ICPD in the Caribbean Newsletter Vol 1, Issue 4 2007 ECLAC UNFPA

7/30/2019 ICPD in the Caribbean Newsletter Vol 1, Issue 4 2007 ECLAC UNFPA

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orld Population Day 2007 wascelebrated under the theme Men AsPartners in Maternal Health on July

11. In marking the day, the UNFPA, UnitedNations Population Fund, highlighted mensroles at personal, community and policylevels in womens reproductive health, andstressed the need to engage men to improvematernal health. As husbands or partners men play a key rolein deciding how many children a couple willhave and when they will have them. Asbreadwinners and household heads menoften make financial decisions, includingwhether to pay for healthcare ortransportation for a pregnant woman. Aspolitical and community leaders, men shapepublic opinion and their support or lack ofsupport for women's health can affect thecare pregnant women receive. The Caribbean has made progress inimproving maternal health for itscommitments to the 1994 Plan of Action ofthe International Conference on Populationand Development (ICPD) and to theMillennium Development Goals. A 2004

regional review of the Implementation of theICPD Programme of Action noted that theCaribbean has seen an overall decline inmaternal mortality over the last 10 years,although high differential levels existamong countries.

Securing male participation in this processhowever has proven more challenging. Thereview notes that while some countries havetried to promote male responsibility andaddress male gender issues for reproductive

health, the impact of such initiatives hasbeen limited. This challenge is not peculiarto the Caribbean. UNFPAs 2005 State ofWorld Population Report which focused ongender equity, says most programmestargeting men are small compared to thescale of the challenge of transforming genderrelations.

The need to engage Caribbean men more

effectively in reproductive health washighlighted by Dr. Hugh Wynter of Jamaicain a presentation at a Meeting of WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) RegionalAdvisers and Directors of ReproductiveHealth on Programming for MaleInvolvement in Reproductive Health. (2001) Culture Challenges Male InvolvementDr Wynter said that a challenge to maleinvolvement in reproductive health is thattraditionally Caribbean men are seen as

marginal to family life, even in their roles afathers and partners, in the highlymatriarchal West Indian family structure.

Subsequent studies however have revealedthat men value these roles and are nonaturally irresponsible, but are constrainedby their limited economic status whichdistorts their viability as good fathers andpartners he noted.

A Publication of UNFPA produced by ECLAC / CDCC December 2007 / Vol.1, Issue 4

in the Caribbeanin the

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Caribbean

From the Editors 2...............................................................ICPD, MDGs and Male Participationin Maternal Health 2...............................................................Text Box 1: Defining Maternal Health andMaternal Mortality 3...............................................................MAVAW, Trinidad - SupportingMen to Support Women 4...............................................................Suriname - Gender SensitiveSexual Health Approaches for Surinames Interior 4 & 5...............................................................The Womens Centre of Jamaica -Reaching Men Too! 5...............................................................Text Box 2: Domestic Violence and MaternalMortality - A Link to be Broken 6...............................................................World AIDS Day 2007 Calls for Leadership 6...............................................................In the News 7...............................................................UNFPA 2007 Media Awards 8...............................................................Events and Publications 8

IN THIS ISSUE

continued on p

Male Participation in Maternal Health Challenging Culture, Tradition

As leaders in family, community and national life,mens support for women's health and well-being canaffect the care that pregnant women receive, theUNFPA says.


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While there is much discussion about the empowerment ofwomen and the realisation of womens rights, there is oneinescapable fact: Without mens cooperation and participation,women cannot achieve gender equality and improvedreproductive health. Realization of this fact is what drivesUNFPAs interventions aimed at achieving MillenniumDevelopment Goal 5 - MDG 5 (Improve maternal health) acrossthe world and here in the Caribbean.

Including and involving men in all aspects of family life andreproductive health is an important strategy for advancinghealth and rights and ensuring the well-being of the entirefamily. It is a well established fact that when men are involved inproviding care and support to their wives or partners, pregnancyand childbirth outcomes are improved. This can even mean thedifference between life and death in cases where there are

complications, when women need immediate medical care.Research shows that as men become more informed, many maywant to become involved in protecting the health of their womenand children but social, cultural and economic factors act as

December 2007/ Vol.1, Issue 4 2 ICPD IN ACTIO

barriers to their involvement. Addressing these barriers requiresthe joint efforts of policy makers, planners, service providers andleaders at regional, national and community levels, to ensurethat the needs of women and men are met in programmes whichcontribute towards achieving MDG 5.

