|
 The
Population Policies Information System
or the PPIS is a database on population policies and indicators in the
Arab countries that was developed to monitor and follow up on the
implementation of national population goals and targets. It is a powerful
tool for monitoring country progress towards the Millenium Development
Goals (MDG) and the population targets set at United Nations international
conferences.
The PPIS is an integral component of a four-year project funded by UNFPA,
implemented by ESCWA in coordination with National Population
Committees/Councils in the Arab countries and was formulated in line with
the themes and recommendations emanating from the International Conference
on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994).
The topics covered by the PPIS include: Population dynamics; education;
economic growth; employment and poverty; environment and natural
resources; public health; maternal and child health; adolescent and youth
health; sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS; empowerment of women;
responsibilities and participation of men; partnership in development;
information, education and communications. The main economic, social and
demographic indicators related to the above-mentioned topics are
incorporated into PPIS.
The core functions of the PPIS encompass the following:
• To identify the position
of Arab countries with regard to population policies.
• To gather and document the population policies of Arab countries for
the purpose of comparative analysis.
• To gather and document indicators to monitor achievements.
• To identify future trends and alternative strategies with respect to
population and economic and social development in the Arab region as a
whole and in each country.
By performing these
functions, the PPIS is envisaged on the long-run:
• To monitor progress made
towards achieving goals and objectives of national population policies
as well as UN goals.
• To upgrade the policy formulation and analysis capacities of Arab
countries.
• To raise awareness about the importance of integrating population,
reproductive health and gender issues in national development plans and
programmes.
• To identify required future national/regional and integrated regional
economic, social and population development strategies.
• To gain a regional perspective on formulating development policies
that are integrated to ensure sustainable development.
PPIS sources of information
are based on national population policies documents and a standardized
questionnaire sent to the Arab countries to assess the official country
position on population policies in addition to the measures/interventions
adopted to achieve these policies. Population and Socio-economic
indicators are derived mainly from national surveys, statistical abstracts
and United Nations estimates.
To date, the PPIS provides information on the population policies and
related indicators in ten Arab countries. More profiles will be added as
soon as more information is available. PPIS can be found either online at
http://ppis.escwa.org.lb; or on CDs available from ESCWA upon special
request. The use of the PPIS is easy, friendly and costless and is backed
up by a promotional brochure available in English and Arabic and a
user-manual also available in both languages.
|
