Welcome to EuroNGOs

There was disappoint at the ‘Advance Global Health – Advance the MDGs’ United Nations Department of Public Information NGO conference in Melbourne last week (30th Aug- 1st Sep) as the outcome document failed to mention the necessity of access to sexual and reproductive health. The move is seen as inconsistent with other UN documents and discouraging in light of the large number of women dying as a result of insufficient access to SRHR services. Sumie Ishii, Chair of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), underlined that "ensuring commitment to Millennium Development Goal 5b – ensuring universal access to reproductive health services - will not only save women's lives but also improve the lives of their children, families and greater communities".
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On 7th September, European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, delivered his ‘State of the Union’ in Strasbourg. Among messages of economic revival and concerns about job losses, he spoke of “standing side by side with developing countries, especially with Africa” and pledged €1 billion for the Millennium Development Goals to take to the UN Summit in New York later this month. However, NGOs were quick to point out that this money is not new. Due to the economic crises preoccupying spending commitments in the EU, this €1 billion will be financed through unallocated funds and reserves under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The EU is under pressure to ensure the whole of the EDF is spent by 2013 and this move is thought to be a reaction to the approaching deadline.

Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) was prohibited in Indonesia four years ago. However, experts this week (2nd September) complained that the practice was still commonplace. Little or no oversight of the ban and increased urging from religious leaders have resulted in many more newborn baby girls being cut in order to be “clean”. Although the practice is more common in Africa, its prevalence is growing in Muslim Indonesia despite inexperienced midwives and dirty equipment. “It is against human rights,” Maria Ulfah Anshor, a women’s rights activist and former chair of the women’s wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), explained. “For women there is absolutely no benefit and advantage.” For more information, click here.

The deadline for the EuroNGOs conference, ‘Gender and SRHR at the Heart of the MDGs’, has been extended until 10th September 2010. To download a registration form, click here.

The conference will take place on 8-9th November at the Grosvenor Hotel, London, U.K. We are looking forward to welcoming a number of high-level speakers, including among others Dr. Indu Capoor, Director of the Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (Chetna), India, Dr. Mabel Bianco, President FEIM, Argentina and Dr Steve Sinding, currently a Senior Fellow at the Guttmacher Institute. Further international and European experts on gender, SRHR and development cooperation issues as well as representatives from governments, the AU, the EU and multinational (donor) institutions are expected to confirm their attendance soon.

More information on registration and the conference itself can be found here.