STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2020 Putting the Brakes on COVID-19: How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now

POPCOM Undersecretary for Population and Development and Executive Director, Hon. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD officially opens the event to commemorate World Population Day and launch the State of World Population (SWOP) 2020 Report.

UNFPA in the Philippines launched the State of World Population Report and commemorated the World Population Day together with POPCOM

10 JULY 2020, MANILA, the Philippines – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Philippines, together with the Philippine Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), commemorated the World Population Day (11 July) through a virtual event broadcasted online. Featuring eminent policymakers such as the Secretary of Health Dr. Francisco Duque III, Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Ms. Rhodora M. Bucoy, and Commissioner on Human Rights Ms. Karen Lucia Gomez-Dumpit, the joint event of UNFPA Philippines and POPCOM unpacked and discussed major vulnerabilities and harmful practices experienced by women and girls, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these. The online event also featured a virtual hand-over of UNFPA’s global State of World Population (SWOP) Report 2020 to Undersecretary and Executive Director of POPCOM, Dr. Juan Antonio “Jeepy” Perez III.

Every year, millions of girls are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends, and communities, according to the SWOP Report 2020, published by the headquarters of UNFPA, the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency.

The UNFPA report entitled “Against My Will: Defying the Practices That Harm Women and Girls and Undermine Equality” has identified at least 19 harmful practices, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, as human rights violations, and focused on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, son preference, and child marriage.

“Harmful practices against girls cause profound and lasting trauma, robbing them of their right to reach their full potential,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.

While progress had been made in ending some harmful practices worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to reverse gains. A recent analysis revealed that if services and programmes remain shuttered for six months, an additional 13 million girls may be forced into marriage.

“In the Philippines, even before the outbreak of COVID-19, 1 out of 6 Filipino girls married before 18. And because the effects of this pandemic and quarantine measures are disrupting those efforts to end child marriage, we may actually see even a further increase in child marriage,” Mr. Iori Kato, UNFPA Country Representative in the Philippines, alerted. “Maternal deaths, unintended pregnancies, unmet need for modern contraceptives, and gender-based violence could all increase significantly, compared to pre-COVID in 2019”.

On the occasion of this year’s World Population Day with the theme of “Putting the Brakes on COVID-19: How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now,” Mr. Gustavo González, the newly-appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines, underscored:

“What we have been observing in the country and globally, is the tremendous impact of the pandemic on women and girls. Looking after the health of women does not only mean ensuring their protection from the coronavirus; but also ensuring that women are able to access a wide range of services, including reproductive health and family planning information and services as a matter of choice and human right.”

The online event presented the preliminary results of an analysis that the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) had recently conducted with UNFPA about the impact of COVID-19 and quarantines on Filipino women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and freedom from violence. The study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions in access to essential services could result in increasing the annual maternal deaths to 3,200, 26% higher than the pre-COVID 2019, as well as in a significant increase in unplanned pregnancies, including among thousands of teenage girls. Domestic violence is also expected to increase as women and girls are stuck in the same home as their abusive partners, although many of them would be unreported.

POPCOM Executive Director Dr. “Jeepy” Perez emphasized, “Despite the challenges, there are policies, measures, laws and numerous other efforts in place adherent to the Philippines’ commitments made in the Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) where the Philippines was a staunch supporter as a signatory 25 years ago. While there are observable great strides in our population and development goals, more needs to be done, especially at this time when COVID-19 can derail the work we have strived so hard to accomplish.”

On World Population Day 2020, POPCOM and UNFPA vow to strengthen their partnership to support women’s and girls’ unique needs faced during the pandemic, working with various national, regional, and local governments and NGOs in the Philippines. To enable this, UNFPA Philippines is appealing for USD 11 million or 549 million Pesos of additional resources as part of the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19.

POPCOM launches the biography of Mr. Rafael M. Salas, the first Executive Director of UNFPA from 1969

UNFPA Country Representative Iori Kato, POPCOM Undersecretary and Executive Director Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, NEDA Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dr. Ernesto Pernia, Ambassador Carmelita Salas, with Book Authors Jose Dalisay and Menchu Sarmiento and DFA Undersecretary Ernesto Abella at the turnover of the book “A Millennial Man for Others: The Life & Times of Rafael M. Salas”.

