News

Planned Parenthood Association Thailand (PPAT) has a new Executive Director! Please join us in welcoming Dr. Nanthakan Sungsuman Woodham into the IPPF and PPAT families. Dr. Woodham has been associated with PPAT since 2019, in multiple capacities, including Deputy Executive Director. Dr. Woodham will continue to promote the values and principles of PPAT and continue to strengthen relationships with the government, partners, non-government organisations, and the public and private sectors. We are excited and we look forward to continuously work with Dr. Woodham in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Thailand!

The Vietnam Family Planning Association (VINAFPA) commemorated its 30th anniversary with a ceremony on January 11, 2023, in Hanoi. More than 250 delegates from different Ministries, students and faculty members from academic institutions, CSOs, factory representatives, print and social media, social activists and volunteers and staff of the Association participated. The association's pivotal role in shaping policy changes in Vietnam on family planning, reproductive health, women's development and rights, and other social issues was emphasised by Dr. Pham Ba Nhat, President of VINAFPA. Through a diverse range of delivery channels, including clinics, mobile units, associated health facilities, and CBDs in 37 branches throughout Vietnam, VINAFPA has made impressive strides in improving access to SRH information, education, and clinical services over the years. A documentary film on 30 years of VINAFPA was also screened during the event. Ms. Tomoko Fukuda, Regional Director, IPPF ESEAOR, commended VINAFPA for its noteworthy efforts in addressing the SRHR of women, men, and young people in Vietnam, especially those from marginalised and underrepresented communities. She emphasised the importance of putting young people at the centre of SRHR programming and extending access to vulnerable groups like LGBTQI people, people with disabilities, indigenous people, and migrants and internally displaced people as well as highlighting the key elements of the IPPF Strategic Framework (2023-28). She continued by explaining that given Vietnam's declining fertility rates and reduced rates of maternal and infant mortality, it is critical that VINAFPA step up its advocacy for SRHR, particularly by ensuring access to contraceptive options and expanding fertility services (including infertility) in accordance with the life cycle approach. The event reached its end with short speeches from partner organisations and representatives of government agencies followed by a photography session to commemorate this day.

The Global Forum on International Population Trends and ODA – Marriage and Gender Perceptions of Young People in the 3 Asian Countries (Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam) was held on 4th November 2022 at the National Assembly, Seoul. It was co-hosted by Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association (KoPHWA – IPPF MA) and Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population and Environment (CPE). The event opened with a congratulatory remark from Mr. Lee In-young, the chairman of CPE and member of the Democratic Party of Korea. This was followed by a remark from Mr. Kim Chang-soon, President of KOPHWA. Mr. Kim emphasized the significance of the event and encouraged continual cooperation among parties who attended the event.    ESEAOR, Director Programmes and Performance Dr Jameel gave an opening presentation on International Population Trends and IPPF Programme to address SRHR of young people. There are nearly one billion adolescent and young people aged 10 – 24 years living in 31 low- and middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific, accounting for 53% of the world’s adolescent and youth. He emphasised on youth centered approach, preventing and addressing unintended pregnancies among adolescents and increasing international development assistance to young people. KOPHWA's lead researcher, Ms. Jung Yuri, presented the results of an online survey conducted from October 6th to 14th among 1,003 young people in South Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia. The survey was conducted to investigate the experience of and perception towards sexual reproductive health of young people in their 20's across the three Asian nations. The survey showed a need for sexual reproductive health education and increased availability of medical services. The presentation concluded by highlighting the importance of ODA and recommending sexual reproductive health policy that contextualizes the changing perceptions of the young people in their respective countries.      Following KOPHWA's presentation, Mr. Phuong Thi Thu Huong—consultant for the VINAFPA—and Ms. Munkhtsetseg Batmunkh—Executive Director of MFWA—presented on "Imbalanced sex ratio at birth in Vietnam and Cooperation with Korea" and "Mongolia's current state of SRHR", respectively. There was a discussion with Mr. Sodchimeg Khongor—representing Vietnam—and Ms. Nguyen Van Truong—representing Mongolia—to better understand thoughts and concerns of the young people in the current times about marriage and sexual reproductive health. The event ended with a discussion with Mr. Cho Hyungyu representing KOICA about the importance of and the need for ODA to improve the sexual reproductive health of young people in Asia.

