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Dialogue Mobilizing Parliamentary Support for a Better Human Development Agenda IAPG Newsletter Final Edition 2012 December

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Dialogue Mobilizing Parliamentary Support for a Better Human Development Agenda IAPG Newsletter Final Edition 2012 December ParliamentaryDialogue Mobilizing parliamentary support for a better human development agenda IAPG Newsletter Final Edition 2012 December 2012 PROMISE ReneweD Table of Contents Parliamentarians are the real leaders of the Inter-American Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG). It is thanks to their work and commitment 2012 Promise Renewed 1 that they are able to deliver initiatives and proposals to their respective parliaments to adapt their countries’ legislative frameworks to the reality of Latin America and the Caribbean in order to improve the quality of life for all. The IAPG supports Istanbul Statement of Commitment 2 parliamentarians with evidence-based information and fosters alliances and partnerships through our all-party parliamentary network in the Americas. Latin America in numbers 2 The event of the year took place in Alba Luz Pinilla; Costa Rica, María Istanbul, Turkey on May 24 and 25, where Eugenia Venegas; Guatemala, Delia Back; IAPG Council Meeting: 31 parliamentarians, members of the IAPG Honduras, Perla Simons; Ecuador, Gina another leap forward parliamentary delegation representing the Godoy y Linda Machuca; El Salvador, for the parliamentary network 3 Americas region, participated in the Fifth Gloria Anaya y Guillermo Mata; Jamaica, International Parliamentarians’ Conference Kamina Johnson Smith; Nicaragua, Juan on Population and Development (ICPD). Elections: New IAPG Ramón Jiménez y Elman Ramón Urbina; Montserrat, Jermaine Wade; Panama, Governing Council 3 A total of 300 parliamentarians from 110 Crispiano Adames; Paraguay, Aida Robles; countries met to set a plan of action with Santa Lucía, Moses Jr. Baptiste; Perú, Unity is Strength: two objectives: to mobilize resources Ana María Solórzano y César Yrupailla; 2012 work meetings and create an enabling policy and Uruguay, Bertha Sanseverino; Venezuela, 6 legislative environment for population Nancy Ascencio, Dinorah Figuera, Odalis and development issues to ensure the Monzón y Henry Ventura. implementation of the 1994 Cairo Agreements. A key focus of the Conference was resource mobilization. With the global IAPG parliamentarians representing 20 economic crisis taking place in the around countries were present: Bolivia, Ingrid the world, many contributions from Zabala; Argentina, María Elena Corregido, donor countries have been reduced if not María Rosa Díaz y María Luisa Storani; eliminated (as is the case of Spain that Canada, A. Raynell Andreychuk y Rathika until now was an important donor for Latin Sitsabaiesan; Chile, Marco Antonio America). Therefore, parliamentarians Núñez y María Antonieta Saa; Colombia, committed to doubling efforts and mobilize Continued IstanbuL StatemenT of CommITmenT resources to achieve the agenda The Istanbul Statement of Commitment, a document adopted by participating parliamentarians in established in Istanbul, to monitor the meeting, will set the agenda on population and development for the coming years. Following the proper implementation of the is a summary of some of the agreements from the Istanbul Statement of Commitment: commitments by parliamentarians • Strive to attain at least 10% of national discriminatory, transparent health and to try to make such policies development budgets and development systems that prioritize sexual and visible in their respective countries. assistance budgets intended for reproductive health. Above all, however, legislators population and reproductive health • Monitor the efforts by any groups made the objective clear: to work programs. around the world to undermine the towards the implementation of the • Strengthen efforts to ensure target of ICPD agenda, especially the right of ICPD goals and the MDGs, and to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Product individuals to determine the size of ensure the commitments continue (GNP) for development assistance. their families, women’s empowerment beyond 2015. • Prioritize policies for the youth by and gender equality. promoting and protecting the rights • Engage governments and donors to Although, many challenges and to “access good quality education ensure resources and ensuring that barriers still remaing, those two at all levels, health, sexual and funding is channeled in a coherent, days in Turkey serve as a basis reproductive health services, including coordinated and transparent manner. for a hopeful future. comprehensive sexuality education”, • Pass appropriate legislation, review and measures to prevent all forms of existing legislation and mobilize support exploitation and abuse against them. for laws consistent with the ICPD • Ensure that sexual and