CASA BULLETIN

"While living in CASASTAN we not only learnt about management of RH programmes but also benefitted from the other participants."

Dr. Monire Bassir and Dr. Shirin Ghazizadeh, Iran

The participants worked in groups to identify goals, purposes, outputs and activities for each project and drafted project level logframes. The workshop faculty gave particular attention to the process involved in preparation of logframes, and emphasised the need to build synergy between the three projects under one sub-programme.

The workshop also benefitted by the presence of two TSS specialists from FAO Rome (Ms. Stella Ogbuagu and Ms. Marcella Villarreal) and one from UNESCO Paris (Mr. R.C. Sharma). They made presentations on topics of their expertise.

In their written and oral feedback at the end of the workshop, participants expressed their happiness with the content, pedagogy and the overall learning environment created by the workshop. Over 56 percent gave an overall workshop rating of "Excellent"; 41 percent rated "Very good". One participant rated the workshop "good" and no one rated it "Poor". They felt happy with the specific attention on management, an aspect that deserves such attention in the CASA region. They recommended that the CST should continue to conduct such workshops in future.

"We are very grateful to CST Kathmandu for organising such a wonderful, educative, learning and participatory workshop. It reminded us of our student life, i.e. attending sessions from early morning and finishing late evening and going through the workshop materials at night."

Dr. Momena Khatun and Dr. Ashrafuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh

In his valedictory speech, Mr. Saad Raheem Sheikh, CST Director referred to the South Asia studies initiated by the UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Nafis Sadik in 1989, which concluded that attention to management aspects is essential for improving population programme effectiveness in South Asia. This workshop is one among several efforts made by UNFPA since then for national capacity building.

Mr. Sheikh thanked the governments, UNFPA Representatives and Headquarters for their guidance, support and encouragement to the workshop. He also thanked the participants for their feedback and hoped that the workshop contributed to strengthening the relationship between government, UNFPA Country Offices and CST/CASA and that the participants would be CST's ambassadors.

The workshop core faculty consisted of the Adviser on Management of Population Programmes Mr. G. Giridhar (Coordinator), Adviser on RH/FP Services Dr. Godfrey Walker, Adviser on Population Advocacy Mr. Najib Assifi, Adviser on RH/FP Training and Research Ms. Jean Robson and Adviser on RH/FP MIS Mr. Jesse Brandt. Other advisers in the CST were also resource persons in several sessions. The Adviser on Labour and Population (IEC) currently posted at the Almaty sub-office was also present during the workshop as a resource person.

"The workshop was highly educational, particularly for Bhutan on the eve of the third country programme formulation. It had every substantive information on RH management. The workshop was organised in an excellent manner."

Ms. Sonam Peldon and Ms. Choeki Ongmo Dazer, Bhutan

In the last two and a half decades, UNFPA has been able to achieve a solid knowledge of population and development issues and generated support for family planning in various countries through its advocacy work. The Fund has also been able to obtain a broad base policy commitment and financial support for population activities.

(UNFPA Programme Priorities and Future Directions)

After Cairo, many countries in the Central and South Asia region have adopted a reproductive health approach as an integral part of their primary health and family welfare programmes. Because of the broadening of the scope of the reproductive health, the need for population advocacy is likely to be felt even more than ever before. The implications of this policy shift for advocacy activities mean that strategies and programmes need to be redesigned to ensure that they support the new policy and generate active support from the policy makers and opinion leaders. This new approach implies that the key recommendation of ICPD Programme of Action such as gender equity, the education of girls, empowerment of women, adolescent reproductive health and male participation should be addressed as part of advocacy strategies and messages.

Since the recognition of advocacy as one of the three programme areas by the UNFPA Executive Board, one of the problems faced by the country offices in this region has been lack of unified and coherent understanding of advocacy by the programme planners and managers. Some are of the opinion that advocacy is a function of IEC. Others think that IEC is a strategy for broader advocacy programme and there are yet others who believe that IEC and advocacy are totally sperate from each other.

The recent draft guidelines for UNFPA support to advocacy which was distributed among CST advisers for comments in February 1997 tries to distinguish the concept of advocacy from IEC. The guidelines recognises the considerable overlap in the processes employed to operationalise the two concepts and concludes that a key distinction between advocacy and IEC is in terms of goals and outcomes. The guidelines explain the goals of the two concepts as follows:

"The goal of advocacy is to introduce or change a policy, programme or legislation, or shift the position of influential individuals or organisations on a specific issue."

"The goal of IEC is to change attitudes, beliefs, values, behaviour or norms of individuals or groups of individuals."

The new guidelines will certainly contribute to better understanding of the concept of advocacy. How should we approach advocacy ? What should be the basic principles to guide planners in planning their advocacy efforts? These are two important questions which need to be addressed.

The answer might be in recognition of those factors which influence the behaviour of individuals, to which the advocacy activities must be directed. It is important to acknowledge the diversity of systems impinging on the health of the communities, including public policies, culture, economics, social environment, physical environment, the service delivery system (among others). Since reproductive health of the individuals and the community as a whole is affected by a broader set of factors, a more comprehensive strategic approach to advocacy should address the following needs:

Build Supportive Policies: Building supportive policies requires reproductive health and family planning to be put on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors, and at all levels of government. Policy makers need to be aware of the consequences of their decisions on population and development issues and must accept partial responsibility for the state of reproductive health in their countries. Complementary approaches involving legislation, fiscal measures and organizational change contribute to safer and high quality reproductive health and family planning goods and services.

Create Supportive Environment: Creating an environment conducive to increasing demand for and use of quality reproductive health services is necessary. To do so requires systematic assessment of the impact of the rapidly changing environment on the sexual behaviour and reproductive health practices at the community level.

Strengthen Community Action: Coordinated community action can promote appropriate priorities for population and reproductive health, informed decision making, thoughtful planning of strategies and effective implementation.

Develop Personal Skills: Advocating personal and social development through the provision of appropriate reproductive health education and skills can equip people with the confidence and ability to exercise more control over their own reproductive health and over their environments.

Reorient Health Services: The service providers need to move beyond their clinical responsibilities, towards education and counselling orientation. Reorientation of service providers also requires increased attention to be paid to reproductive health research, as well as changes in professional education and training. ( The above five strategies are adopted from the 1986 Charter for Health Promotion)

Population Education in South Asia has come of age! Introduced in the region in the early 1970s, the programme has been through several phases, each with the overarching objective of addressing contemporary population-related goals and issues in an appropriate manner through the education system. The combined efforts of UNFPA and National Governments have succeeded in making Population Education an accepted part of the school curriculum in all the seven countries. Though the focus has, till now, been mainly on the formal school system, there is an increasing emphasis on population education out of school.