IPPF-ESEAOR will serve as the host of FP2030 Asia Pacific Regional Hub starting this year. This is the fourth FP2030 Regional Hub, preceded by the North America and Europe Hub in Washington DC, the East and Southern Africa Hub in Nairobi, Kenya, and the North, West and Central Africa Hub in Abuja, Nigeria. This is part of the ongoing transition of FP2030 - from a single secretariat office in the United States and now to a global support structure and presence. Both FP2030 and IPPF, a pioneering commitment-maker of then FP2020, are delighted to see these hubs come onboard and begin building their staffs and regional networks. Given its deep connections in the Asia Pacific region, IPPF ESEAOR was chosen by a selection committee composed of regionally diverse multi-sectoral stakeholders reporting to the FP2030 Governing Board. The strategic location of IPPF ESEAOR will be a great advantage to enable the new hub to serve partners across the region, and deliver strategic and timely support to countries related to commitments, localization, accountability, and expansion of the family planning movement in Asia Pacific, due to their expertise and longstanding partnerships. “Thanks to our member associations across Asia and the Pacific, we’ve been active for 70 years,” said Kate Gilmore, Chair, Board of Trustees, IPPF. “On behalf of IPPF globally, we are honored and privileged to host the FP2030 Asia the Pacific Hub. “Our vision for this partnership is to bring the spotlight back to how important and crucial having access to information and contraceptives is for women,” added Tomoko Fukuda, Regional Director for IPPF ESEAOR. Launching the Asia and the Pacific Hub is a critical next step in building the FP2030 Global Support Network, a structure designed to ensure greater support, collaboration and country-led direction to the partnership. The new FP2030 partnership is the result of careful work planning and consultation with stakeholders all over the world. “We’re keeping the best of FP2020 — the convening power of the partnership, the collaborative platforms, the dedication to high-quality data and evidence, the unswerving commitment to the rights and needs of women and girls — while embracing changes that emphasize country leadership, inclusion, equity, transparency, and mutual accountability,” said Dr. Samukeliso Dube, FP2030 Executive Director.   Watch the video message here

The Monitoring and Evaluation programme focal points from IPPF London Office, Regional Office secretariats from ESEAOR and SARO, and Member Associations (Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal) came together in Kuala Lumpur last week for a 5-days IPPF Data Management Strategy Training. IPPF’s Data Management Strategy serves as a statement of principles for data management across the Federation, and a guide to action. The strategy describes how data should be governed, how the data quality can be improved and maintained, how the data can be accessed and used so that we maximize its potential value to all users, while maintaining appropriate levels of confidentiality and security. The strategy starts from an overall vision for data management within IPPF. The values that underpin this vision and which align with IPPF’s own values as a Federation where quality data is a critical asset that drives decision making and learning to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Overall, the strategy will be a call to action for everyone in IPPF and a guide for our plans moving forward. Through this training, IPPF’s Regional Offices and Member Associations are expected to articulate the relevance of IPPF Data Management Strategy Data Management Strategy and Implementation Plan) in their own organisational context, develop a realistic, time-bound, practical action plan to implement the DMS and align with the new Strategic Framework and the Results Framework. Thanks to The Federation of Reproductive Health Association Malaysia (FRHAM) and its Negeri Sembilan State MA, the participants got a chance to visit the clinics, met with the Negeri Sembilan Family Planning Association (NSFPA) president, volunteers & staff and learn the clinic data management practice there during the training. The participants also visited the Kuala Lumpur Regional Office on the last day of training.

17 young people from various communities around Port Vila in Vanuatu are currently doing their second part of capacity and facilitation training under the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) Pacific Transformative Agenda programme on Family Life Education curriculum for out-of-school youth. Vanuatu Family Health Association (VFHA) through International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been able to support the rollout of this important training in Port Vila, Santo and Tanna. Lynold Aru Youth Coordinator for VFHA who has been coordinating the programme is excited to equip young people with basic sexual reproductive health information to better share and disseminate information to their peers and community members. He says that in addition to information dissemination the youth advocates received basic skills to promote referrals for youth to VFHA clinic, we take pride in confidentiality and youth friendly services at VFHA, and we find that young people are confident to access our services, a standard referral card system is also used by youth advocates, so referrals are processed quickly and acknowledged as coming from our youth network. The VFHA youth and comprehensive sexuality education team will also conduct similar training to its youth advocate networks in Tanna and Santo over the coming week as part of strengthening the youth advocates network and commitment to regular mentoring, monitoring but importantly having youth at the centre of its programmes. The team is being support by Jack Martin programme officer for youth and CSE from the IPPF Sub Regional office for the Pacific who will also be supporting the team in Tanna and Santo over the next week.  Jack said the overall UNFPA Transformative Agenda programme is a result of the strong inputs and commitments made by the Vanuatu Government through Ministry of Health and Medical services and its national and regional stakeholders to support reduction of teenage pregnancy and related reproductive health issues for young people in Vanuatu, without Government support this would not be possible. He further acknowledges the ongoing support and commitment of the Australia Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for supporting the project in Vanuatu and across the Pacific region.