| 1. Medical parliamentarians discuss emerging health issues 50 parliamentarians with medical background from Asia, Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean assembled in Bangkok from 19-20 December to discuss emerging health issues. The workshop of medical parliamentarians was organized by AFPPD in cooperation with UNFPA, the Government of Japan, WHO and the International Medical Parliamentarians Organization (IMPO). The meeting concluded with the adoption of a final statement entitled "From Advocacy to Legislative Initiatives," calling on governments to increase or sustain financing for public health and calling on the IMPO to expand partnerships with parliamentarians, regional parliamentary networks and international agencies to improve health conditions for their people. 2. NGOs trained on reproductive health advocacy In collaboration with the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) and the World Health Organization (WHO), AFPPD organized and implemented the Southeast Asia Regional Workshop on "Advancing Healthy Advocacy for Reproductive Health" in Bangkok from 1-3 December. Attended by 21 participants of civil society organizations from Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, the workshop aimed to ensure government funding is increased and resources are sufficiently available for Reproductive Health in the new aid environment. The workshop was facilitated by Ms Karen Hoehn, Vice Executive Director, DSW Brussels; Ms Maria Bordallo, EU Project Officer, DSW Brussels; and Mr Dale Huntington, Scientist, WHO. 3. AFPPD Chairman delivers Salas Memorial Lecture On 23 November, Mr Yasuo Fukuda, MP of Japan and Chairman of APFPPD, delivered this year's Rafael M. Salas Memorial Lecture at the UN Headquarters in New York City. The lecture focused on "Challenges for Sustainable Development in a New Era: Population, Climate Change and Global Security." Mr Fukuda said he is "convinced that parliamentarian activities in the field of population and development will become ever more important as we strive for the welfare of all people, and for democratisation and good governance to ensure individual dignity as the foundation and benchmark of global security." 4. AFPPD 66th Executive Committee Meeting in Tokyo The 66th meeting of the AFPPD Executive Committee took place in Tokyo on 7 December under the chairmanship of Mr Yasuo Fukuda, MP and former prime minister of Japan. Also in attendance were Sir Dr Puka Temu, Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea; Ms Nobuko Horibe, Director of UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office; Ms Kiyoko Ikegami, Director of UNFPA's Office in Tokyo; and members of parliament from Australia, Cook Islands, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The committee expressed satisfaction and pleasure in the large number of activities undertaken by AFPPD in 2009 and its support for parliamentarians' participation in key events organized by other international and regional agencies. The committee also reviewed proposed plans for 2010. 5. HIV/AIDS bill to go before India Parliament The long pending legislation on HIV-AIDS that aims to protect the rights of people living with the disease will be tabled in Parliament in its next session."The consultation work on the Bill has been expedited as we want it to be tabled in the next session of Parliament. It is a serious matter and we want it be passed as soon as possible," Parliamentary Forum for HIV and AIDS Chairman Oscar Fernandes said. The Bill was drafted in 2006 to protect the rights of people living with the disease and to prevent and control the spread of the infection. It followed intensive discussions with different stakeholders, including people with HIV, sex workers and drug users, and has been pending with the government for the last three years, reports IANS. 6. Parliamentarians visit Burkina Faso Parliamentarians from India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal and Vietnam participated in a study visit to Burkina Faso organized by the Burkina Faso World Bank Country Office, the World Bank Parliamentary Relations Team, and the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB), with support from AFPPD, from 30 November to 4 December. Parliamentarians gained a first-hand understanding of Burkina Faso's handling of the impact of the global financial crisis, decentralization and social accountability, extractive industries revenue management, and the impact of reforms on improving investment climate. 7. New report on Maternal Mortality in India receives parliamentary support The Center for Reproductive Rights launched its new report "Maternal Mortality in India: Using International and Constitutional Law to Promote Accountability and Change" at the recent 5th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, on 18 October in Beijing. Mr P.D. Rai, MP of India and member of AFPPD Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians on Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls, was the keynote speaker at the launch and he spoke about the importance of this report as a tool to promote accountability and to raise awareness about the challenges that India faces in reducing preventable maternal mortality and morbidity. He emphasized the need to invest more on in women's health and to redouble the efforts to achieve the commitments made through the MDGs. Finally, he reaffirmed his commitment as a Parliamentarian from Sikkim in India to promote women's health and well being. To download the report, please visit http://reproductiverights.org/en/document/maternal-mortality-in-india-using-international-and-constitutional-law-to-promote-accountab 8. AFPPD took part in online discussion of men's role in gender-based violence On 16 December, the Population Reference Bureau hosted an online interview with Mr Todd Minerson, White Ribbon Ambassador, on the topic of "Engaging Men in the Fight to End Violence Against Women." AFPPD inquired about how male MPs could most effective address violence against women and good practices in the region. Mr Minerson said one of the key messages for parliamentarians is "the necessity to make the links between the promotion of gender equality and the reduction of violence against women." To read the full transcript, please visit http://discuss.prb.org/content/interview/detail/4187/. 9. Lower chamber of Spanish parliament passes law on SRH The Lower Chamber of the Spanish Parliament approved the Organic Law on Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Volutary Interruption of Pregnancy. According to El Pais, 184 MPs voted in favor, 158 against and 2 abstained. The Popular Party, in opposition to the government, changed their spokesperson on the issue for a more moderate one. Amendments include the right to individual conscientious objection, mandatory sexuality education in schools, subsidies for modern contraceptives and the obligation for adolescents aged 16 and 17 to have parental approval for an abortion, unless this consent would entail domestic violence. The socialist government emphasizes that the objective of the law is to prevent unwanted pregnancies and consequently reduce the number of abortions; to grant women the right to decide about becoming a mother and to delete abortion as an item in the penal code. 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