This newsletter provides information on male involvement inmaternal health and features some initiatives in the region whichencourage male participation in programmes which have animpact on maternal health. There is also information on theimpact of domestic violence on maternal health and the spreadof HIV among Caribbean women. We hope that the publicationwill prove interesting and useful for the wide regional audiencewe target.

Editorial Team : Althea Buchanan - UNFPA Karoline Schmid - UN/ECLAC Gail Hoad - Communication Consultant

The International Conference on Population and

Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, Egypt in1994, was the largest intergovernmentalconference on population and development ever held. More than 180 states participated innegotiations to prepare a Programme of Actionto be implemented over 20 years.

This newsletter, ICPD in Action, highlightskey issues raised in the ICPD Programme of Action and examines ways in which they arebeing addressed in the Caribbean. The work of agencies such as the UNFPA (United Nations

Population Fund) and the EconomicCommission of Latin America and theCaribbean (ECLAC) are also guided by theUnited Nations Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) - eight goals to be achieved by2015 that respond to the world's maindevelopment challenges.

Recognising that complications related to pregnancy and childbirth are among the leading

causes of death for women of reproductive age inmany developing countries, the ICPDProgramme of Action aims to promotewomens health and safe motherhood [and]achieve a rapid and substantial reduction inmaternal morbidity and mortality. MDG 5aims to Improve Maternal Health, byreducing the maternal mortality rate by threequarters.

The ICPD states that special efforts should bemade to emphasize mens shared responsibilityand promote their active involvement in

responsible parenthood, sexual and reproductivehealth, including family planning andrecognises mens key role in decision-making onreproductive health.

The Caribbean has made strides in maternalhealth. A 2004 review of the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the regionlists achievements which include: adaptations of the Caribbeans 1975 Maternal and Child

Health Strategy to reflect increasunderstanding of reproductive health and righissues; establishment of safe motherh programmes in all countries and provisionaccess to pre-natal, pregnancy and postnacare and emergency obstetric care. It nohowever that although maternal mortalilevels are low in most countries, the incipiupward trend being recorded in sevecountries needs to be further analysed aaddressed.

On the issue of male participation

reproductive health, including maternal healthe review concludes that men need supportcarry out their responsibilities to partners a families. While some countries h programmes promoting male responsibility addressing male gender issues, the impactthese initiatives has been limited and thereneed to review, revise and expand programmto change values, attitudes and behaviour both males and females.

Editors

The ICPD, the Millennium Development Goals and MaleParticipation in Maternal Health


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December 2007/ Vol.1, Issue 4 3 ICPD IN ACTI

Dr Wynter said concepts of masculinity basedon sexuality, virility and an ability to fatherand financially support children must bemodified to meet the needs of present dayreproductive health tenets. The 2004 regionalICPD review also concluded that it is changesin values, attitudes and behaviours amongboth sexes which are needed to ensure moreeffective male participation in reproductivehealth programmes.

Existing approaches often reinforcestereotypes as well. Beryl Weir of theWomens Centre Foundation of Jamaica notedthat in 2006, male participants in focus groupdiscussions to develop sexual andreproductive health posters (under aUNFPA/European Union project) highlightedthe need for positive male images. They feltexisting material showed mens behaviour asthe problem and never as the positiveexample.

Maternal Health Seen as WomensBusinessAnother challenge is the traditional focus ofreproductive health programmes on women.The 2005 State of World Population Reportdescribed ICPD as unprecedented in itspromotion of men's support for genderequality and their involvement and shared

responsibility in family life and reproductivehealth.

Dr. Wynter said reproductive healthprogramming experience has consistentlyshown the need for men to be involved inprotecting their health and the health of their

women and children. He noted that menwho participate in antenatal education aremore knowledgeable about family planningmethods and are more concerned about theirpartners nutritional needs duringpregnancy.

A 2002 Regional Strategy for MaternalMortality and Morbidity Reduction endorsedby Member States at the Pan AmericanSanitary Conference, while emphasising theneed for womens empowerment, also statedthat expectant fathers must be a part of healthpromotion and education programs and betargeted for greater involvement. It addedthat in many communities, it is easier for themother to access specific health services if shereceives the support of other family members,including her partner or spouse.

