The Bangladesh Family Planning Association (FPAB) recently organized a follow-up meeting to last year's International Conference on Population and Development to clarify issues discussed at the Conference and place them in a local context. The meeting, which was attended by volunteers and staff members of the national office and Dhaka branch of the FPAB, discussed the decisions taken at the Conference as they relate to family planning, abortion, sex education, migration, definitions of the family and investment in development.
FPAB has been instrumental in disseminating information on ICPD to the general public and other NGOs. NGOs in Bangladesh are eager for the Government to take appropriate action to dispel misgivings about the outcome of the Conference. Position papers and articles on the specific issues discussed at Cairo will be published in national newspapers to further this process of dissemination and debate.
(Source: Open File, January 1995, p.11)
UNFPA's IEC programme for the Philippines
Support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for an information, education and communication (IEC) programme will focus on the estimated 13.9 million women of reproductive age in the Philippines, particularly the poor and those most at risk. The UNFPA-funded programme will also address the husbands of these women as well as youth. The activities directed at youth will employ a life-stage orientation, starting at the primary-school level and continuing through to adolescence and adulthood. Moreover, because of the existence of a well-organized opposition to family planning, UNFPA-supported IEC activities will also focus on influential individuals and groups, in particular the media, legislators and local executives.
The expected cost for support to the IEC sector is US$5.2 million.
(Source: People Count, vol.4 No.10, November 1994, p.3)
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
A special issue of the United Nations Demographic Yearbook on population ageing covers 40 years of national population statistics derived from population censuses, civil registration systems and selected surveys.
The statistics presented permit the analysis of population ageing and the demographic situation of elderly persons aged 60 years or over. The data indicate population age structure, residence, literacy, marital status, family and living arrangements, economic particpation, and disability.
The Demographic Yearbook also includes four special articles. The first, entitled "Age structure changes in 1950-1990", discusses the effects of fertility and mortality reductions on population ageing. The second, on "Mortality trends among the elderly", describes mortality trends since 1960 and analyzes the main causes of death among the elderly. The third, on "Disability statistics in studies of ageing", documents the rise of disability with advancing age; and the fourth, on "Household and family statistics in ageing", discusses the living arrangements of elderly persons on the basis of census data.
The data contained in the special issue of the United Nations Demographic Yearbook are available in a database for microcomputers. They can be obtained by writing to: The Director, Statistical Division, Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, 2 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, United States;
Fax: (212) 963-9851;
Internet: demostat@un.org.
The Demographic Yearbook may be purchased from the Sales Section, United Nations, New York or Geneva, or through major booksellers throughout the world.
(Source: Population Newsletter, December 1994, pp.27-28)
International handbook of women's studies
The International Handbook of Women's Studies is a guide to courses and centres offering such studies, feminist organizations, libraries and publications, and training for women. The aim of the Handbook is to empower women to participate fully in economic and educational life. The title of the Handbook recognises the fact that women's studies involve both feminist practice and feminist study.
Each of the book's four sections lists major areas of activity under the general umbrella, "women's studies".
(1) International women's studies courses and research centres;
(2) Training;
(3) Research resources (book clubs, bookshops, libraries, archives, resource centres and information, women's organizations); and
(4) Publications: journals, magazines, dictionaries and handbooks.
The list of the first chapter, International Women's Studies Courses and Research Centres, includes 106 women's studies courses in Japan, the names of which were extracted from the report of the "Survey of Courses on Women's Studies and Related Subjects in Institutions of Higher Education in Japan" (Fiscal year 1990). The following items are covered: university name, address, faculty or school, course title and theme. Universities are arranged in alphabetical order of the prefecture in which they are located. In the second chapter, the book includes two institutions, including the National Women's Education Council (NWEC); in the third chapter, two bookshops, two libraries and seven women's organisations; and in the fourth chapter, five magazines and two handbooks. The book will enable people to construct a variety of networks.
(Edited by Loulou Brown, Helen Coolins, Pat Green, Maggie Humm and Mel Landells. Published by Harvester Wheafsheaf in 1993. 449 pages. ISBN 0-7450-1413-5 (pbk))
(Source: NWEC Newsletter, November 1994, p.11)
Population Council publication
The nature of the population policy debate has changed in the past three decades, according to a recent publication by the Population Council. The book of demographic essays is entitled The New Politics of Population : Conflict and Consensus in Family Planning. The current population policy orientation, the book states, centres on new transnational interests that attempt to influence the design and implementation of family planning programmes. Two of the principal antagonists on the population issue, the book points out, are the Roman Catholic Church and the feminist movement. The chapter on the Catholic Church examines the Church's actions from 1963, when the encyclical Humanae Vitae was issued, to 1990. It argues that while the Church firmly opposes abortion, it has not been as inflexible about family planning as was expected. As for the feminist movement, the book says the movement is internally divided but is united in subjecting family planning programmes to intense scrutiny and, "at times, severe criticism". The book focuses on women's political influence on family planning in three developing countries: Brazil, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Other sections deal with the political environments on population in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Mexico and China. One chapter deals with the politics of abortion.
Orders for the book (US$14) may be sent to: The Population Council, Office of Communications, Circulation Department, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, United States; Fax: (212) 755-6052.
(Source: International Dateline, December 1994, pp.7-8)
IPPF publication
The second edition of People and Development Challenges, a new publication from the International Planned Parenthood Federation East and South East Asia and Oceania Region, takes a look at the lives of young people in the region, their hopes, dreams, problems and challenges. It includes reports on life skills and peer sexuality education programmes in New Zealand, the lure of Bali's tourist industry for Indonesian youth and has articles on young people's lives in Malaysia and the Philippines. Other items include an interview with Malaysia's Minister for National Unity and Social Development, who has been an active supporter of the family planning movement for many years, and the current status of Singapore's small families improvement scheme.