While few disagree that there is the need for adolescents to be better prepared to take on their adult roles, particularly on reproductive health matters, there is considerable divergence of opinion on where, how and by whom this education should be imparted. It is believed in most South Asian societies that learning about sex will promote experimentation and promiscuity among the students. In these same societies very few parents talk about sex to their children. There is consequently a widespread ignorance among young people of how to deal with the physical and psychological changes that accompany the period of adolescence. More dangerous is the ignorance of the risks of unprotected sexual activity.

What is Adolescence Education?

It is an educational programme designed to provide learners with adequate knowledge about human sexuality in its biological, psychological, socio-cultural and moral dimensions. Adolescence education helps people to understand their sexuality, to learn to respect others as sexual beings, and to make responsible decisions about their behaviour" (UNESCO, 1991). Sex education is a term sometimes used synonymously with adolescence education. It is not a preferred term in South Asia because of its purely physical connotation.

The current criticality of adolescence education can be attributed to several factors. The period of adolescence has emerged as a distinct stage in the life cycle. A few generations ago it was quite usual for young girls who had just attained puberty to get married to young men not very much older than themselves. In other words on the physical side, girls in particular moved from childhood to adulthood with no intervening stage. Their psychological or social maturity for marriage and motherhood which usually follows physical maturity, was a non-issue. Although early marriages do still occur in some parts of the South Asian region, it is a practice increasingly frowned upon.

As the age of marriage gets pushed back because of their rising educational expectations, girls tend to continue their education beyond the primary level and an increasing number of young girls are finishing secondary school. Thereafter a number of them opt for employment before marriage. There is thus a longer gap between completion of schooling and marriage with all the attractions, freedom and temptations of the working world. With the decline of the extended family to the nuclear family, to the single parent family, to the "no parent" family, greater autonomy is expected of young people. Reproductive capability is now established at an earlier age than in the past, making the gap between physical maturation and marriage even wider. All these conditions have altered behaviour such that unprotected sexual behaviour at an earlier age among young people in most societies has increased. This makes the need for adolescence education a matter of urgency.

Adolescence Education in South Asia

How are the population education programmes in South Asia planning to meet the challenge? How will they accommodate the objections of the traditionalists? How to enable parents and teachers to communicate the messages in a wholesome, open and natural manner?

Sri Lanka has a "Population and Family Life Education in Schools" project. While not synonymous with Sex or Adolescence Education, Family Life Education could be heavily adolescent - sexuality oriented. In Sri Lanka the middle-path has been taken. During the next Country Programme increased attention to the special needs of adolescents through innovative programmes has been recommended.

In India the government is increasingly introducing adolescence education in schools. In Bangladesh a National Strategic Planning Workshop on Population Education was held in March this year. Population Education is to be extended to the higher secondary stage, vocational and technical institutions the madrasah system of education. The need to give

priority to issues such as women status, gender roles and responsibilities and adolescence education was appreciated.

The Maldives is gearing itself for the fourth phase of the Population Education Programme. A very special concern will be adolescents out of school who comprise a significant proportion of the island populations.

Nepal plans to review and update selected curricula keeping in mind the ICPD goals, particularly gender issues and adolescence education. A pilot project on adolescence education involving parents and teachers in Secondary/Higher Secondary Schools is on the anvil.

The need for sexual health education in Bhutan was discussed at the Annual Health Conference in 1995 and a recommendation made to consider the incorporation of sexual health messages in the population education programme in schools, particularly at the higher secondary level. This was reiterated by the PRSD mission in October 1996.

The Gap and the Promise

There is obviously a gap between what schools could do for adolescents in South Asia and what they are actually doing. However, in spite of the inherent constraints of introducing adolescence education in the school system while considering local religious and cultural

sensitivities, the widespread awareness of the need for adolescence education augurs well for the future. There is a refreshing openness with which strategies for communicating appropriate messages through the school system are being discussed. Surely, what is in the long-term interests of our young people, will ultimately prevail.

No other story of starting a population programme in a region or country would be as unusual and interesting as that of the Central Asian Republics. As is well known, the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early Ninetees and its constituent republics became independent states. The events moved fast and so did the "christening" of the Asian Republics, names like the CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States and NIS - Newly Independent States started circulating to describe roughly the geographical area of the Eastern European and Asian Republics. The Asian republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have been given acronyms that ranged from CAR to CARK to CARKA, CARAK and KATTUK. The UNFPA Country Support Team for Central and South Asia opted for a simple geographical description of Central Asia, just as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are grouped as South Asian countries.

The United Nations Agencies were very keen to provide technical assistance to the newly emergent nations, but the resources were just not available. Some of the donors (Germany and the Netherlands) gave ad-hoc assistance for needs assessment and contraceptive supplies.

The Agencies were not clear whether to administer them as an extension of the European region, calling it CIS or NIS, or as a separate unit. UNFPA was in touch with a number of governments and NGOs, but had similar reservations as to the geographical division that would handle central Asia. Meanwhile the Asia and Pacific Division of UNFPA had established contacts with the officials from these countries and felt that in view of limited resources and cultural affinity, the Central Asian Republics would benefit more from the neighbouring and more experienced countries of Asia in their reproductive health/family planning programmes. The tilt towards Asia was sealed when the Central Asian countries were accepted as full members of UN-ESCAP - the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Thereafter Asia and Pacific Division feverishly utilized limited donor funds to develop projects, train personnel and stimulate "south-south" exchanges. One of the landmark decisions was to turn a proposed Economic Cooperation Organization's (ECO) regional conference in Tehran into a broader meeting with the participation of the "experienced" countries of Asia with large or successful family planning programmes - Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey.

The Tehran Conerence (11-15 September 1993) brought the Central Asian officials from the Ministries of Health in direct contact with their counterparts of other Asian countries. For the first time they realized the magnitude of family planning programmes and the implications of service delivery.

The Executive Director of UNFPA, Dr. Nafis Sadik, in a broad ranging keynote address emphasized the need to consolidate and build on the experiences of Asian countries and added, "the newly-independent countries of central Asia, with large and diverse populations have recently joined the ranks of Asian nations; they have specific problems of population and development with which other countries in the region are well equipped to assist. A common Islamic heritage can be of great assistance". She praised the great progress that had been made and the great opportunity it presented itself. She concluded her address by saying, "Asian nations have shown that they can confront population problems successfully within the limits of available resources. They have demonstrated that concentration on population issues contributes goals for the region adopted last year (The Fourth Asia and Pacific Population Conference held in Bali, Indonesia August 1992) and the needs of the newly - independent nations will require still greater efforts, and additional resources. They demand and deserve the commitment of developed and developing nations alike, in Asia and throughout the rest of the international community. This conference should be an important contribution to that and I wish you well in the task ahead".