The Way ForwardMale involvement in maternal health and inwider reproductive health is vital. SeveralCaribbean states are already working to

expand programmesfor greater maleparticipation and for inclusion programmes for men. Barbados NatioHIV/AIDS Commission is conductingMens Lifestyle Survey on risk behavamong males over 15 years. In SurinaUNFPA supports a project in which over community volunteers, many of whom young men, deliver sexual and reproducthealth education in the countrys interNGOs like Men Against Violence AgaWomen in Trinidad and Fathers Inc. Jamaica work to facilitate more positive minvolvement in family, community anational life.

The 2004 ICPD regional review notes while programmes must focus

encouraging more responsible sexbehaviour among men and boys, they shoalso provide males with support to carry their responsibilities to their partners afamilies. Similarly the Regional StrategyMaternal Mortality and Morbidity Reductcalls for a multi-sectoral approach withstrong focus on the partner and the familyorder to create a more supportenvironment for the woman.

continued from page 1

Challenging Culture, Tradition

Male Participation in Maternal Health

MATERNAL HEALTH refers to the healtof women during pregnancy, childbirth anthe postpartum period.

MATERNAL MORTALITY is death amonwomen due to complications of pregnancor childbearing. The maternal mortaliratio is therefore the number of women wh

die as a result of complications of pregnanand childbearing in a given year per 100,0births.

According to the UNFPA: Every yea529,000 women die from pregnancy-relatcauses worldwide. More than 80 per cent maternal deaths worldwide are due directlto: haemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortioobstructed labour and hypertensive diseasof pregnancy.

TEXT BOX 1Defining MaternalHealth and Maternal

Mortality

(Source: 2007 State of World Population Report)

The Maternal Mortality Ratio - Selected Caribbean States

COUNTRY MATERNALMORTALITY

RATIO

Bahamas 60

Barbados 95

Belize 140

Cuba 33

Dominican Republic 150

COUNTRY MATERNALMORTALITY

RATIO

Guyana 170

Haiti 680

Jamaica 87

Suriname 110

Trinidad and Tobago 160


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A joint initiative between the EuropeanCommission and UNFPA in Suriname isacknowledging the need to provide sexualand reproductive health (SRH) informationin a way that is gender sensitive, culturallyrelevant, and fine-tuned to the specificneeds and circumstances of vulnerablecommunities.

The project, which is implemented by theSurinamese Government, provides trainingto more than 200 community volunteers,

many of them young men, in 18 villages inSurinames remote interior. These communityvolunteers are considered best suited tocommunicate reproductive health messages,including messages on pregnancy andmaternal health.

Kwamalasamutu and Drietabiki are tworemote Surinamese villages which havebenefited from this intervention. The villageof Kwamalasamutu, located in the far southof the country, is only accessible by air or by a

day-long trek through the jungle. It is homsome 2,000 villagers of Amerindian desThe village of Drietabiki, which is locatesimilar conditions, is home to personsAfrican descent (Maroons).

Less than 20 percent of Surinames populalives in the interior districts, but war, formigration, poor infrastructure and hlevels of disease have contributed tdisproportionately poor quality of life forpopulation in the interior. The average agsexual initiation in Suriname is 15.6 years,Maroons and Amerindian women wreported to have their first sexual encountean early age. Contraceptive prevalencelowest among women in the interior.

These are the factors which make the worthe community volunteers so important. volunteers are mostly young men and wom

Gender SensitiveSexual HealthApproaches for

Surinames Interior

Men Against Violence Against Women(MAVAW), a non-profit organisation inTrinidad and Tobago, has been working since1994 to reduce and eradicate unacceptableviolence in society, with an emphasis ondomestic violence and violence againstwomen.

The organisation runs a 24 hour hotline whichprovides support and counselling toindividuals, but which also takes referralsfrom other NGOs and the court and probationsystems. MAVAW does outreach in schools,with parent groups, with community andnational organisations and implementsvarious projects.

A recent project was the radio programme,Inside A Male Mind Women Cant HearWhat Men Dont Say, which ran from January to September 2007. Secretary ofMAVAW, Donald Berment describes publicresponse as unbelievable.

People really look out for the programmeand the DVDs of the programme are indemand. It was a really powerful 9months.It ran every Thursday from 8 a.m.to 10 a.m. Now there are re-runs on Sundaysand on Thursdays.