(Source: Open File, January 1995, p.7)
Training directory
Family Planning & Reproductive Health: Directory of Training Courses 1994/1995 lists worldwide opportunities for training in clinical areas; information, education and communication; management; and the training of trainers. Available in paperback, the book is priced at US$15.00, and is available from: Technical and Evaluation Division, UNFPA, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, United States.
(Source: Populi, February 1995, p.15)
Conference on women
Over 400 women communicators from media organizations and networks in more than 80 countries in all continents of the world met at Bangkok from 12 to 17 February 1994 to discuss issues related to the theme of Women Empowering Communication. The conference was organized by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) in London, Isis International in Manila and the International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC) in New York. The World YWCA was represented by Muna Kaldawi and YWCA members from seven national associations.
In a final statement, participants declared: Our goal is a more just, people-centred and sustainable world order. We are concerned about development trends: globalisation of economies and the media. This is leading to centralisation of control over both resources and decision-making, with the results that one culture dominates and marginalises women, nature, minorities and indigenous and third world peoples.
In this context, the participants examined strategies aimed at empowering all communications.
* Strengthening peoples', and more specifically women's media, including story-telling, visual and performance arts which build on their knowledge, wisdom and creativity.
* Education and training methodologies to access existing media for women's organizations and community groups.
* The expansion of gender-specific media research and documentation at the local level.
* Increased opportunities for technical training for women in the area of communications.
* Promoting lobbies and campaigns directed at opinion makers and media consumers to raise public awareness on how issues of development affect women.
* Building links and solidarity between women and gender-sensitive men working in the media at all levels and in all conditions.
* Continuing to build links among women's networks and forge broader links with other people- oriented networks.
* Ensuring the widest and most appropriate dissemination of information related to United Nations meetings that concern people's lives.
* Ensure swift global dissemination of women's views at the 1995 World Conference on Women and NGO Forum in Beijing via satellite communications.
* Organize a video production on women's lives around the world for viewing and dissemination at Beijing.
* Build support for one day during the Beijing Conference when media houses worldwide promote programming by and about women. * Build support for 1996 to be declared International Year of Women Communicating.
Adapted from the Bangkok Declaration, February 1994.
(Source: Common Concern, March 1994, p.19)
World women's conference in September
The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held at Beijing, China, in September 1995, will promote the advancement of women in a follow-up to the 1985 Women's Conference held at Nairobi. In regional United Nations and NGO preparatory conferences and documents, women and men have taken an active stand in designing policy to empower the world's women.
Key concerns include the burden of poverty on women; unequal access to education, health and other services; unequal participation in economic policy- and decision-making; and violence against women. The registration deadline for all interested individuals and NGOs wishing to attend the NGO Forum on Women, 30 August to 8 September 1995, is 30 April 1995. Interested persons should contact: the Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat, 2 United Nations Plaza, Room 1204, New York, NY 10017, United States.
Tel: (212) 963-3104;
Fax: (212) 963-3463.
To receive Women on the Move, a monthly publication from the United Nations Secretariat, contact: the Secretariat of the WCW, Division for the Advancement of Women, DC2-1234, 2 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, United States.
To receive InterAction's NGO Forum on Women '95 Bulletin, contact: Kari Hamerschlag, InterAction, 1717 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 8th floor, Washington, DC 20036, United States.
Tel: (202) 667-8227;
Fax: (202) 667-8236;
e-mail: karih@igc.apc.org.
(Source: Population Today, vol.23, No.3, March 1995, p.8)
Training on survey data analysis
A four-week course on survey data analysis for researchers and professionals in population and health will be held from 12 June to 7 July 1995 at the Australian National University. This course focuses on approaches to the analysis of survey data which has already been collected, such as data for fertility, nutrition, demographic or health surveys. The techniques taught can also be applied to census data.
Topics will include understanding data limitations; exploratory techniques; theories and models; cross tabulation; analysis of variance; linear regression; logistic regression and linear models. The analysis will be performed using statistical software packages on microcomputers. All participants will receive extensive hands-on training in the use of SPSS/PC+ with some use of GLIM.
This course is suitable for researchers in government departments, NGOs or universities which use computers to perform the statistical analysis of censuses and respondent surveys. The techniques of analysis are not specific to any discipline and may be used on data relating to many fields, such as health, population, employment, education or market research.
For further information, please contact: Mr. Chris McMurray, The Special Courses Coordinator, Graduate Studies in Demography, National Centre for Development Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia.
Fax: (616) 2495570.
A training programme for women
The Korea Women's Development Institute (KWDI) is developing the "Training Programme to Promote International Cooperation Activity for Professional Women" in cooperation with UNDP, as a part of the UNDP 5th cycle projects.
Under this programme, UNDP and KWDI will each provide resources for a period of three years from 1994 to 1996. The purpose of this project is to promote international cooperation for Korean women in all professions.
The programme will introduce knowledge on international trends, preparation for better participation in international conferences and women-related issues by means of lectures, simulations, video tapes and field trips. One hundred women professionals will be trained every year. After training, the trainees will be enabled to further develop their skills by participation in international conferences, workshops and seminars as follow-up training.
After the training module is fully developed, implemented and revised, the final training packet will be distributed to women's organizations and universities in the Republic of Korea.
(Source: KWDI Newsletter, Winter 1994, p.3)