After returning from the conference, Dr. Nafis Sadik convened a number of internal policy meetings and bearing in mind the lack of resources and views of the Executive Board, issued a number of directives that placed UNFPA's concentration on reproductive health/family planning and especially to speed up the countries' transition from abortion to contraception. Training and contraceptive supplies would receive high priority. The importance of data collection and the 1999 round of censuses in the region was well recognised, but because of limited resources, only technical assistance would be provided

As UNFPA launched itself into unknown territory, the assistance of an international NGO was obtained but the major help came through the UNDP/UNFPA Resident Representatives:

Mr. Khalid Malik (Uzbekistan), Mr. Nigel Ringrose (Kazakstan) Mr. Ercan Murat (Kyrgyzstan), Mr. Paolo Lembo (Azerbaijan), Mr. Omer Ertur (Turkmenistan), and Mr. Markku Visappa (Tajikistan). Within a year, project officers were appointed in each country who were nationals and able to communicate in Russian and English. They are Dr. Iskandar Ismailov (Uzbekistan), Dr. Indira Moldogazieva (Kyrgyzstan), Mr. Ramiz Alekperov (Azerbaijan), Dr. Djemal Orazvalieva (Turkmenistan), Ms. Aida Alzhanova (Kazakstan) and Dr. Zukhra Akhmedova (Tajikistan). As the programme moved on, difficulties surfaced in service delivery, inventory, storage and management of logistics, lack of equipment and training/IEC materials. Lack of experience and commitment were also stumbling blocks which led to a re-think of UNFPA's strategy. A review by the Executive Director after a visit to the region, led to new initiatives that included the establishment of a UNFPA Representative's office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to cover all the six countries of the region - Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The technical backstopping support would be given by the Team in Kathmandu and a mix of UN Agencies (WHO, UNESCO) and International NGOs (Pathfinder, AVSC) was also commissioned to execute the RH/FP and IEC projects. In mid 1996 it was decided to set up a Sub-team of the CST in Almaty which would operate directly under the CST in Kathmandu. Its complement of three Advisers would include RH/FP, IEC and Data Collection, including Censuses.

Dr. Türkiz Gökgöl, the new regional Representative took up her post in Tashkent in April. This appointment and the establishment of a CST Sub-team in Almaty are strong indicators of UNFPA support to the region.

- Saad Raheem Sheikh

Dr. Gökgöl joined the UNFPA on 1 January 1997 as the Representative in Uzbekistan and Country Director for Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. She received her Masters degrees from Hacettepe University, Ankara in Demography, and from Harvard University in Population Sciences. She holds Doctoral degree from Harvard and later completed post-doctoral training in Financial Management and in programme evaluation.

Dr. Gökgöl is a founding member of the Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation, Contemporary Education Foundation, and the Human Resource Development Foundation, Turkey. She has served as an adviser to several organizations, including the World Bank, USAID and FAO.

Dr. Gökgöl worked closely on issues such as the establishment and development of non-governmental organizations, design of outreach health and educational programmes, development of management information systems for community-based programmes and design of reproductive health training and service delivery systems and measurement and management of quality in service delivery, outreach and training.

Dr. Gökgöl began her career as a professor of education planning, public administration programme evaluation and statistics. In 1983, she left teaching and joined Pathfinder International, a United States based private organization, as its Representative in Turkey. During 1988-1989 she served as Pathfinder's Washington, D.C. adviser, primarily facilitating and negotiating contracts on behalf of Pathfinder International with the United States government.

In 1990, she became the Vice President of Pathfinder International in charge of their programme in Asia and the Near East. In this capacity she initiated Pathfinder's programmes in Viet Nam, Azerbaijan, Iran and Kazakstan and significantly expanded Indonesia's programme. Dr. Gökgöl was born in Istanbul, Turkey.

Note:

CST/CASA Sub-team office established in Kazakstan

Beginning 1st January 1997, the CST/CASA Sub-team was established in Almaty, Kazakstan to meet technical assistance needs of Central Asian Countries on priority basis. Mr. Javed S. Ahmad, Adviser on Labour & Population (IEC) and Ms. Luisa T. Engracia, Adviser on Population Statistics have moved from Kathmandu to Almaty to join the Sub-team.

A 14-member Pakistan delegation sent by the United Nations Population Fund, Islamabad, spent a week in Indonesia to observe and learn from the country's family planning programme. The delegation included 10 influential Ulema (religious leaders) specifically sent to learn from the Indonesian experience in family planning.

At the conclusion of the study tour organized by the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) of Indonesia, the ulema termed the whole exercise as a successful one. Since Indonesia is one of the successful countries in population control, it has become a model state for others. Pakistan can especially learn from it as Indonesia too is a Muslim country and their ulema have played a major role in supporting the family planning programme.

Maulana Fakhrul Hasan Kararvi from Peshawar says: "After visiting Indonesia, I have come to realize how important family planning is for a poor country like ours. If we don't pay attention to limited resources and the ever-growing demands due to increase in population, we would be entering the 21st century in extreme poverty. If community welfare organizations cooperate, we can definitely work towards propagating family planning in our area."

At the conclusion of his visit to Indonesia, Maulana Syed Jalal of Swat is determined to disseminate information on population welfare programmes. "I wish to see my people prosper and I will, therefore, tell them about family planning and what we have learnt from our study tour," he says. Maulana Muhammad Shoaib also from Swat is impressed with the unity and discipline found in Indonesian society, and says:"I am impressed by the commitment with which women and men work together to make their family planning programme stronger."

"I have always believed that Islam does not prohibit family planning and this belief has been further strengthened after my visit to Indonesia," opines Maulana Anwar Rahi of Karachi.

"I have learnt a lot from this programme and I will propagate the message of family planning in my area," says Maulana Rahi, adding, "Firstly, I will convince my friends who are against family planning and then I plan to hold seminars on the subject."

Maulana Fazlur Raheem extended his invitation to the Indonesian ulema to visit the Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore so that there could be further exchange of information. He is impressed with the education being imparted at the religious educational institutions in Jakarta and Yogyakarta and their united stand on family planning.

"I have always believed that Islam does not prohibit family planning and this belief has been further strengthened after my visit to Indonesia ..."

Maulana Wisal Ahmed of Nowshera is also impressed by the unity displayed by Indonesian men and women during all the field visits. He believes any nation that displays such unity is bound to progress and prosper. "The Indonesians have set an example for us," he says. "Everyone is united in their commitment towards family planning. Once I return home, I will try to convince my people and give them the example of Indonesia which is also a

Muslim country. Propagation of family planning is the way to prosperity."

