Ignoring social sector to impede global development, says expert
Sunday, 20 December 2009
FE Report
The world will see no development if it fails to address social sector issues such as reproductive health, family planning and population services, warned an international expert Saturday.
"It is true that the world has lost a sense of urgency with regard to reproductive health and this translates into lower funding for such programmes," said Harry S Jooseery, executive director of Partners in Population and Development (PPD).
He was speaking at a press briefing organised by the PPD, an inter-governmental organisation exclusively mandated to promote cooperation in reproductive health, population and development, on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of South-South Cooperation and 15th anniversary of PPD in the capital.
Harry Jooseery said reproductive health and most particularly family planning are losing their centrality in terms of budgetary allocations as well as their place in poverty reduction strategies, population and reproductive health policies and programmes.
The resource allocation to family planning in international population assistance has come down from 55 per cent in 1995 to less than 5 per cent at present, he said.
"But no development is possible if the world does not address the social sector issues such as reproductive health, family planning and population services."
He reaffirmed that the concept of South-South Cooperation is absolutely simple. "It is nothing but sharing and exchanging of ideas between countries known as the Global South."
Harry Jooseery said Bangladesh Family Planning Programme has made remarkable progress over the last 30 years due to continuous political commitment, innovative programme approach and government and non-government collaboration.
He said the fertility rate fell from 6.3 per cent in 1975 to 2.6 in 2008-09 and the contraceptive prevalence rose sevenfold from 8 per cent to 56 per cent.
"So PPD will conduct a need assessment study next year, as many new challenges, not seen 15 years ago, have emerged," he said.
The PPD executive director said the basic communication infrastructure is now available in most countries of the South. "There are, therefore, great opportunities to establish networks at the systems levels for direct linkage and these should be encouraged and facilitated by governments and media."
"The media particularly can help find answers to the world's most pressing development challenges," he added.
PPD International Programme Officer Amadou Moreau made a presentation during the press meet, while Farah Naz Hossain, programme officer of PPD and Rahnuma Afroz, programme associate of PPD, spoke.
PPD is an alliance of 24 developing countries, which represents more than 57 per cent of the world population. It holds a permanent observer seat in the United Nations General Assembly.
The world will see no development if it fails to address social sector issues such as reproductive health, family planning and population services, warned an international expert Saturday.
"It is true that the world has lost a sense of urgency with regard to reproductive health and this translates into lower funding for such programmes," said Harry S Jooseery, executive director of Partners in Population and Development (PPD).
He was speaking at a press briefing organised by the PPD, an inter-governmental organisation exclusively mandated to promote cooperation in reproductive health, population and development, on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of South-South Cooperation and 15th anniversary of PPD in the capital.
Harry Jooseery said reproductive health and most particularly family planning are losing their centrality in terms of budgetary allocations as well as their place in poverty reduction strategies, population and reproductive health policies and programmes.
The resource allocation to family planning in international population assistance has come down from 55 per cent in 1995 to less than 5 per cent at present, he said.
"But no development is possible if the world does not address the social sector issues such as reproductive health, family planning and population services."
He reaffirmed that the concept of South-South Cooperation is absolutely simple. "It is nothing but sharing and exchanging of ideas between countries known as the Global South."
Harry Jooseery said Bangladesh Family Planning Programme has made remarkable progress over the last 30 years due to continuous political commitment, innovative programme approach and government and non-government collaboration.
He said the fertility rate fell from 6.3 per cent in 1975 to 2.6 in 2008-09 and the contraceptive prevalence rose sevenfold from 8 per cent to 56 per cent.
"So PPD will conduct a need assessment study next year, as many new challenges, not seen 15 years ago, have emerged," he said.
The PPD executive director said the basic communication infrastructure is now available in most countries of the South. "There are, therefore, great opportunities to establish networks at the systems levels for direct linkage and these should be encouraged and facilitated by governments and media."
"The media particularly can help find answers to the world's most pressing development challenges," he added.
PPD International Programme Officer Amadou Moreau made a presentation during the press meet, while Farah Naz Hossain, programme officer of PPD and Rahnuma Afroz, programme associate of PPD, spoke.
PPD is an alliance of 24 developing countries, which represents more than 57 per cent of the world population. It holds a permanent observer seat in the United Nations General Assembly.