reproductive agenda. health and rights, including family • Build a network of ICPD supporters. planning, are placed as key elements • Utilize communication as a tool of the new international development for facilitating understanding and agenda after 2015. cultivating public support on the ICPD • Promote and protect gender equality, agenda. Promote information exchange equity and empowerment of women between parliamentarians, encourage and girls. media to broadcast ICPD messaging and • Work with national authorities to promote the use of social media as a ensure high quality, accessible, non- communications tool. Source: UNFPA sevenTh IAPG CounCIL and reproductive health and rights in Parliamentarians meeting in Istanbul in meeTInG: AnoTheR LeAP the Latin America and the Caribbean May 2012. foRwARD foR The GRouP region facing Cairo+20 and the post-2015 development agenda. Once again, participants valued this type of Every year, members affiliated to the parliamentary meetings that promote “the Inter-American Parliamentary Group The first part of the event was open to the exchange of experiences that lead to the gather at the annual Council meeting to public with the participation of the civil creation of strategies regarding the rights define the objectives and plan for the society and representatives from various agenda and the Millennium Development following year. This year the meeting agencies. On behalf of UNFPA, Esteban Goals, and also allow to identify the laws took place at the Peruvian Congress in Caballero, UNFPA´s Representative in in effect in our region and the projects Lima, Peru, on September 27 and 28, Peru, presented an overview of this Andean in which they are working on”, stated hosted by the Peruvian Parliamentary country, where policies to lower maternal Ecuadorian representative, Soledad Vela. Women’s Caucus with support from the mortality rates have reduced to 93 per United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). hundred thousand in 2011. Similarly, During the meeting, the Council elected a Parliamentarians from 15 countries of the Susana Chávez from PromSex, gave a new Board of Directors, President and Vice- region attended. presentation on the regional follow-up President of the IAPG Council. The Seventh process regarding the ICPD anniversary. Council Meeting, once again demonstrated For two days, parliamentarians met Next, IAPG members analyzed the and ratified the commitment of each of the to discuss and share experiences of challenges in achieving the MDGs and IAPG members on women’s rights and the implementing the Cairo Agenda in their Cairo Agenda according to the reality of Cairo Agenda, which enshrines the right of countries. Particular emphasis was placed each country and the legislative actions that every person to have sexual autonomy and on the progress and difficulties of sexual are being developed following the Global family planning as a basic human right. eLections: new IAPG GoveRnInG CounCIL The IAPG Governing Council consists of a Board of Directors and a Council. The Board of Directors has a sub-regional representation with 7 positions, plus an additional position for replacement, which covers: Southern Cone (2 positions), Andean region, Central America and the Dominican Republic, North America, (comprising Mexico, United States and Canada) and the Caribbean region (designated position representing the CNPPD- Caribbean network). Similarly, the Council has a President and Vice-President and is composed of all-party parliamentary groups on population and development affiliated to the IAPG network. boARD of DIReCToRs Maria Luisa Storani, Argentina. A sociologist, born in Río Cuarto - Cordoba province, Argentina. Intensively involved in political life with the Radical Civic Union party (UCR), María Luisa has a long history of interdisciplinary work with civil society where she has always defended the rights of women, children and adolescents, especially in low-income families. Most recently, she has worked with gender-based violence issues. Together with other colleagues, she founded CEDEM (San Fernando Women’s Centre), a renowned NGO in Greater Buenos Aires that advocates for women’s rights. Councilor between 1994 and 2002, Storani faces her first term as a legislator. Currently she presides over the Commission on Disability and integrates the Civil and Commercial Codes Reform Commission in the Chamber of Deputies in Argentina. She has presented several bills as the non-applicability of statutory limitations on crimes against sexual integrity, amendments to the criminal code in relation to abuse to children under the age 16 years with disabilities and the elderly, and the Adoption Act, amongst others. On issues specific to reproductive rights, Storani proposed the Law to regulate assisted human reproduction techniques and has played an important regulatory role in requesting reports from the Executive on the Strategic Plan for the
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