Sialkot's Quri Muhammad Masaudi is moved by the cleanliness in the villages and cities of Indonesia. However, he is concerned about the free mixing of genders at work and that many women do not observe "purdah". Regarding the family planning programme, he says he will try to spread the word on spacing between births.

"Previously I never supported family planning," admits Allama Hafiz Zubair Ahmad Zaheer of Lahore. "But after this visit to Indonesia, I am convinced." He is most impressed with the cooperation between the Indonesian government and ulema regarding family planning activities and services.

"If the government and population welfare department cooperates with me, I will certainly be able to bring about positive changes in my area," expresses Syed Abdul Hakeem Shah of Quetta. As this was his second visit to Indonesia, he observes that the country has further developed over the last five years and people are in a better condition.

Maulana Wazirul Qadri from Bolan is of the view that before visiting Indonesia, he had only heard about family planning. "Now I really know what it is," he says, "I believe Indonesia is running their family planning programme in the best way possible. Also they take good care of health of the family members". He proposes to hold meetings with the representatives of the Balochistan and national governments in order to chalk out a family planning programme for the province.

Overall, the delegation expressed commitment and support towards family planning. Inspired by the Indonesian example, they are convinced that firstly, there is nothing unIslamic as long as it is bound by the principles laid down by Islam; secondly, it is necessary for making the family a stronger economic unit.

( This article is extracted from a report in The Nation, 9 March 1997 by Uzma T. Haroon).

The EC/UNFPA Initiative for Reproductive Health in Asia aims at expanding RH services, information and research through non-governmental and non-profit organizations in various countries in the Asia Region. The first phase of this initiative will cover Cambodia, Nepal and Pakistan. The second phase will cover Bangladesh, India, Laos and Vietnam. These countries have a large unmet need for reproductive health services including family planning and sexual health, and good potential for NGO involvement in the sector.

"This initiative is a very bold joint venture between UNFPA and the EC. The EC initiative will help us implement the ICPD Programme of Action and move us closer to realizing the financial goals of the ICPD," said Dr. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA Executive Director.

The purpose of the Initiative is to:

Expand access to and improve quality of RH services in unserved and under-served areas and for vulnerable population groups; increase community participation and local initiatives;

Enhance capacities in the non-governmental and non-profit sector for improved RH care and for RH services which are integrated in the primary health care system;

Strengthen capacity and sustainability of local NGOs to manage and implement RH programmes which are coherent and complementary with national policies and interventions;

Promote gender equity ad equality in health care services.

The initiative will be implemented over four years starting April 1997 by the UNFPA and executed by a number of European non-governmental organizations. The initiative will be managed by UNFPA through a Project Management Team in New York and a Technical Coordination Unit in Brussels, and its network of field offices and country support teams.

At the Launching Meeting of the Initiative, held in Brussels on 24 April 1997, Mr. Erich Muller, Head of the Technical Unit for South and South-East Asia of the Commission of the EC, underlined the increasing importance attributed by EC to reproductive health programmes since ICPD. Mr. M. Nizamuddin, Director of the Asia Pacific Division of UNFPA-HQ thanked the commission for its commitment to implementing the ICPD Programme of Action. He stressed the importance of mobilizing and supporting NGOs to implement the ICPD agenda, given their comparative advantage, their ability to be innovative and to work with most disadvantaged groups and on sensitive issues. Dr. Ines Perin, Adviser on Health and Population, Technical Unit for Asia (EC), elaborated the EC approach to RH and its activities in Asian countries.

Seventeen EURO NGOs expressed their interest and capability to participate in the Initiative. Most of these NGOs had already established partnerships with national organizations and were undertaking projects in one or more of the countries.

As a step towards implementation of the Initiative in Nepal, the Technical Coordinator/ Programme Manager, UNFPA New York organized a country briefing meeting of the National Advisory Group on 10 June 1997 in Kathmandu.

Representatives from the government, the private sector, NGOs and donor agencies participated in the meeting. The opening session was attended by Begum Syeda Abida Hussain, Minister of Population Welfare, and Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Ministry of Finance.

The meeting agreed on eight strategic recommendations for the effective implementation of Population Programme, all of them endorsed by the Minister of Population. The eight recommendations were; (1) to provide reproductive health services, in light of ICPD/POA, at all service outlets of both the Ministry of Population Welfare and the Ministry of Health, (2) to develop and implement a new comprehensive training programme to address the new reproductive health responsibilities, (3) to promote cooperation, coordination, and collaboration between Government and NGOs as well as the private sector in implementing the ICPD/POA, (4) to provide authority and resources to the provincial and district levels for better implementation of reproductive health services, (5) to strengthen accountability at all levels through monitoring, supervision, research and evaluation, (6) to redefine the role of IEC and population education in order to address advocacy, Ulema involvement, adolescent and youth education, gender issues, and the promotion of reproductive health in general, including family planning, (7) to empower women, and finally (8) to produce and distribute a complete and coordinated set of operational guidelines.

NEW RELEASES:

The recently published report on Human Development in South Asia 1997 was released in Nepal in April by the Prime Minister amidst several high level Government and UN officials. The report, authored by Mr. Mahabub-ul-Haq, the President of Human Development Centre (HDC) in Pakistan, assesses the human development situation in the South Asian countries and analyzes the challenges faced by them.

South Asia is emerging as the most deprived - the poorest, the most illiterate, the most malnourished, the least gender sensitive - region in the world. With the lowest per capita GNP among other regions of the world (US$309 in 1993), South Asia accommodates nearly one-fifth of the world's population, but produces only 1.3 percent of the world's income. Nearly 40 percent of the world's poor live in this region and over 500 million people are below the poverty line. The adult literacy rate is the lowest in the world (48 percent) and the region contains about half of the world's total illiterate population. South Asia has the highest number of children out-of-school, and two-thirds of this " wasted generation" are females.

The report states that half of the children in South Asia are underweight compared to only 30 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, despite a much higher GNP growth rate and substantial increase in food production. Gender discrimination in South Asia is so widely practised that it remains the only region in the world where, against the global biological norms, men outnumber women in the total population. Morbidity and mortality of women simply are higher than those of men owing to persistent unequal allocation of scarce resources between the sexes.

South Asia has not been able to achieve the level of development ofother regions like East Asia (excluding China), despite the fact that both regions started out at roughly the same income levels in the 1960s. According to the report, this is mainly due to the lack of critical factors, such as: investment in education with emphasis on high-quality primary education and technical skills; outward-looking trade strategies; institutional and land reforms, equitable credit systems; mobilization of savings and investment; and good governance. Yet South Asia has the world's only rising military budgets since 1987.

The report recommends a concrete long term (fifteen year) plan of action be prepared by the SAARC countries as soon as possible in order to help South Asia overcome its human development problems.

