Southpac News

UNFPA Country Support Team for the South Pacific

Technical assistance was provided during the missions which contributed to capacity building in the various countries visited. During the PRM mission to the Cook Islands, the Adviser for Reproductive Health (Programme) conducted two workshops for a total of 17 participants on topics ranging from the shift from MCH to RH/FP-SH, to emergency contraception and the menstrual cycle. He also conducted a similar workshop for 25 medical personnel in Samoa and a traditional birth attendants session for more than 50 TBAs at Savaii. While in Samoa, the Adviser for Population Advocacy and IEC also provided technical assistance to the SPC PAIEC Adviser to develop and implement an Advocacy for Reproductive Health workshop.

Though American Samoa is not covered by the UNFPA Sub-Regional Fiji Office, the Adviser for Reproductive Health (Programme) was requested to conducted a seminar on sexual and reproductive health for the youth in Pago Pago from 28 June -3 July 1999. The seminar was attended by 40 youth leaders and 10-15 observers, and special evening meetings with Women's groups on RH/FP-SH were also held with 50 women in attendance.

In Santos, Vanuatu, Ms. Aradeon reviewed the institutional mechanisms for coordinating the consistent implementation of key aspects of the population programme. She assisted in organizing and conducting training in Population Advocacy and RHIEC for the advocacy and IEC group, holding discussions with national counterparts and planning for a socio-cultural research to be undertaken. She played a similar role when she visited the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. The Adviser for Reproductive Health (Programme) conducted an RH community workshop on family planning concepts and available modern family planning methods in Vanuatu in one of the villages for 60 traditional leaders, representatives of various women's groups and youth leaders.

During the PRM to the Marshall Islands, Mr. William House, Adviser for Population Policies and Development Strategies, reviewed the institutional mechanism for coordinating the consistent implementation of key aspects of the population policy. He also appraised the availability of demographic data and key indicators for monitoring the implementation and impact of the project's activities to date. The Adviser for Reproductive Health (Programme) conducted workshop meetings with a total of 58 participants on Ebeye and Majuro, discussing issues ranging from major objectives of perinatal mortality surveillance, and the shift from MCH/FP to RH/FP-SH to emergency contraception.

In the Federated States of Micronesia the Adviser for Reproductive Health (Programme) also conducted similar workshops which were held in conjunction with the Project Review Meeting; over 35 participants were involved at Pohnpei and Chuuk and in Kiribati over 35 participants attended similar workshops. The PRM mission to Tonga included workshops for public health nurses and MCH clinic nurses with 30 participants attending the presentation. While participating in the PRM in FSM, the Adviser for Population Policies and Development Strategies assessed the status of RH/FP-SH activities as key components of the national population programme; and the need to design or revise the national population policy.