Major Parliamentarian Conference on ICPD to be held in Bangkok

Being of the view that partnership with parliamentarians is vital to build support for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) decided in 2002 to revive the organizing of international parliamentarians conferences.

From Bucharest to the Hague, seven such conferences had been organized with various regional parliamentary groups, resulting in the development of global parliamentarians movement on population and development. In 2002, UNFPA decided to initiate a new series of such conferences on ICPD to be held every two years.

The 2002 conference in Ottawa was attended by 103 representatives from 73 countries. The 2004 conference was attended by over 150 parliamentarians from 90 countries. The two conferences discussed the establishment of a global system of regular monitoring and follow-up for parliamentarians (2002), and resource mobilization and the creation of an “enabling environment” for ICDP implementation (2004), respectively. They were organized by a steering committee comprising population and development-related regional and international parliamentary organizations and UNFPA.

The Third International Parliamentarians Conference (2006) will be convened in Bangkok and will be co-organized by the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA), the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) and UNFPA. As decided by the Steering Committee meeting held in October in Tokyo, the 2006 conference will take place on 21 and 22 November and will review the progress made in parliamentary advocacy since the 2004 Strasbourg conference. It is expected that Ms. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA and Ms. Gill Greer, new Director-General (see page 3), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) will be among the keynote speakers addressing the Conference. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will graciously preside over the Conference’s opening ceremony.

Note: Look out for more coverage of this conference in upcoming issues of Population Headliners.

Related Link : http://www.unfpa.org/parliamentarians/index.htm