The Family Health Division, Ministry of Health of His Majesty's Government of Nepal has published a report n March 1997 on Nepal Family Health Survey (NFHS, 1996). This survey is the fifth in a series of demographic and health surveys conducted in Nepal since 1976. It covers a nationally representative sample of 8,429 ever-married women aged 15-49.

The results of the 1996 Survey indicate that the total fertility rate (TFR) in Nepal has declined steadily from over 6 in the mid-1970s to 4.6 during the period of 1994-1996. Differentials in fertility by place of residence are significant, with the urban TFR at about two children less than the rural TFR. The fertility decline in Nepal is partly influenced by an increase in the age at marriage over the past 25 years. This trend towards later marriage is reflected by the fact that the proportion of women married by age 15 has declined from 41 percent among women aged 45-49 to 14 percent among women aged 15-19. However, early childbearing and short birth intervals is a persistent feature. The survey results also indicate a strong relationship between female education and the age at marriage.

At the current fertility level, the average woman is having almost 60 percent more births than she wanted. NFHS data show that children born to young mothers and those born after short intervals suffer higher rates of morbidity and mortality.

The knowledge of family planning methods is universal among currently married women (98 percent), but the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) is 29 percent, the majority of women using modern methods. The most widely used method is sterilization (18 percent) followed by injectable (5 percent). The rate of increase in the current use of modern contraceptives has been slow from 1991 to 1996 compared to the past two decades. The unmet need for family planning among women being 14 percent for spacing and 17 percent for limiting.

The NFHS 1996 estimates under-five mortality at 118 deaths per 1,000 births and infant mortality at 79 deaths per 1,000 births. About one in every eight children born in Nepal will die before its fifth birthday. In addition, two thirds of all under-five deaths occur in the first year of life. But mortality levels have been declining rapidly since the 1980s, with under 5 mortality declining faster than infant mortality. The improvements in immunization coverage may be a reason for this decline. However, only about one-tenth of children with diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses are taken to the health facilities. These illnesses remain the common causes of child deaths in Nepal. Maternal deaths accounted for 27 percent of all deaths to women aged 15-49, with a maternal mortality ratio of 5 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Gender disparity in child mortality still prevails, as this rate is 24 percent higher among females than among males despite higher neonatal mortality among males than females. This indicates gender related differences in child rearing practices. Furthermore the percentage of mothers receiving antenatal care and the percentage of births delivered in a health facility or under the supervision of a doctor or nurse/midwife are still very low.

The nutritional status among children and mothers in Nepal is also very low with 48 percent of children under 3 years of age stunted and 20 percent severely stunted. Stunting is more prevalent among children of higher birth order and children with shorter birth intervals. Female children are slightly more likely to be stunted.

(Contributed by Neera Shrestha, Research Assistant and Ag. Management Officer, CST Kathmandu)

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan have recognised that involvement of midwives in providing counseling and contraceptive services will significantly expand women's access to and use of family planning methods. Because a midwife is responsible for deliveries, people are likely to accept and trust her in respect of contraception. The majority of nurses and midwives in Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan feel that their involvement in family planning services will be beneficial to clients as well as doctors.

These are the main conclusions of a qualitative research by the Family Health International, conducted with UNFPA support in 1996. The support also includes training of midwives as reproductive health and family planning service providers.

Uzbekistan has been experiencing significant reductions in abortion rates during the last 4-5 years. The abortion rate was 27.7 per 100 live births in 1990 and by the end of 1995 it declined to 15.4.

The government attributes this welcome trend to the family planning programme that was launched under a new movement called "Healthy Generation". Since 1990 there has been a considerable upward shift in the CPR from 19 percent to about 45 percent in 1996, according to Ministry sources.

The 1996 DHS in Uzbekistan found widespread use of contraception with no significant difference between urban and rural areas or between ethnic groups. IUD remains the most popular modern contraceptive method used by women in Uzbekistan. Over 75 percent of women have heard of oral pills.

Since 1993, UNFPA has provided assistance to the Government of Uzbekistan with supplies and training of service delivery personnel.

Below are some statements that show how you may feel about your organisation. There are no right or wrong answers. Read each statement and indicate how you truly feel about it, based on your experience in your organisation. Use the following scale to indicate your rating:

__1. I can largely determine what matters to me in the organisation.

__2. The course of my career largely depends on me.

__3. My success or failure depends mostly on the amount of effort I put in.

__4. The persons who are important control most matters here.

__5. To a large extent, my career depends on my seniors.

__6. My effectiveness in the organisation is mostly determined by senior people.

__7. Successful completion of assignments is mainly due to my detailed planning and hard work.

__8. Being liked by seniors or making a good impression usually influence promotion decisions.

__9. Senior persons' preferences determines who would be rewarded in the organisation.

__10. My success, to a large extent, depends on my competence and hard work.

__11. How much I am liked in the organisation depends on my seniors.

__12.If my seniors do not like me, I probably would not succeed in this organisation.

__13.Usually I am responsible for getting, or not getting, rewards.

__14.My success or failure depends mostly on those who work with me.

__15.My promotion in the organisation depends mostly on my ability and effort.

__16.I can work hard enough to get my suggestions accepted in the organisation.

__17.Generally, I determine what happens to me in my organisation.

__18.My acceptability to others will depend on my behaviour with them.

__19.My ideas get accepted if I make them fit with the desires of my seniors.

__20.Pressure groups are more powerful (and control things) in the organisation than individual employees.

A locus-of-control orientation is reflected in the way a person views what happens in her/his organisation. There are those who believe that others influence events (so called "externals") and there are those who believe they themselves can both predict and influence events (so called "internals"). Do you have an internal or external locus of control?

Add your total score on items: 1,2,3,7,10,13,15,16,17,18 and call this total : IN.

Add your total score on items: 4,5,6,8,9,11,12,14,19,20 and call this total: EO.

If IN is between 29 and 32, you have high trust in your ability and effort. If EO is between 21 and 29, you have a realistic and useful dependence on others. Very high score on IN (33 and above) may show an unrealistic assessment of difficulties and problems. Similarly, a very high score (33-34) on EO may show a dysfunctional dependence on others.

Following the logframe training received by the CST Director and the Adviser on Management of Population Programmes at the UNFPA Headquarters in New York in February this year, a workshop was conducted by them during 10-11 April in Kathmandu.

Twenty-six participants attended the workshop including 10 from UNFPA Country Office led by the UNFPA Representative Mr. S. K. Alok; 3 from the Ministry of Health and all CST Advisers, the JPO, the Management Officer and the Research Assistant.

