Regional conference focuses on MPs' role in addressing population issues

AMMAN — The role of lawmakers in enacting legislation that takes population into account as a driver for socio-economic development is the highlight of a conference being held in the capital this week.

Parliamentarians and experts from 24 Arab and international countries are looking into the demographic reality of Middle East and North Africa states and ways to turn them into advantages.

Held under the title "Arab Parliaments: the Perspective of Population and Sustainable Development Goals 2030", the three-day event is providing a platform to discuss legislative shortcomings in relation to population and reproductive health, and means to overcome them.

The gathering, which opened on Sunday, also aims at strengthening parliamentarians' knowledge of population issues in Arab countries within the new 2030 agenda for sustainable development and addressing the role of lawmakers in supporting population-related laws, especially those governing reproductive health and ways to designate financial resources for population programmes, according to organisers.

HRH Princess Basma, UNFPA goodwill ambassador, underlined the importance for Arab countries to abide by the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which focused on development, equality and the elimination of poverty and unemployment.

She stressed Jordan's commitment to realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those related to women empowerment and reproductive health.

The 17 SDGs come into effect on January 1, 2016, replacing the MDGs set in 2000.

Speaking at the meeting, Higher Population Council (HPC) Secretary General Sawsan Majali cited the differences among countries in achieving sustainable development despite the strides made by Arab countries towards the MDGs.

For his part, Marwan Hmoud, secretary general of the Forum of Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development (FAPPD), said population issues dominate the top priorities of the forum in terms of legislation and linking the demographic dimension with sustainable development with all its humanitarian and socio-economic outcomes.

Participants at the meeting are also focusing on women’s empowerment, gender-based violence and human trafficking as some of the most currently "pressing" issues in the region.

The conference is organised by the International Planned Parenthood Federation/the Arab World Region, FAPPD and the HPC.