The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), launches the biography of Mr. Rafael M. Salas. “Mr. Population” – as he was affectionately known - was one of the first Filipino advocates who made the crucial links between population and development and sexual and reproductive health and rights, globally and in the Philippines.

“Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children,” he said in 1968 - a truly novel statement for the time. Entitled “A Millennial Man for Others: The Life and Times of Rafael M. Salas”, the book chronicles his life from his childhood days, and his achievements until his untimely death in 1987.

Had Mr. Salas been alive today, it would have warmed his heart to see that the fruits of his efforts have finally become more evident with the passage of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act and the commitment of the present administration to reproductive health and family planning as evidenced by the revamped National Program on Population and Family Planning and the President’s Executive Order to end unmet need for family planning.

Undersecretary and  Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) said that “POPCOM has been constantly bringing into the consciousness of the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Filipino people alike the seeds of development work that Mr. Salas  planted when he drafted the Executive Order (EO) that would create POPCOM in 1969.  In step with the new millennium, POPCOM will soon launch the “Kaunlarang Pantao” Award, using Paeng Salas’ inspiration of development for the people. “

Mr. Salas was also the first Executive Director of UNFPA. He oversaw the birth of the organization in 1969, nurtured it with care, and imbued it with his foresight and vision. Under his leadership, the agency grew from a relatively small body to the world’s largest provider of multilateral development assistance on population dynamics through the prism of sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality. As UNFPA Executive Director, Mr. Salas carried the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, the highest UN office accorded to a Filipino even up to today.

“It is an honor for us to carry on Rafael Salas’ legacy at UNFPA in this historic 50th anniversary year of UNFPA and the 25th anniversary year of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), where Mr. Salas’ vision became a global consensus when 179 governments including the Philippines agreed on a call for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and childbirth services,” said UNFPA Representative in the Philippines, Iori Kato.

Mr. Salas’ legacy continues to this day. Later this year in November, the Governments of Kenya, Denmark and UNFPA are convening a global summit in Nairobi to mark the 25th anniversary of the ICPD, for Member States to express their renewed political and financial commitments towards the promises that they had made in Cairo 25 years ago to support women empowerment through three transformative results: ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending gender-based violence.

The book launch marks the 91^st birth year anniversary of Mr. Salas and is a venue to continue his legacy as national influential figures in Philippine government, business and civil society gather and take the opportunity to articulate the country’s commitment to Nairobi.

The event will also feature a photo exhibit at the Department of Foreign Affairs, with Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, of the NEDA, giving the opening statement, followed by a panel discussion on the life of Mr. Salas with Dr. Mercedes Concepcion, and the authors of the book: Mr. Jose Dalisay and Ms. Menchu Sarmiento. Sec. Ernesto Pernia will turn over the book to Mrs. Carmelita Rodriguez Salas who will give a statement.  

UNFPA launches State of World Population 2019 report

Despite remarkable achievements in the past five decades, much more must be done to break the barriers that prevent women, men and couples from fully exercising their reproductive rights and choices, says new UNFPA report released today

At the turnover of the State of World Population 2019 Report, entitled “Unfinished Business: the pursuit of rights and choices for all” were (from L-R) Salvacion A. Collao, POPCOM Finance Chief, Lourdes Nacionales, POPCOM Administrations Chief, Susan Codotco, POPCOM Information Management and Communications Division Chief, Lolito R. Tacardon, POPCOM Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, POPCOM USEC, Iori Kato, UNFPA-Philippines Representative, Vicente Jurlano, UNFPA-Philippines National Program Officer-Population and Development and Pamela Aine, UNFPA-Philippines International Operations Manager.

The year 2019 is unique as it marks two important milestones in the field of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights: 50 years since the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) began operations globally with Filipino national Rafael Salas as its first Executive Director, and 25 years since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo where 179 governments agreed on a call for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and childbirth services.

Much has been achieved in the Philippines since 1969. The average number of births per woman was 6.0 in 1973.  Today it is 2.7^[1], even though the country has the highest total fertility rate in the ASEAN region.  In order to reach the national target of 2.1 average number of births per woman under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), the Philippines needs to step up its efforts.

According to the 2017 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey, about 17 percent of currently married women aged 15-49 have expressed intention to space or limit their children but are not using any method of family planning.  Such proportion of unmet need for family planning services is highest among adolescents at 28 percent. 