Supporting Men toSupport Women

MAVAW, Trinidad

MAVAW volunteers man their booth at an outreachsession at the Brian Lara Promenade, Trinidad.

The programme features a panel ofprofessional men who are usually experts onthe topic being discussed, with a femalemoderator to add balance. Listeners were ableto hear from the professionals and called inwith questions or comments. Topics coveredincluded Men and Sex and Men andHealth.

While MAVAW does not focus specifically on

sexual and reproductive health issues,does disseminate material on these isssourced from other agencies, and outreach work and interventions inevitabaddress issues of sex, sexuality, sexdecision making and relationships.

Commenting on existing sexual areproductive health programmes, Berment notes that a lot of this workvery much focused on the womHowever we do not see the woman minthe male because women have sopartners, fathers and brothers.

He feels MAVAWs success in reaching mlies in its methodology: We come in vsupportive. We do not condemn but simply say to persons who come in that

recognise that there are things in your which you need to deal with. Our systemnot about blame but rather to speak deficits of belief systems and behavideficits and work to address this.

For information on MAVAW contact:Mr Donald BermentNo. 45 River Estate Circular, River Estate,Diego Martin, Trinidad and TobagoTel: (868) 383-6184Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Many of the community volunteers delivering

reproductive health education in Surinames interior are young men.

SSURINAME


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and a number of health assistants working inthe village. They were identified solely ontheir willingness to participate in training andprovide follow up services after the training.

The training provided the volunteers withknowledge and skills to communicate SRHmessages in their communities. The traineeswere also instrumental in providing updatedinformation regarding the most importantSRH issues in their specific communities, sothat the training could be tailored to cater tospecific community and population needs.Topics that were covered included: unsafeabortions, pregnancy and malaria, familyplanning and HIV/AIDS.

Another important group of men which theprogramme targets is the chiefs or heads ofvillages. Support from these individuals isessential if the project is to be sustainable. As

figures of authority in the communities, thechiefs of the villages are sensitized so thatthey fully understand the importance ofhaving their people receive new informationand learn new skills. They havedemonstrated their support by either

participating in the training or byencouraging the people to attend.

The community volunteers have not onlybeen providing information by word ofmouth but have taken on the challenge ofdeveloping their own communicationmaterial to provide sexual and reproductivehealth messages to their villages. The projecthas been instrumental in assisting withdesign and reproduction of the material.

Through the Medical Mission, theorganization responsible for health care inSurinames interior, ongoing support

(including IEC materials and condoms), provided to the community volunteers.

For additional information on this project,contact:Althea BuchananAdvocacy and Communications Advisor UNFPA Office for the English and DutchSpeaking CaribbeanTel: (876) 906-8591-2Email: [email protected]

The Womens Centre of Jamaica Foundation isa national programme which addressesproblems associated with teenage pregnancy,particularly the problem of adolescent girlswhose education is interrupted because ofunplanned pregnancies. While theorganisation provides academic instruction,counselling, skills training and day careservices for adolescent mothers, it also targetstheir partners (baby fathers).

Our main emphasis for the baby fathers is oncounselling. We also try to address somenational problems the lack of the fathersname on the childs birth certificate and thelack of awareness of the Child Care andProtection Act which outlines the penalties forhaving sex with a girl who has not reachedthe age of consent which is 16, ExecutiveDirector of the Womens Centre, Mrs BerylWeir, explains.

The counselling for baby fathers, whoseaverage age is 23 years, depends on the needsstaff identify. Its focus is helping young menunderstand their responsibilities as fathersand access remedial education, training and job opportunities. Baby fathers are invited tovisit the centre. If they do not come, staff visit

them wherever they can be found.

A lot of emphasis is on sexual andreproductive health with them. We counsel onpreventing pregnancy, safer sex and theresponsibilities of fatherhood. We also findthat once they choose young girls as partnersthey want to continue relationships withyoung girls so we educate them about the

legal implications of having sex witminor.

The programme reached 1554 teen motlast year. A little less than half of the bfathers (502) participated in its programmThose who participate however want to b

part of the childs life and accept tresponsibilities, Mrs Weir notes.

In group sessions many said they wantebe a part of their childs life but often are prevented from doing so by the gmother if they have no money to give tochild.

Mrs Weir cites a number of factors she would encourage greater male participain the Womens Centre programme. She there is need for more education on Child Care and Protection Act and meaningful referrals of men who prosecuted for having sex with minoroften they pay a fine and are not referreeducation or behaviour change programmShe also suggests that teenage pregnancaddressed in a more holistic way examining gender relations, interpersorelations and socialisation and parentpractices.