The workshop began with a brief presentation and discussion on the current project formulation format (Form - 19), with specific reference to sections on objectives, strategies, workplans, monitoring and evaluation. Then the logframe concept was presented with reference to (a) linkages between goals, purposes, outputs and activities; (b) vertical and horizontal logic; (c) indicators; and (d) assumptions and risks which need to be identified at the design stage. The specification of goals and purposes in the logframe matrix was presented as a modest extension from current UNFPA practice.

The need to develop a logical framework as a collaborative exercise and the importance of stakeholder analysis were discussed. Selected examples of country programmes were used for group exercises.

The importance of UNFPA's emphasis on programme approach was discussed and emphasis was placed on the linkages between component projects of each sub-programme covering reproductive health, population and development strategies, and advocacy. The programme approach would enable us to give specific attention to the synergy between component projects lot more directly than in the past. The project review meetings may need to be followed up with Sub-programme Review Meetings to see if the intended synergy is working and how to strengthen it further. The logframe would be a useful tool for such reviews.

On behalf of all participants, Mr. S. K. Alok thanked the CST for conducting such a useful training at a time when the country office was actively involved in the development of UNFPA's fourth country programme for Nepal. While logframe concepts were not very new, there are useful steps in the logframe development process which will improve future programme formulation and implementation.

A National Strategic Planning Workshop on Population Education was held on the 30-31 March 1997 at the Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management, Dhaka. It was inaugurated by Mr. A.S.H.K. Sadique, Hon'ble Minister for Education, PMED, Science and Technology.

The purpose of the workshop was to develop strategies for the expansion of population education to higher secondary level, into technical and vocational institutions and into the Madrasah system of education. At present population education is integrated only upto secondary level of school education. The workshop was organized by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board with financial and technical assistance from UNFPA Bangladesh and the UNFPA CST, Kathmandu.

The workshop developed a draft Action Plan for each of the three sectors to which population education is sought to be extended. The participation of religious leaders and educationists from the Madrasah stream of education was perhaps the most significant achievement of the two-day workshop.

Three of the six projects proposed under the UNFPA funded Reproductive Health Programme of Assistance to Sri Lanka 1997-2000 were approved and signed on 26th February by Mr. B. C. Perera, Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka. Dr. A. T. P. L. Abeykoon, Director of the Population Division endorsed the document on behalf of the Ministry of Health. Ms. Suneeta Mukherjee, UNFPA Representative for Sri Lanka signed on behalf of the Fund. Mr. Faiz Mohideen, Director-General, Department of External Resources, Ms. Nalini Madanayake, Director, Department of External Resources, Ms. Malathi Weerasooriya, Assistant Representative, UNFPA and Mr. Wouter Bolding, UNFPA Programme Officer were also present.

Following the signing ceremony, representatives of the eight implementing agencies of the projects signed Letters of Understanding with UNFPA.

-Reviews-

The Adviser on Population Education in the Organised/Informal and NGO sector reviewed three baseline survey proposals for the projects BGD/95/PO7:"Family Planning and Welfare Services for the Industrial Workers through the Labour Welfare Centres", BGD/95/PO8:"Family Welfare Education and Services in Bangladesh Tea Plantations", and BGD/96/PO3: "Family Welfare and Income Generation Activities through Rural Cooperatives in Bangladesh".

In the light of country priorities and other donor's support, the Adviser on Population Statistics assessed the demographic data collection activities and made recommendations on specific activities in the sector that UNFPA might support.

-Workshops-

The Adviser on Gender, Population and Development participated in a two-day workshop as a resource person. The workshop was conducted in connection with the draft Health and Population Sector Strategy. The stakeholders invited were government officials, NGOs and women's groups, the private sector and donors.

The Adviser on Population Education assisted the Ministry of Education in conducting a National Strategic Planning Workshop for integrating population education into higher secondary education, technical and vocational education, and the Madrasah system of education. Also assistance was provided in writing the draft report on the workshop, and in identifying and briefing national experts in the subsequent preparation of the project documents.

-Fifth Health and Population Programme-

The World Bank Fifth Health and Population Programme (HAPP-5) is based on the Health and Population Sector Strategy which incorporates a vision for the health and population sector that is responsive to client needs, especially women's needs, provides quality services, has an adequate delivery capacity and is financially sustainable.

The Adviser on RH Training and Research and the Adviser on RH Information and Counselling participated in the World Bank Preparatory Mission for the HAPP-5 to (i) plan the various preparatory activities for the appraisal mission, (ii) participate in the Task Groups dealing with the 'Human Resource Development in Health and Family Planning Services' and Behaviour Change Communication components of the HAPP-5, and (iii) suggest UNFPA's present and future directions and programme priorities relating to IEC and Advocacy in Bangladesh.

The Adviser on RH Services went on a mission to familiarise with the Bangladesh UNFPA Programme and to interact with the IDA-Development Partners Consortium Preparatory Mission for the HAPP-5 to further future collaboration with the Consortium.

INDIA

-Evaluations-

The Adviser on Population Advocacy participated in the qualitative evaluation of the UNFPA supported IEC projects in Maharashtra under the fourth country programme. He recommended a multi-sectoral approach to better address the RH initiatives conveyed in the ICPD/POA.

The Adviser on Population Policies and Development Strategies evaluated the regional project: "International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai where UNFPA supports diploma training in population studies. The project supports capacity building with a good potential for futher growth and imporvement

.-Project Formulations-

The Adviser on RH Logistics and MIS continued the process of formulating IND/97/PO3 which commenced with visits to Orissa and Gujrat in December 1996. A number of days were spent at CST headquarters in preparing the draft project document and a follow-up visit to Delhi was undertaken to meet with government officials to review the draft project document and to consult with potential donor partners about their participation in the project.

The Advisers on Management of Population Programmes and RH/FP Information and Counselling assisted the team of national consultants in formulation of the Integrated Population and Development (IPD) projects in the states of Rajasthan and Maharastra respectively under the fifth India Country Programme (CP-V).

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) organised two national workshops for the development of the State project documents on population and development education in Schools (1997-2000). The Adviser on Population Education attended the second one, in Delhi, with the purpose of guiding the NCERT and state representatives in the formulation of their population education programmes, integrating the ICPD/POA. Later, she also assisted in planning two ICPD training workshops under the population education project.

-Brainstorming sessions-

The Adviser on Population Education in the Organised/Informal and NGO sector participated in a brainstorming session in Delhi to discuss the future role of UNFPA in the private/organised/unorganised population education sector in India.

The Adviser on Gender, Population and Development participated in a brainstorming session in Delhi with the purpose of identifying and strategising areas of UNFPA support to the proposed National Policy for the Empowerment of Women.

IRAN

The Adviser on RH Training and Research conducted the annual project review for three projects: IRA/95/P04: Strengthening Community Based RH/FP; IRA/94/P05: Training of Rural Midwives and FP Advocates; and IRA/95/P06: Promoting RH Research and Training under the UNFPA Country Programme. She also reviewed with the programme staff and implementing agencies some implementation issues with regard to the project IRA/94/P01: Establishment of FP Services and Training Centres and on the design of a future RH/FP IEC project.

