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Pacific MPs are taking a leading role as the Asia-Pacific’s biggest ever UN meeting looks to progress equality, health and rights in Bangkok this week. Pacific MPs are part of their official national delegations with others assisting the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and 130 civil society groups, to lobby the record 47 country delegations, said AFPPD executive director Ramon San Pascual. “Pacific MPs understand that their local communities want violence against women ended, comprehensive sexuality education and equal health outcomes for marginalised, vulnerable people,” said Mr San Pascual. The AFPPD along with UNFPA have been building the capacity of MPs across the Pacific to assist them to understand and advocate for evidence-based solutions to complex issues concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights. “The Moana Declaration which these MPs created during our August workshop in Fiji and the strong performance of Pacific MPs in the week-long Asia Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok demonstrates that these MPs can bring real change to the health, rights and lives of Pacific people,” said Mr San Pascual. “The united Pacific delegations are working with South-east Asian and South Asian progressive nations to gain overwhelming support for major progress on the International Conference on Population and Development Beyond 2014 which will be debated by all UN delegations in New York next year.” A new commitment to tackle climate change from the Kiribati delegation was strongly supported by all the Pacific and most of the other delegations, ahead of the official opening of the Ministerial meeting on Thursday by the President of Kiribati. For further information or to obtain interviews from Pacific MPs in Bangkok contact: John Hyde on +66 898723362 or john@afppd.org (Pacific MPs in Bangkok for the APPC include MPs from Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu, FSM, Solomons and Ministers from Fiji.) |
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