For information on The Womens Centre contact: Mrs Beryl Weir, Executive Director Womens Centre of Jamaica Foundation. 42 Trafalgar Road, Kingston 10, JamTel: (876) 929-7609; (876) 9290977 Email: [email protected]

The Womens Centreof Jamaica

Reaching Men Too !

Young men participate in a sexual andreproductive health workshop session organisedby the Womens Centre of Jamaica Foundation

Volunteers have worked to develop their owncommunication material to provide keyreproductive health messages to remote villages inSuriname

JAMAICA JAMAICA JAMAICA

ME SURINAME


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TEXT BOX 2

December 2007/ Vol.1, Issue 4 6 ICPD IN ACT

World AIDS Day was first held on December1, 1988 and has been commemorated eachyear on this date since then.

With the theme Leadership, World AIDSDay 2007 calls on all sectors of society -families, communities and civil society andnot just governments, to provide leadership inresponding to AIDS. On October 26-27, 2007, regional leaders in theresponse to HIV/AIDS met at the seventhAnnual General Meeting of the Pan CaribbeanPartnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), inAntigua and Barbuda. PANCAP is theregional mechanism for coordinating theCaribbeans response to the HIV epidemic,and the organisations AGM is an importantevent which brings together the regionalleaders in the response. Keynote speaker atthe event, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director

Michael Sidibe, said action on AIDS must beaccelerated in the region, taking into accountemerging factors including the increasingnumber of women becoming infected withHIV. The Caribbean is the region second mostaffected by AIDS, after sub-Saharan Africa.An estimated 250,000 people in the region areliving with AIDS. UNAIDS reports that

infections among women are surpassingthose among men and adult women nowmake up 51% of the total number of peopleliving with HIV in the region. Men have a key role to play in protectingwomen from HIV infection. The UNFPA hasnoted that with women at increased risk ofinfection and in the absence of a vaccine orcure, mens behaviour is crucial to preventingthe spread of HIV.

There is some good news on maternal hand HIV from some Caribbean counPrevention of Mother to Child Transmihas been very successful in most counsince the introduction of antiretromedication (ARVs), which became avain the region at reduced cost in 200Barbados the number of pregnant woliving with HIV reduced by half betw1999 and 2003, and improved testing serand the provision of ARVs have redmother-to-child transmission of HIV number of countries including the Bahand Barbados.

Domestic Violenceand Maternal

Mortality A Link to be Broken

World AIDS Day 2007 calls for LeadershipHIV infection among women growing but mother to child transmission falling.

Information taken from theUNAIDS website:http://www.unaids.org/

Pregnancy is a time when it would seemnatural for women to receive particular careand concern from their intimate partners.According to a PAHO Family and

Community Health Situational Analysis of Maternal Health in Latin America and theCaribbean (for its Biennial ProgrammeBudget 2006-07) however, violence fromintimate partners is having a negativeimpact on the health of pregnant women inthe region.

Domestic violence contributes significantlyto maternal and perinatal morbidity, and insome cases is a cause of maternal deaths,with an increasing number of pregnantwomen being victimized by aggressive

acts, the situation analysis states.

Lethal direct traumas, abdominal traumaswhich cause obstetric complications andpsychological stress are some of the ways inwhich domestic violence causes maternaldeaths, a PAHO fact sheet on Maternal Death due to Domestic Violence says. It alsonotes that unwanted pregnancies seem toplay an important role in murders of

pregnant women by their partners andsuicide of pregnant women.

PAHO/WHO is now focusing on researchingthe links between domestic violence andmaternal and perinatal health in the region.

The organisation recognises the need formore inclusive definition of maternmortality and broader epidemiologicasurveillance that considers domesti

violence as a cause of maternal death.

In Guyana, PAHO has provided financiaand technical support to a project to reducmaternal mortality. This project hainitiated a study on domestic violence anits relation to maternal deaths andresources have been allocated for thcontract of a principal researcher tconduct the study.

Recommendations from WHO to addresthe problem of domestic violence an

maternal health include: traininreproductive health care providers trecognise signs of violence against womeestablishing referral systems to ensurfollow up care and support and includingmeasures to reduce partner violencagainst women in programmes to improvmaternal health. (Addressing violenagainst women and achieving the MillenniuDevelopment Goals; WHO 2005).


