ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Senator Malaka Parker will lead a delegation of two young Parliamentarians that will be representing the Region at The Global Young Parliamentarians’ Dialogue on ICPD Issues being convened on November 15-16 2011 in Krabi Thailand. Jermaine Wade, Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for Youth, Sports and Culture in Montserrat will also be in attendance. This historic gathering is being hosted by The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) and the Information and External Relations Division (IERD) of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New York. The International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) was held in Cairo in 1994, where a Programme of Action (PoA) was adopted by world leaders of 179 countries, who laid benchmarks to achieve certain socio-economic population goals by 2014.

The global dialogue will bring together a select group of around 40 young parliamentarians, below 35 years of age, from all regions of the world, to discuss their roles to further address the ICPD issues even after 2014. The dialogue will provide a platform for the younger members of national legislatures to develop greater awareness and understanding of linkages between ICPD and the attainment of population and development objectives, focusing on population, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and gender equality; strengthen advocacy for mobilization of resources for SRHR and gender equality programmes within national budgets; and encourage participation and engagement of youth in population and development issues and programmes.

Specifically this dialogue comprising speakers who are officers, advisors and consultants from UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), The Human Rights Watch Organization and Amnesty International, along with presentations from other Parliamentarians from around the world, aims to bring together young parliamentarians (below 35 years of age) to share experiences, to gain a deeper understanding of ICPD issues and linkages with population and development among young parliamentarians and will facilitate exchange of best practices, national perspectives and experiences and policy recommendations. This forum will also reinforce young parliamentarians’ commitment to further advance actions on ICPD and EVAW (End Violence Against Women International). Ultimately, organizers hope that the young parliamentarians will be able to identify different strategies and approaches that they can utilize in their respective countries to address population development issues. The international forum will also be used to promote participation of young women legislators.


Sen. Parker is currently the Secretary of the Caribbean Network of Parliamentarians on Population Development (CNPPD), a group of Regional Parliamentarians who fall under the umbrella of the Inter American Parliamentary Group (IAPG), a larger network of parliamentarians from South, Central and North America. Sen. Parker represented the Americas at the 2009 International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2009. At this sitting, Sen. Parker led the dialogue on the youth perspective in achieving the worlds ICPD targets. In Krabi Thailand, Senator Parker will be one of four panelists who will lead discussions on the topic Challenges and opportunities facing young parliamentarians: Globalization, employment and poverty in a world of 7 billion.