Satellite Session at the 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR)

21 October 2011

Diabetes – A Missing Link to Achieving Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Asia-Pacific Region

In order to raise awareness and understanding of the linkages between noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), in particular diabetes, and SRHR of the SRHR community, the Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) jointly organised a satellite session at the 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) held from 20-22 October 2011 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. APCRSHR is one of the largest conferences on SRHR that brings together over 1000 participants and professionals working in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the region. The Conference offered and ideal opportunity for introducing NCDs, diabetes and SRHR – a topic never discussed prior to this session – to a wide range of SRHR practitioners, researchers, advocates and policy makers.

OBJECTIVES

In line with the objectives of the project, and to sensitise the Conference participants on the critical linkages of diabetes prevention, treatment and care the satellite session’s aims were:

1. to underscore and raise awareness on the emerging burden of diabetes, as a barrier to achieving the sexual and reproductive health related Millennium Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific region; and
2. to create a regional platform that calls for integration of diabetes in the national and Asia-Pacific sexual and reproductive health agenda.

VENUE & OTHER DETAILS

The satellite session was held at the 6th APCRSHR, room 7, Grha Shaba Pramana, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The duration of the session was 1 hour and 45 mins (10.30am – 12.15pm).

The session was chaired and moderated by Dr. Narimah Awin, Regional Advisor MRH (Making Pregnancy Safer and Reproductive Health), WHO SEARO.

The three speakers were:

1. Dr. Anil Kapur, Managing Director, World Diabetes Foundation, Denmark (Conceptual and contextual overview of diabetes in the Asia-Pacific with specific focus on women and linkages)
2. Dr. Jessica Ona-Cruz, Professor at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Department of Pharmacology FEU-NRMF, Institute of Medicine, Philippines (Linkages between diabetes and maternal and child health)
3. Dr. Hoang Tu Anh, Director, Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population, Vietnam (Diabetes and sexuality in male and female)

To read the report click here