Population information is one of the cornerstones on which sustainable national development is built. The provision of accurate information at the right time in the correct format to policy makers, planners and programme managers requires a continuing national commitment to developing and maintaining effective population information services. Experience in the Asian and Pacific region demonstrates that those services can best be implemented through national population information centres and networks which acquire, manage and produce population information appropriate to their national development needs.

Article 1. Formation and name

In order to strengthen coordination and cooperation among existing national population information centres and networks in the region, each year, beginning in 1984, the ESCAP secretariat has organized activities for managers and technical staff of national POPIN centres. The purpose of those activities has been to facilitate the development of infrastructure and population information sharing within and among countries of the region. The national POPIN centres, together with the ESCAP secretariat, form the core of Asia-Pacific POPIN.

Asia-Pacific POPIN is a cooperative, decentralized network for the exchange of population and development-related data and information, knowledge and experience, with the voluntary participation of national POPIN centres in the Asian and Pacific region. Asia-Pacific POPIN, which is the regional focal point for global POPIN, was established in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1979/33.*

Article 2. Purposes

The purposes of Asia-Pacific POPIN are to promote awareness of emerging issues of population and sustainable development depending on available resources and the environment, and to promote and encourage the utilization of population data and information in the formulation and implementation of national population and development policies, plans and programmes through the dissemination of population data and information and sharing of knowledge and experience.

Article 3. Membership

Any population information centre designated by its Government as the national focal point, or intergovernmental organization in the Asian and Pacific region may become a member of Asia-Pacific POPIN by applying for membership to the regional headquarters and accepting the articles set forth in this Constitution. Other centres wishing to become members of Asia-Pacific POPIN should apply for membership to their national focal points. When a national POPIN centre has established a national network, those national network members will have reciprocal membership in Asia-Pacific POPIN. Membership in Asia-Pacific POPIN conveys membership in global POPIN as well.

Article 4. Responsibilities of Members

All member units of Asia-Pacific POPIN shall, within the resources available to them, accept the following responsibilities:

(a) to participate in activities of the Network including consultative workshops, steering committee meetings, collaborative research and the production of publications;

(b) to report to the Network on their information research and national networking activities through regular submission of articles and news items for publication in the Asia-Pacific POPIN Bulletin, which is the official publication of the Network, and, as appropriate, through presentation of papers at workshops and meetings;

(c) to seek financial support from their Governments and donor agencies, as necessary and appropriate, for their information centre and networking activities;

(d) to collaborate in, and promote, TCDC (technical cooperation among developing countries) activities;

(e) to send complimentary copies of their own English-language publications to other POPIN members and to the regional headquarters;

(f) to share experiences in the development of their national centre and network, or subregional network, through formal and informal channels of communication (e.g. newsletters and correspondence) utilizing current information technology (e.g., facsimile and electronic networking) to the extent possible, in order to improve communication among network members;

(g) to maximize the benefits of Asia-Pacific POPIN membership (i.e., enhanced exchange of information, knowledge and experience) in order to better serve the information needs of population and development policy makers, planners and programme managers in their respective countries and subregions.

Article 5. Headquarters

The headquarters of Asia-Pacific POPIN is located at the ESCAP secretariat. Its regional functions are carried out by the ESCAP Population Division with financial assistance from UNFPA, other donor agencies and member countries.

Article 6. Headquarters' Functions

The ESCAP Population Division undertakes activities consonant with the purpose of Asia-Pacific POPIN and its role as the regional headquarters, including:

(a) coordinating activities with global POPIN, national POPIN centres and subregional POPINs in the Asian and Pacific region;

(b) convening consultative workshops regularly to review and plan activities at the regional level;

(c) providing guidelines and standards for cooperative activities;

(d) convening ad hoc steering committee meetings to address specific issues/projects/activities;

(e) promoting the region-wide exchange of information on population information networking through publication of the Asia-Pacific POPIN Bulletin and other ad hoc cooperative publications in collaboration with national POPIN centres and subregional POPIN organizations;

(f) supporting the efforts of national centres to strengthen population information networking and infrastructure development within their own countries through technical assistance, training, TCDC arrangements, grant programmes and workshops;

(g) promoting the effective utilization of modern information-handling techniques, including telecommunications networking, where appropriate, to improve the exchange of information within and among countries of the region;

(h) encouraging the introduction of more efficient means of information exchange and networking with other development-related networks such as, inter alia, HELLIS (Health Literature, Library and Information System) and WINAP (Women's Information Network for Asia and the Pacific).

(i) encouraging cooperation in population information-related activities among United Nations agencies, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the World Health Organization, at the regional and national levels;

(j) assisting national and subregional networks in seeking funds for their activities;

(k) promoting expansion of membership in collaboration with national centres, national Governments and UNFPA Country Directors; and

(l) providing information services at the regional level and global level.

________________

* Following the recommendations of the Population Commission, the Economic and Social Council adopted resolution 1979/33 of 9 May 1979, in which it requested the Secretary-General to facilitate, in collaboration with the regional commissions and the specialized agencies, the establishment of a Population Information Network (POPIN) as a decentralized network for the coordination of regional, national and non-governmental population information activities, and to endeavour to obtain extrabudgetary resources for the functioning of an advisory group and a coordinating unit.

Top of page

Up one level

Home