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NEWS NEWS NEWS

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean(ECLAC) and the Government of Brazil have announced thesecond Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing, to beheld in Brasilia, Brazil, on December 4 6, 2007.

The objective of the conference will be to evaluate progress in theimplementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action onAgeing and the regional strategy for its implementation in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. It will also identify challenges andpriorities for action over the next five years. Conference proceedings will be organized in four thematicmeetings:

On October 18-20, 2007 more than 1,500 world le leaders met in

London for "Women Deliver", a global conference focused oncreating political will and strengthening health systems toprevent deaths and disabilities related to pregnancy orchildbirth.

The conference was attended by ministers, UN officials, highlevel delegates, health care professionals, advocates andactivists from more than 100 countries. Caribbean delegatesincluded:Sheila Roseau of the Directorate of Gender Affairs,Antigua; Jacqueline Sharpe, MD; President and Chairperson ofGoverning Council, International Planned Parenthood,Federation, Trinidad and Tobago;Dr Karen Lewis Bell, Directorof Family Health from Jamaicas Ministry of Health andDonnaChristensen, US Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress.

The conference was organised by a partnership of UN agencies,international NGOs and bilateral organizations.

The 70 cabinet ministers and parliamentarians present pledgedto make achievement of Millennium Development Goal #5

The Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre(CELADE) from the Population Division of the EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),celebrated its 50th anniversary with an International Seminar onOctober 10 and 11, 2007 in Santiago, Chile. International experts from the field of demography attended thisseminar, organized in collaboration with the UNFPA and theGovernment of France, to discuss population changes in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean and the implications of these changesfor the economic and social development of countries in theregion.

The event was inaugurated on October 10 at ECLAC headquartersby Jos Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary of ECLAC; EnriqueIglesias, Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat(SEGIB); Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA; JosAntonio Viera-Gallo, Minister of the Secretariat of the Presidency

Participants at the CELADE

50th Anniversary International

Seminar, Chile. ALEJANDRO

HOPPE/CEPAL

Dr Asha-Rose Migiro,

Deputy Secretary General

of the UN; Ms Thorya Obaid,

UNFPA Executive Director

and Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS

Executive Director, address

a post plenary press

conference for Heads of UN

agencies at the 2007Women Deliver"

Conference in London.

Women Deliver Conference Delivers Commitments for Maternal Health(Improve maternal health) "a high priority on the national,

regional and international health agenda." The United Kingdomgovernment also announced a grant of more than US$200million to UNFPA, to advance women's reproductive healthworldwide.

Executive Director of the UNFPA, Thoraya Obaid, a keynotespeaker at the event, stressed the need to draw attention to theneedless death and disfigurement of women and generateconcerted action..No woman should die giving life. It is timeto put the reproductive health and rights of women at the top ofthe international agenda. And it is time to more fully involvemen as partners in this quest.

She also highlighted progress made by some countries inreducing maternal mortality through provision of access tofamily planning services and skilled birth attendance withemergency obstetric care. Cuba, Jamaica and Honduras wereamong countries cited as having achieved significant declinesin maternal mortality.

Brazil Hosts Regional Conference on Ageing

Older persons and developmentPromotion of health and well-being into old ageCreation of enabling and supportive environments

Implementation and monitoring of the Regional Strategyfor the Implementation of the Madrid International Plan ofAction on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Countries represented at the meeting are expected to agree onthe region's contribution to be presented at the forty-sixthsession of the Commission for Social Development in February2008 and at the thirty-second session of ECLAC (SantoDomingo, 2008).

CELADE Celebrates Fifty Yearsof Chile; lvaro Portillo, President of the ECLAC SpecialCommittee on Population and Development. The seminarclosed on October 11 with a round-table discussion. In her inaugural speech at the seminar, UNFPAs ExecutiveDirector, Thoraya Obaid, hailed CELADE as a pioneer indeveloping knowledge, disseminating new methodologies,and studying the process of demographic transition in theLatin American and Caribbean region. Ms Obaid said the keyto the agencys success was a combination of research, trainingand technical assistance and the commitment and skills of itsstaff. CELADE was founded on August 13 1957 through a specialagreement between the United Nations and the Governmentof Chile. It is one of the principal centers in Latin America andthe Caribbean for study, training and research on populationissues.


