal for unmarried women, and lack of support from partners were cited as factors that contributed to women accessing abortions later in their pregnancies.
The researchers believe these findings emphasize the need for increased sex education programs for unmarried young women in a variety of forums. Improved programs should work to bolster communication about sexual health between young women and their family members, especially their parents. These programs should not only include information about reproductive physiology, but also information on access and legal rights to abortion.
A Silent Phenomenon Spreads HIV
August 19th, 2010
By: Robert Mukondiwa, one of the Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders, and journalist in Zimbabwe, originally posted at Conversations for a Better World
Young sex workers in rural Zimbabwe have embarked on a fatal path that increases their likelihood of contracting and spreading HIV. Poverty and a lack of information intensify the problem, but instead of embracing the challenge with effective solutions, many are turning away in denial... Read more of Robert's story and join the conversation.
10 Ways to Celebrate International Year of Youth
August 12th, 2010
Today, August 12, 2010, is International Youth Day. Its a day to celebrate the power of young people to make positive change for their communities, countries, and the world. Even bigger, today kicks off the International Year of Youth. There are lots of ways you can get involved over the next few months, and year. Click through to read 10 actions you can take right now...
Beyond HIV: Many STIs Can Kill Pregnant Women
September 17th, 2008
Masimba Biriwasha wrote a blog post on RH Reality Check today about the need to screen pregnant women for other STIs than HIV. She references a new study that was conducted in Cameroon on gynaecological morbidity--defined as "any condition, disease or dysfunction of the reproductive system that is not related to pregnancy, abortion or childbirth but may be related to sexual behaviour." Biriwasha says: