The Asian Population Association is a non-profit association of population specialists with the aim of drawing the attention of governments, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the general public to population issues in Asia and to promote demography as a science.

The Association organizes regional and specialized conferences, coordinates the work of Scientific Committees and Working Groups and documents research output through a wide variety of publication formats.

Statement by Mr. Sultan Aziz

Director, Asia and Pacific division, UNFPA, New York

On the Occasion of the Official Inauguration of

The Establishment Committee of the Asian Population Association

Delivered at Amir Kabir Hall, University of Tehran

December 1, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address your esteemed forum today. I wish I were with you, in person, to celebrate this special event of the establishment of the Asia Population Association. Unfortunately, I could not do so due to prior commitments and conflicting priorities.

Since 2004, I have been engaged in discussions with some of you and other colleagues, on the establishment of the Association, and I am delighted that it has materialized. This would not have been possible without your commitment and endeavour. I take this opportunity to congratulate you all on this outstanding achievement.

As you are aware, Asia provides tremendous opportunities for advancing population issues within the region and around the globe. Asia is home to around 60% of world population and has provided testing ground for diversity of emerging population issues, such as ageing, migration, refugees, pre-natal sex selection, environment and natural disasters. The countries of the region vary in terms of the stage of demographic transition that they are going through. Progress in addressing population issues and achieving ICPD Goals and MDGs has been uneven. Some countries have made strong headway in the population field, while other still lag behind. A number of countries have developed comparative advantages in specific population disciplines, such as Iran in family planning, Indonesia in information, Education and Communication for reproductive health, Bangladesh in poverty alleviation through micro-credit projects and Thailand in HIV/AIDS. There is also a large number of population research and training centers and large base of demographers and population scientists in the region.

Against the backdrop, the Asian Population Association, which brings together professions and institutions, constitutes a knowledge base. The association provides an excellent platform for research, networking and sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices to advance the agenda of ICPD and MDGs.

I realize that you have a challenging agenda of developing the constitution of the association and discussing membership and electing members of the Council of the Association. However, I am confident that you will utilize this forum in Tehran to discuss and set the substantive agenda of the Association and the way forward.

I strongly believe in the potential of the Association and what it can offer as repository of innovative ideas, problem solving and best practices and a platform for disseminating knowledge and influencing policy trends in the region and beyond. The association is expected to mobilize its experts and institutions to develop innovative and strategic approaches to address emerging population issues and accelerate the achievement of ICPD and MDGs. This would require establishing a population research agenda for the region; supporting research and documentation of best practices; facilitating access to research findings; and examining the applicability of innovative approaches in various settings.

Over the years, we have realized that evidence is instrumental in persuading policy makers and planners of innovations. The Association and its experts have the daunting task of engaging in evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue with various stakeholders to promote the adoption of sound policies and innovative ideas and practices. Interacting with other associations and regional and inter-regional institutions would be instrumental in reaching broader consensus on and support the implementation of such innovations.

As you are aware, UNFPA plays a pivotal role in supporting national, regional and inter-regional population institutions, such as the African Population Association, the Asian Forum for Parliamentarians on Population and Development, and IUSSP, to name a few. The approved plan to strengthen the regional structures of UNFPA will enable the organization to contribute even more effectively to supporting regional institutions. We, at UNFPA, are looking forward to working closely with your esteemed Association in its endeavour to advance the ICPD and MDGs agenda in Asia and the world at large.

Once again, I congratulate you on the establishment of the Asian Population Association and wish you success.

Minutes of Establishment Committee Meeting

1-4 December 2007

University of Tehran, Iran

1. Population researchers from across Asia have long felt the need for a professional association to promote comparative and cooperative research. Discussions have been held over a three year period:

a. November 2004 researchers at a meeting hosted by Mahidol University in Bangkok the idea of an Asian Population Association was raised.
b. December 2005 scholars from sixteen Asian countries attending the Sixth Conference of the Population Association of Pakistan discussed the need for a regional association.
c. December 2006 an international conference on Emerging Issues in the Asia Pacific Region, hosted by IIPS in Mumbai, a proposal was made to form an association. The 500 participants from many Asian countries endorsed the concept, and encouraged a small group to put together plans for an association.
d. During 5-11 September 2007 an online discussion among 80 scholars was carried out to make concrete plans for the association, including the name, purpose and administrative arrangements to be made. An Establishment Committee was named, and Professor Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi was asked to arrange a meeting of the Committee to draw up a constitution.

2. The Establishment Committee (EC) consists of: 

a. Professor Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi
b. Professor Moneer Alam
c. Professor Baochang Gu
d. Professor Terence Hull
e. Professor Mehtab Syed Karim
f. Professor Bhassorn Limanonda
Professor John Cleland and Professor John Casterline were appointed as international advisors to the Committee.

The Inaugural Meeting of the Establishment Committee was held 1-4 December 2007 at the Department of Demography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran.

Dr Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi was elected Chair of the Establishment Committee and deputed to coordinate the steps to be taken to set up a Nomination Committee and work with the Secretariat to prepare meetings and activities.

3. The Establishment Committee accepted the offer of the College of Population Studies of Chulalongkorn University to serve as the Foundation Secretariat for the Association. Professor Bhassorn Limanonda will serve as the Executive Secretary and will manage the Secretariat and coordinate activities in consultation with the Chair of the EC.

4. Timeline for activities:

a. 10 December 2007: Announce deliberations of EC Meeting to all Asian Specialist members of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and invite them to join the association as Foundation Members.
b. 15 December 2007 establish the Nomination Committee
c. December 2007- January 2008 Create Website and e-mail address lists
d. January 2008 Design Logo and brochure for the Association
e. January ? June 2008 Register the Association in Thailand
f. January - June 2008 Implement Fundraising strategies
g. May 2008 meeting of the Establishment Committee in Bangkok ? Preliminary discussion of Conference Plans
h. August 2008 Announcement of Election
i. October 2008 Online election for Council
j. January 2009 Elected Council in place ? Establishment of Committees
k. 2010 First Conference of the Association

5. Application for Membership form ? The Chair of the EC will distribute the final draft to the EC. The Executive Secretary will arrange to have this made into a web based form.

6. A cascading Membership drive will be carried out using national and international networks of Population Professionals with a specialized interest in Asian Population Studies. It is hoped that all IUSSP members resident in Asia will join, as will Asian specialists among the memberships of the Population Association of America and the European Population Association. National associations in Asia will be asked to inform their members of the new regional group and encourage them to join. It is hoped that upwards of 500 members will be registered by May 2008. In the absence of a Constitution and Council, the review of applications for membership will be undertaken by the EC and the Secretariat. Conditions for membership will be those in Article 2 of the Draft Constitution of 4 December 2007. Foundation members will not be charged any fee for the first year of membership (2008), but it is anticipated that the first Council will institute a modest annual membership fee from 2009 on.

7. All members registered by 31 July 2008 will be deemed to be Foundation Members, eligible to stand and vote in the elections for the Foundation Council.

8. Timing of Elections of the Council will be confirmed at the May meeting of the EC.

a. The election process should be held in the period from 1 August through 30 October 2008, using a secure computer-based balloting system with member?s email address and password being used to facilitate the process.
b. Members without access to internet will be able to submit a paper ballot.
c. The Foundation Executive Secretary will be the returning officer for the election and will be assisted by two independent scrutineers drawn from the professoriate of Chulalongkorn University.

9. The new Council will take over the running of the Association on 1 January 2009.

10. The Foundation Nominations Committee will be formed immediately. The Chair of the EC will invite the following to serve in this capacity:

a. Chair: Professor Gavin Jones, Australia,
b. Sri Moertiningsih (Toening) Adioetomo, Indonesia
c. Bhakta Gubaju, ESCAP
d. Khawaja Marwan, Lebanon
e. Zeba Sathar, Pakistan
f. Edward Tu, China

Should any be unable to serve, the Chair will determine alternates on the basis of names suggested by the EC.

11. Next Meeting of the EC will be held Bangkok 28-30 May 2008, subject to availability of funding. Grants will be sought to support a one day workshop on The 2010 Census Round in Asia: National Challenges and Regional Collaborations to be held on 29 May 2008. This will allow the EC to invite a range of specialists from the region, including members of the Nomination Committee, to combine academic discussions with the administrative work of the Association. It is hoped that two or three donors will be interested in funding this dual activity. Professor Terence Hull agreed to facilitate the Workshop and collaborate with the EC Chair and the Executive Secretary to approach donors for funding for the three days of activities.

12. Funding and fund raising. The EC Chair will prepare a statement about the Association and its goals to be used in proposals to potential funders. The following should be contacted as a matter of priority: 

a. UNFPA (Mr Sultan Aziz and regional offices)
b. Asia Foundation, San Francisco
c. Packard Foundation
d. Hewlett Foundation
e. Ford Foundation, New York
f. Rockefeller Foundation, Bangkok
g. AusAID
h. JICA
i. MacArther Foundation, New Delhi
j. Gates Foundation
k. Toyota Foundation
l. European Union
m. DFID
n. Population Association of America

13. The Establishment Committee would like to extend their sincere thanks to the Head of the Department of Demography, Dr Hossein Mahmoudian for hosting the Tehran meeting and the Tehran Office of UNFPA, and particularly the Resident Representative, Mr Mohamed Abdel-Ahad for funding the meeting in Tehran.

Opening Remarks by Mr. Mohamed Abdel-Ahad

Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Iran

Delivered at the First meeting of Establishment Committee of the Asian Population Association

December 1, 2007, Amir Kabir Hall University of Tehran

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be among colleagues and friends from the Establishment Committee of the Asian Population association, the Department of Demography of University of Tehran, the Population Association of Iran, Government, civil society and the UN.

I would like to welcome you all to this seminar. I welcome, in particular, the international scholars who came all the way from different parts of the world and as far as Australia to join us today.

I take this opportunity to congratulate you and the entire population of Asia, on the establishment of the Asian Population Association. This is certainly an outstanding achievement and the outcome of concerted efforts exerted since 2004. Here I would like to pay tribute to a number of experts, members of the Establishment Committee of the Association namely Professors Jalal Abbasi of Iran, Moneer Alam of India, Terrence Hull of Australia, Bhassorn Limanonda of Thailand, Baochang Gu of China and Mehtab Karim of Pakistan. It is your relentless efforts and unwavering commitment that made the establishment of the Asian population association possible.

Today is memorable day as we gather here to officially inaugurate the Establishment Committee of the Asian Population Association. I thank University of Tehran and the Population Association of Iran for their collaboration with UNFPA in organizing this important seminar.

It comes to no surprise that you chose Iran as the venue of this important event. Notwithstanding, the negotiating and public relations skill of Dr. Jalal Abbsi, the choice of Iran was indeed thoughtful. It is an Asian country that made strong headway in the population field in such a record time and has a lot more to offer.

Over the past decades and half, Iran?s population and development indicators have improved significantly. Fertility has reached replacement levels of two children per woman, maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality rate have declined by more than 50 %. Life expectancy at birth for both men and women is more than 70 years. Literacy among young men and women aged 15-24 is now almost universal.

The country is close to achieving the established targets of International Conference on Population and development (ICPD) and MDGs. However, a number of challenges remained to be addressed, such as the need to further promote gender equality and women empowerment, strengthen efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS, bridge disparities in development levels and equality of life among regions and population groups and address emerging population issues, such as the environment, migration and refugees and ageing. The fast demographic transition in Iran affected the age structure of the population. Certainly, 64% of the population is in the working group (15-60 years). To reap this demographic dividend and accelerate socio-economic development, the country should make greater investments in job creation and social services, especially for this large cohort of young people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Asian Population Association has the advantage of starting from where the other Population Associations ended. Therefore, I urge the Establishment Committee to review and take stock of the experiences of the other Associations.

Asia is characterized by wealth of human resources and population institutions and diversity in level of development.

The association has the responsibility of promoting research, sharing knowledge, developing the capacity of population institutions and carrying advocacy and policy dialogue to advance the development agenda in the region as reflected in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Developing a research agenda in the population field would enhance the knowledge base in the region. Here, Iran has a lot of experience to share. With UNFPA?s support, the Iranian Government and civil society established research agenda for the country in population, RH and gender. Priority areas of research in these fields were identified based on sound criteria. Iran, with its wealth of experiences and well-established institutions, is well positioned to play a pivotal role in sharing knowledge and know how with the rest of countries in the region.

I am sure that we will have the opportunity to further discuss such issues in the upcoming workshop on the 3rd of December. I would like to conclude by reiterating UNFPA?s support to your Association. I wish you success in your endeavour to establish the constitution of the Association and plan for its future activities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. Sultan Aziz, the Director of Asia and Pacific Division of UNFPA wanted very much to participate in this meeting today, but he could not due to prior commitments. However, he has a massage to convey to you which is video record and will be aired to you in a minute.

Thank you.