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December 2007/ Vol.1, Issue 4 8 ICPD IN ACTI

Gender and Rights in Reproductive and MaternalHealth: Manual for a Learning Workshop; 2007(WHO)This manual was developed for use in facilitating a6-day workshop on gender and rights in reproduc-tive and maternal health for health managers,policy-makers and others with responsibilities inreproductive health. To order a copy check the

Website: http://www.who.int/bookorders/

World Health Report 2005 Make Every Motherand Child Count; (WHO)This report highlights the priority status of maternaland child health as part of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals which have underlined theimportance of improving health, particularly thehealth of mothers and children, as an essentialpart of poverty reduction. To read the reportonline or to download a copy check the Website:http://www.who.int/whr/2005

Maternal Mortality in 2005; 2007 (WHO, UNICEF,UNFPA, and The World Bank)This document reports the global, regional, andcountry estimates of maternal mortality in 2005,and the findings of the separate assessments oftrends of maternal mortality levels since 1990. Toorder or download a copy check the Website:http://www.unfpa.org/publications/

December 4 6, 2007CELADE (The Latin Americanand Caribbean DemographicCentre) Second RegionalIntergovernmentalConference on Ageing,Brasilia,Brazil.....................................................

December 18, 2007 International Migrants Day

Asha Javeed, a reporter at the Trinidad Guardian, toppa group of young newspaper journalists from across region who dominated the UNFPA Caribbean MeAwards this year. The annual event, which recogniexcellence in reporting on population issues, was heldNovember 21, 2007 at Queen's Hall in St. Ann's, Trinid

Javeed earned the top platinum award for her sto"Tourism Threatened", which focused on the issueclimate change. Gareth Manning and Daraine Luton frThe Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica won gold for "ChoDevelopment", a series which analysed the sustainabiof development projects across the island. Tyrone Ralso from The Gleaner, won gold for his series "HeSector Under the Microscope." A third gold award wpresented to Hazra Medica of the Antiguan Sun for series "The Other Antiguans", and Guyana-born JuFitzpatrick of St Maartens Daily Herald received sifor her article "Simpson Bay Lagoon."

Harold Robinson, UNFPA Representative in the Officthe English and Dutch speaking Caribbean explained tthe UNFPA's 2007 State of the World Population rep"Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth" inspired theme of this year's competition. He pointed to both challenges and possibilities of urban growth.

Dr. Ralph Hakkert, who delivered the evening's featuaddress, noted the need for policy-makers to quiccome to terms with the fact that most urban growth wresult from births among the city poor rather thmigration. He stressed however that evicting squattersdenying them services is not the solution. He said polmakers can respond to high urban growth rates throuadvances in social development such as promotgender equity and equality, making education universaavailable and meeting reproductive health needs to hwomen to avoid unwanted fertility and reduce naturincrease - the main factor in the growth of urbpopulations.

Dr. Hakkert is currently Chief Technical Adviser oregional project to offer Latin America and the Caribbsupport in attaining the Millennium Development Go(MDGs).

Migration Data Collection, Management and Sharingin the Caribbean, LC/CAR/L.139, October 2007,Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

Population Ageing in the Caribbean: A Four CountryStudy, LC/CAR/L.128, August 2007, Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

Disability in the Caribbean: A Study of Four Countries:A socio-demographic Analysis of the Disabled,LC/CAR/L.134, September 2007, Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

December 1, 2007 - World AIDS Day.................................................................................

November 25, 2007 International Day for theElimination of Violence Against Women................................................................................

November 21, 2007 UNFPA Caribbean MediaAwards, Trinidad and Tobago................................................................................November 9, 2007 - Seminar on Migration DataCollection, Management and Sharing in theCaribbean, organized by ECLAC and IOM(International Organisation for Migration), theCayman Islands

ECLAC Oct. 2007

ECLAC Aug. 2007

ECLAC Sept. 2007

To access all ECLAC documents check the website: http://www.eclac.cl/

Print JournalistsDominate 2007 UNFPAMedia Awards

Asha Javeed,Senior Business Reporter at theTrinidad Guardian,receives her PlatinumAward fromHaroldRobinson, UNFPARepresentative for theEnglish and Dutchspeaking Caribbean, atthe 2007 UNFPACarib-bean Media AwardsCeremony.

Documents

ICPD in the Caribbean Newsletter Vol 1, Issue 4 2007 ECLAC UNFPA