To finish the unfinished business of the ICPD, governments, activists and stakeholders will rally at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 to be held on 12-14 November to sustain the gains made so far, and fulfill the promise of the ICPD agenda. Most countries, including the Philippines, need to build on the foundation of the past achievements to reach those who have been left behind and make sexual and reproductive health and rights a reality for all.

STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2019 Unfinished Business: the pursuit of rights and choices for all

POPCOM Undersecretary Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III with UNFPA Philippines Representative Iori Kato at the turnover of the State of World Population 2019 Report, entitled “Unfinished Business: the pursuit of rights and choices for all”

The year 2019 is unique as it marks two important milestones in the field of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights: 50 years since the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) began operations globally, and 25 years since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo where 179 governments agreed on a call for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and childbirth services. UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2019 traces advances in reproductive health on the anniversaries of these two important milestones.

These two events—the launch of the first United Nations agency dedicated to addressing population dynamics and the reproductive health needs of the world’s people with Filipino national Rafael Salas as its first Executive Director, and the declaration of a global commitment to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights—have fundamentally shaped the lives of women and families, and the societies in which they live, in the decades that followed.  The revolutionary changes have been made in measurable and immeasurable, profound and trivial, permanent and fleeting ways.

Activists, advocates, government agencies like the Philippine Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) – which also celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year - and UNFPA have jointly advanced the transformations that ordinary citizens see around themselves today and have helped tear down various and evolving social, economic and institutional barriers that women and young people have faced in exercising their reproductive rights over the past 50 years. As a result, more women today have access to the information and services they need to decide for themselves whether, when or how often to become pregnant.

Much has been achieved in the Philippines since 1969. The average number of births per woman was 6.0 in 1973.  Today it is 2.7^[1], even though the country has the highest total fertility rate in the ASEAN region.  In order to reach the national target of 2.1 average number of births per woman under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), the Philippines needs to step up its efforts.

“UNFPA takes pride in having partnered with the Philippines and witnessed together so many remarkable achievements together in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in the last five decades.  And yet, there should not be complacency.  Much more needs to be done to empower those who are not yet able to enjoy their rights and whose choices are still constrained,” says UNFPA Philippines Representative Iori Kato. 

According to the 2017 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey, about 17 percent of currently married women aged 15-49 have expressed intention to space or limit their children but are not using any method of family planning.  Such proportion of unmet need for family planning services is highest among adolescents at 28 percent.  

The fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights is key to reducing poverty in the country. The PDP 2017-2022 contains a specific chapter on Reaching for the Demographic Dividend; this chapter emphasizes the fact that reducing fertility through increasing access for young people to reproductive health information and services is a necessary pre-condition for the demographic dividend to be realized. 

The Philippine Government is a champion of the ICPD and President Rodrigo R. Duterte is committed to ending the unmet need for family planning, reflected in the recently revamped National Program on Population and Family Planning (NPPFP) to accelerate the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act.

 “The Philippine Government remains strong in its commitment to fulfill the promise of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, to put people at the center of sustainable development and to pursue the realization of every Filipino’s sexual and reproductive rights,” said Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, Under-Secretary for Population and Development and Executive Director of POPCOM.  

To finish the unfinished business of the ICPD, governments, activists and stakeholders will rally at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 to be held on 12-14 November to sustain the gains made so far, and fulfill the promise of the ICPD agenda. Most countries, including the Philippines, need to build on the foundation of the past achievements to reach those who have been left behind and make sexual and reproductive health and rights a reality for all.

Facts and figures on the Philippines:

• Number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births: 121 in 1994; 114 in 2015 (SWOP, 2019)
• Modern contraceptive prevalence rate among currently-married women: 11 in 1973; 25 in 1993; 40 in 2017 (NDS, 1993; NDHS, 2017)

• Total fertility rate, or average number of births per women: 6.0 in 1973; 4.1 in 1993; 2.7 in 2017 (NDS, 1993; NDHS, 2017)
• Percent women 15-19 years old who have begun childbearing: 6.5 in 1993; 8.6 in 2017 (NDS, 1993; NDHS, 2017)

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[1] 1973 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 1993 NDHS and 2017 NDHS.