A representative from the Malaysian National Population and Family Development Board during the award ceremony (Photo by Ephrem Cruz/UNFPA)

Iranian deputy minister and Malaysian institution win 2007 Population Award

Two of the four United Nations Population Awards for the year 2007 have been granted to Asian household names; Hossein Malek Afzali, Deputy Minister for Research and Technology at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Malaysian National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB).

Bagging the awards in two different categories – individual and institutional – Dr. Afzali and the Malaysian NPFDB were selected by the 10-nation Committee for the Award for their outstanding contribution to the field of population and health and welfare of individuals.

Dr. Afzali has been Deputy Minister for Research and Technology at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1999. He has helped design strategies to improve health procedures, particularly primary health care, adolescent health, reproductive health and family planning. According to information sent to the Award Committee, Dr. Afzali has played a major role in advocacy, helping to engage policy makers and religious leaders in the design and implementation of reproductive health programmes in the country.

The second Asian laureate is Malaysia’s National Population and Family Development Board, which has been active since 1966, conducting socio-demographic research and monitoring population trends and programmes to create enhanced awareness among policy makers and managers. The NPFDB focuses on family development and on promoting family well-being, including family education and counseling. It also promotes reproductive health through the provision of family planning and a wide range of services, such as infertility management, early cancer detection screenings, psychosexual counseling, and special programmes for adolescents.

This year for the first time since its establishment in 1981, the Award was bestowed upon four laureates. Columbia University’s Allan Rosenfield and Algeria’s National Population Committee were the two other winners, in the individual and institutional categories, respectively.

Dr. Rosenfield, affiliated with Columbia University since 1975, has taken part in high-level advocacy and other work, serving on the boards of numerous organizations including for the United Nations Millennium Project and the World Health Organization. In 1985, he co-wrote a seminal paper on maternal death in The Lancet; subsequently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Averting Maternal Death and Disability programme which supports projects in some 50 countries.
Created in 1996, Algeria’s National Population Committee has been advising the Government of Algeria in formulating population policies and incorporating the population dimension into social and economic development plans and programmes. It has helped introduce population education in the core curriculum, sponsor important research on the determinants of fertility and taken part in a variety of advocacy work.
During the Award ceremony, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, stated: “Today, we celebrate outstanding contributions to the awareness of population questions or to their solutions. And we recognize individuals and institutions who, through their work and achievements, are at the forefront of human progress and development”.

The Award Committee chose the laureates from 29 international nominees. Each winner received a diploma, a gold medal and an equal share of a monetary prize.
(Sources: UNFPA press release, 2 May; UN News Centre, 7 June)