PSN and NGOs welcome new UNFPA Director

18 January 2011

Source: PSN

PSN alongside other NGOs has sent a letter to Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, welcoming him as the new UNFPA Executive Director and sharing recommendations for placing population issues on the global sustainable development agenda.

UNFPA meeting on population and sustainable development

In December 2010, UNFPA convened a group of civil society organizations to discuss population dynamics and sustainable development. As the world gears up for Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development that will take place in Brazil in 2012, the meeting sought to build partnerships to advocate for the inclusion of population issues into the agendas of upcoming international environmental events. PSN's Karen Newman gave a presentation at the meeting on Experiences in linking population, gender and climate change.

Letter congratulates Dr Osotimehin

As an outcome of the meeting, a letter has been sent to Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, the new UNFPA Executive Director who began his UNFPA leadership on 1 January. Drafted by PSN’s Karen Newman and Roger-Mark De Souza of PAI on behalf of the various NGOs participants of the meetings, the letter congratulates Dr Osotimehin on his appointment and wishes him all the best for his leadership of the UNFPA.

Integrating population and sustainable development issues

The letter shared with Dr Osotimehin ideas and recommendations from the December UNFPA meeting on population and sustainable development issues, on issues that Dr Osotimehin may wish to prioritise as he takes up his UNFPA leadership responsibilities.

Key recommendations from the meeting included:

• Regain strong leadership on population
• Prioritize action leading to Rio+20 building on support from global Parliamentarians
• Support building evidence to highlight population linkages to key sectors
• Respect and protect human rights as an important organizing framework
• Continue successful civil society engagement
• Regenerate the Cairo agenda
• Incorporate a gender focus in order to enhance sustainable development
• Recognize youth as a positive force of change, and recognize the value of reaching both young men and women
• Develop urgency regarding key priorities

Dr Osotimehin responds

PSN and the other NGOs that contributed to the letter are delighted to have already received a response from Dr Osotimehin, thanking us for the letter. In his correspondence Dr Osotimehin expressed that he will take the issues we raised into consideration as the UNFPA moves forward, and looks forward to working with the NGO collective in the future.

A copy of the letter sent to Dr Osotimehin on behalf of the NGOs that participated in the UNFPA meeting on population dynamics and sustainable development is available here.

Further information about PSN’s work to place population issues on the Rio+20 agenda will be available on this website in the future.