Sub Progamme Review Meetings and
Annual Regional Review
Integrating Population Factors into
Development Planning
Improving
Quality of Care in Reproductive Health: A Pacific Perspective
Using Energising Games for
Participatory Advocacy
Niue: Halting Population Decline
| Vol. 7 No. 2 | Southpac NewsUNFPA Country Support Team for the South Pacific |
Dec 1999 |
Media Workshop Journalists, media producers and population and reproductive health managers from ten countries around the Pacific region attended the 2nd Regional Media Seminar on Population and Reproductive Health. The Seminar held at the Mocambo Hotel, Nadi from 17-19 November 1999 was a follow up to the 1997 Media seminar. The 1997 Seminar had recommended that, in order for the media to keep up with global and regional development in the field of population and reproductive health, and to monitor the progress of coverage of population issues in the media, a future seminar needed to be convened. The main objectives of this Seminar were: to update journalists and participants on key population and reproductive health issues in the Pacific region; to exchange regional and in-country experiences on media advocacy and coverage of population and reproductive health issues; to determine priority issues and work plans for media advocacy in the new millennium; to enhance skills in responsible and factual reporting of sensitive issues and in using the media more effectively for advocacy; and, to discuss regional and in-country networking for population and reproductive health advocacy using the media. Dr. Katoanga explained that, in the Pacific sub-region, the statistics for each day would probably read like this: at least 450 women will get pregnant, 400 other men and women will contract an STI and probably HIV/AIDS, while several hundreds of men and women used family planning methods. One hundred of these women will give birth and at least two mothers will die during childbirth complications and, of the infants, 30 below one year old will also die. The Adviser on Reproductive Health (Programme) also made presentations on the major issues affecting reproductive health in the Pacific: maternal morbidity, teenage pregnancy and STIs, women's health: cancer of the breast/cervix. "Sex education does not give rise to inceased sexual activity but helps to delay it", said Ms. Susan Aradeon, CST Adviser on Population Advocacy and IEC, who gave a presentation on the role of the mass media in promoting reproductive health behaviour change. Sex education helps adolescents learn how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and become responsible by maintaining one sexual partner. Sex education at school can reach a large number of young people and at the same time, encourage youngsters to be faithful marital partners.
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