MALDIVES

-Evaluations-

The project MDV/95/PO2: "Strengthening of RH/FP Service Delivery" was evaluated by the Adviser on RH Training and Research. The project is gaining impetus in the islands as more women are being reached by the health services offering basic RH, especially maternity and family planning services. Still the RH/FP service delivery is characterised by urban-rural discrepancies.

Two IEC projects, assisted by UNFPA, MDV/95/PO3:"Support to IEC Activities of the MCH/FP Service Providers", and MDV/95/PO4:"Awareness Creation through Mass Media" were evaluated by the Adviser on Population Advocacy. A set of recommendations for further strengthening of IEC in support of RH/FP was prepared.

The Adviser on Population Education evaluated the project "MDV/95/P01: Population Education in Formal and Non-formal Education" and made recommendations for the Strategy Formulation and Programme Development exercise to follow.

-Second Country Programme-

The Advisers on Management of Population Programmes and RH Services undertook a joint mission to Maldives to participate in the Strategy Formulation and Programme Development exercise under the second UNFPA Country Programme (CP-II) in the Republic of Maldives. During this mission, three documents were prepared: (a) Strategy Formulation Report, (b) Country Programme, and (c) RH sub-programme, complete with logframes. The Aide-Memoire was presented to the government by the mission which also included the UNFPA Country Director, Mrs. Suneeta Mukherjee.

-Others-

The Adviser on RH Training and Research assisted in the preparation of a background document for the UNDP Round Table Meeting on Population and Sustainable Human Development. The team comprised

Mr Bradman Weerakoon, consultant, Team Leader, Prof. David Horlacher, consultant economist, Ms Marilyn Rice, TSS specialist, WHO Geneva.

The Adviser on Gender, Population and Development assisted in the initial start-up phase of the implementation of project MDV/96/O1:"Empowerment of Women". Specifically, modifications were made in work plans to speed up implementation, and specific follow-up actions suggested.

NEPAL

The Adviser on Population Education in the Organized/Informal and NGO Sector assisted in the formulation of a non-formal population and family life style Education Programme which is the second phase of the project NEP/93/PO8: "Non-formal Sector PopEd Programme". The second phase is intended to provide a wider coverage of the target population with information on RH/FP and a number of cross-cutting areas emphasised in the ICPD/POA. The new formulation will contribute to the national capacity for implementation in the sector.

The Adviser on Gender, Population and Development assisted the UNFPA Country Office in formulating a project document on RH and Women's Empowerment in 900 VDCs. The project document has subsequently been forwarded to the government for review/comments.

-Population & Housing Census-

As part of the preparations for the 2001 Population and Housing Census, the Adviser on Population Policies and Development Strategies assisted in the assessment of the technical and financial needs of the Central Bureau of Statistics. He subsequently helped in the formulation of two projects for UNFPA funding: to support the training and research programme at the Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS) of the Tribhuvan University; and another to strengthen Population Division, Ministry of Population and Environment to integrate population and human resources factors into development planning.

Three Advisers of the CST helped in the review of the RH sub-programme which consists of three component projects: RH delivery, IEC for RH and RH training. Since all three projects are interdependent, the review focussed on their strategic linkages and how these linkages could be strengthened further.

PAKISTAN

The Adviser for RH Training and Research evaluated the training programme under project PAK/94/PO2:"Strengthening RH Services and Training", with a particular focus on the training contents and activities completed by AVSC. The mission thus addressed the likely impact on strengthening skills in FP methods, counselling, asepsis and infection prevention and COPE.

The Adviser on RH/FP Logistics and MIS reviewed the record-keeping system, data compilation and report preparation processes under the Family Planning and Primary Health Care Programme.

-Mid-Term Review-

A joint mission assessed the overall progress of the projects in the 5th Country Programme. The review team consisted of the Adviser for RH Training and Research, the Adviser for RH Information and Counselling, and a Senior Research Demographer of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. The mission identified a number of issues and concerns that could be addressed in the second half of the country programme.

The Adviser on Population Statistics conducted a workshop on basic survey research methods to programme managers and officers of NGOs involved in population related activities. The National Population Welfare Organization, an umbrella organization of NGOs working in Pakistan, organized this workshop, with funding support from UNFPA in order to provide knowledge and skills in conducting baseline and follow-up surveys.

SRI LANKA

The Adviser on Population Advocacy assisted in the start-up operations of the two projects, SRL/97/PO3: Advocacy in Support of RH, and SRL/97/PO5: IEC Support of RH. The mission specifically addressed advocacy strategies and approaches and assessed the implementing agencies and institutional and coordinating arrangements.

The Adviser on RH Logistics and MIS undertook a joint mission with the WHO SEARO Adviser to assess the management information systems of the Ministry of Health and advise on the data collection requirements related to the UNFPA-funded Reproductive Health Services Project SRL/97/PO2.

The Adviser on RH Services assisted in the implementation of the project in support of reproductive health service delivery in Sri Lanka. In particular, he reviewed the implementation status of well women's clinics, ante-natal screening for syphilis, RH services for internally displaced persons and adolescent health services.

CENTRAL ASIA

The Adviser on Population Statistics participated as a resource person in the Symposium on the Strengthening of Information Systems held in Bishkek in the Central Asian Republics. Senior officials from the State Statistical Committees of Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyztan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were invited to the Symposium which was funded by UNFPA and organized by the UN Statistics Division.

The Adviser on Labour and Population (IEC) assisted Ministry of Health, Government of Kyrgyzstan in planning the World Population Day activities. He also assisted the Government of Uzbekistan, in conducting the Materials Development Workshop. During the workshop, participants representing MOH, mass media and NGOs formulated an IEC strategy, segmented target audience, experienced focus group discussions, designed print materials and pre-tested the same.

OTHER COUNTRIES

-Gaza & West Bank-

At the request of the UNFPA Division for Arab States and Europe, the Adviser on Population Advocacy undertook a three-weeks mission to Gaza & West Bank to develop, in consultation with the Palestinian Authority, a project on reproductive health advocacy and IEC for the people of Gaza and the West Bank. This mission was a part of the overall project formulation mission carried out by three other Advisers from the UNFPA-CST office in Amman.

-Lao, PDR-

The Adviser on Population Policies and Development Strategies evaluated a UNFPA funded project: LAO/95/P02: Integration of Population and Human Resources Factors into Development Planning in People's Democratic Republic of Lao and identified future strategies to develop human resources in the field of population and sustainable development and promote integration of population and human resources factors in development planning.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

In order to improve the effectiveness of the programme formulation process, UNFPA Headquarters has decided to train several UNFPA Representatives, CST Directors and Advisers in the Logical Framework Approach. In this context, the CST Director the Adviser on Management of Population Programmes participated in a Logical Framework Training Workshop held in New York.

