POP/873

    2 October 2003

   

NEW UN REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO ADDRESS ADOLESCENTS’ REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CONCERNS AS GLOBAL PRIORITY

 

UNFPA to Launch State of World

Population 2003 on 8 October; Advance Access Available Online

 

(Reissued as received.)

 

NEW YORK, 1 October (UNFPA) —- Enabling the largest-ever generation of adolescents to protect their reproductive health is an urgent priority in the global fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS, emphasizes The State of World Population 2003 report by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Population Fund. The UNFPA will launch its flagship report in London and other cities worldwide on Wednesday, 8 October.

 

This year’s report, subtitled “Making 1 Billion Count: Investing in Adolescents’ Health and Rights”, examines the challenges and risks, including early pregnancy and high rates of HIV infection, facing 1.2 billion adolescents in a rapidly changing world. It makes the case for greater investments and expanded programmes to ensure that young people have the knowledge and means to stay healthy, as both a matter of human rights and an economic imperative.

 

The report is under embargo until 1200 GMT on 8 October. Journalists may access the embargoed report and related materials —- a summary, press releases, charts and photos -— on the Web before then by requesting a password from dungus@unfpa.org or ryanw@unfpa.org.

 

Launch Details

 

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid will launch the report at a press conference in London at 11 a.m. on 8 October, at the Foreign Press Association, 11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AJ. For information, contact Peter Robbs at tel.: +44 (1480) 465328 or e-mail: peter.robbs@ukonline.co.uk.

 

In New York, Ann Erb Leoncavallo and Laura Laski of UNFPA will be joined by Ellen Themmen of Family Care International at an 11 a.m. briefing at United Nations Headquarters, Room 226. Contact Ann Erb Leoncavallo at tel.: +1 (212) 297-5023, or e-mail: leoncavallo@unfpa.org, for information.

 

In Washington, D.C., Stan Bernstein, principal researcher and co-editor of the report, will present it at a briefing at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club, along with former Assistant Secretary of State Phyllis Oakley, Representative Carolyn Maloney and Nils Daulaire, President of the Global Health Council. Contact Sarah Craven at tel.: +1 (202) 326-8713, or e-mail: craven@unfpa.org, for information.

 

Other launch events are scheduled in Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Canberra, Copenhagen, Dublin, Geneva, The Hague, Helsinki, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Madrid, Oslo, Ottawa, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tokyo, Vienna, Warsaw and Wellington, and in the capitals of many countries where UNFPA has programmes. For information, contact Abubakar Dungus at tel.: +1 (212) 297-5031, or e-mail: dungus@unfpa.org.

 

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