The Adviser on Gender, Population and Development and the Adviser on RH Logistics and MIS and the Adviser on Population Statistics participated in a five-day Thematic Workshop on Indicators for measuring progress in the implementation of ICPD/POA at UNFPA Headquarters in New York.

The Adviser on RH Logistics and MIS visited WHO Headquarters in Geneva for three days of technical consultations prior to attending the Thematic Workshop on Indicators in New York.

The Adviser on Population Advocacy, the Adviser on Population Education, and the Adviser on Labour and Population (IEC) participated in the UNESCO Thematic Workshop on Adolescent Reproductive Health held in Paris.

The Adviser on Labour & Population (IEC) visited ILO Headquarters in Geneva for briefings and consultations.

The Director, UNFPA CST office in Kathmandu attended the Inter-Agency Task Force Meeting of the Technical Support Services (TSS) System held in New York from 19-22 May 1997. n

Mr. Ranjit Kumar, Executive Director, Foundation for International Training (FIT), Toronto, Canada. 27 January;

Mr. Wasim Zaman, UNFPA Representative, India. 24 February;

Dr. Des Cohen and Ms. Mahdu Bahu Nath, HDP, UNDP, New York; Dr. Cathrine Hankins, Associate Director, McGill University AIDS Centre, Montreal, Canada. 20 February;

Ms. Elena Pozdorovkina, Programme Officer, UNFPA Headquarters, New York. 25 February;

Dr. Q.M. Islam, Chief, Family Planning & Population Division of Reproductive Health, WHO, Geneva. 5 March;

Ms. Jenny Goodwin, Regional Coordinator, South Asia Regional Office, Save the Children UK,

Kathmandu. 12 and 25 March;

Mr. Jolyon Cowan, Acting Programme Manager, Asia, Marie Stopes International, London, UK. 20 March;

Prof. Sagar Jain, Professor and Director, Executive Programme in Health and Population for Developing Countries, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jaipur, India. 7 April;

Ms. Stella Ogbuagu, Gender and Population Specialist, and Ms. Marcela Villarreal, Socio-Cultural Specialist, FAO, Rome, Italy. 10-19 April;

Dr. Charles Carigan, Medical Director, AVSC International, New York, and Ms. Harriet Stanley, Country Director, AVSC International, Nepal. 14 April;

Mr. R.C. Sharma, Senior Programme Specialist, UNESCO, Paris. 20-25 April;

Ms. Janneke W. Roos, Director Overseas Programme, World Population Foundation, Netherlands. 28 April;

Ms. Seema Chauhan, Better Life Project Coordinator, CEDPA, Washington D.C., USA. 29 April.

Dr. Peter Sumbung, Vice President, BKKBN, Indonesia, 6 May 1997

Mr. Jagdish Upadhyay, Adviser on Logistics Management, Reproductive Health Branch, TED, UNFPA HQ, New York, 2 June 1997

Mr. Lawrence Smith, International Consultant and Team of UNFPA HQ Mission to Nepal on follow-up study on Contraceptive Requirements and Logistics Management Needs in Nepal, 2 June 1997

Ms. Patrizia Franceshinis, UNFPA HQ, New York, 11 June 1997

Dr. Godfrey Walker joined the CST/CASA on 14 March 1997 as Adviser in Reproductive Health Services. He obtained his MBBS degree in 1967 and MD degree in 1987, both from the University of London, and further acquired diplomas in obstetrics and paediatrics. In 1974 he obtained a Masters Degree in Social Medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where he also worked as a Specialist in Public Health (1976-78) and later as a Senior Lecturer in Health Care Epidemiology (1979-87). During this time he travelled widely, especially in Asia and Africa and undertook consultancies for WHO, OXFAM, ODA and the World Bank. He has published two books, several chapters in books and over 50 articles in peer reviewed journals.

Dr. Walker joined the WHO Essential Drugs Programme in Geneva in 1987 and in 1989 he moved to the Family Health Division of WHO where he was responsible for the Safe Motherhood Operational Research Programme. From 1989 to 1993 he was a member of the Safe Motherhood Committee of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In 1992 he was awarded the Fellowship of the Faculty of Public Health

Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. In 1993 he was transferred to the WHO Thailand Office in Bangkok where he was Deputy to the WHO Representative.

A British national, Dr. Walker is married and has three children.

Jesper Ahrensburg joined the CST in December 1996 as Junior Professional Officer. In 1995 he obtained a Masters Degree in Economics (MSc) from the University of Copenhagen. Jesper Ahrensburg subsequently studied development economics at the University of Kent, United Kingdom from where he graduated (MA) in 1996. Later the same year he undertook a consultancy for UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia in Nepal prior to joining the CST.

Jesper Ahrensburg is 30 years old, Danish and is married.

The second half of 1996 and the first half of 1997 have seen many developments and dislocations in the operations of CST Kathmandu. It was an usual year because the new programming cycles of a number of countries in the region required PRSD missions, coupled with major mid-term and sectoral reviews. The missions of CST Advisers, which were already programmed to the full, were further constrained with requests to undertake missions in other regions, due to absence of some Advisers or non-availability of external consultants at short notice. Then there was dislocation of staff when two of our Advisers were moved to the Sub-team in Almaty, Kazakstan.

Whereas the above-mentioned tasks were accomplised with good cheer and zeal, the extra activity of our bulletin suffered in the process. But the delay in publication also enabled us to review the design and content of the bulletin. Starting with this issue, we have given a new banner-look, less space on missions undertaken by the Advisers and more emphasis on professional articles and stories that will focus on information exchange among countries of the region, lessons learned and capacity building activities.

I request our contributors to down play the stories of opening ceremonies and workshops held, but rather the details of workshops and seminars achieving the above-mentioned goals. Professional articles and summaries of research studies and papers etc. would be most welcome.

An updated edition of the Inventory of National and Regional Institutions and National Consultants in the Countries of Central and South Asia has been published by the CST/CASA. As a third edition specific on the training capacity of selected institutions is under preparation, recommendations of institutions and feed back in general will be welcomed.

CASA Bulletin is published three times a year by the UNFPA Country Support Team for Central and South Asia, P.O. Box 5940, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel. (977-1) 523.880, Fax. (977-1) 527.257,

E-mail: cstunfpa@mos.com.np

Editor in Chief
Saad Raheem Sheikh

Editorial Board
G. Giridhar (Chairperson)
Malicca Ratne
Jesper Ahrensburg
Neera Shrestha