Patna, Aug. 10: It is a proud moment for the state as two persons from Bihar have been invited to the 6th Asia Pacific conference on reproductive and sexual health and rights in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Social worker Tushar Upadhyay and Vaishali district immunisation officer Sarita Limba will present their studies during the conference to be held in October.

According to sources, the theme for the conference is: “Claiming sexual and reproductive rights in Asian and Pacific societies”.

The organisers believe the present challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, such as the sensitive issues of sexual and reproductive health, need to be resolved. It is, therefore, critical to claim sexual and reproductive rights within Asian and Pacific societies.

The conference would include several formats, such as plenary session, parallel session, satellite session, poster and youth forum.

While Tushar will present an abstract on interpersonal communication and its impact on maternal and child health, Limba will give a presentation on prevailing contraceptive-use pattern and barriers to the use of spacing methods in an urban slum in Patna.

“I have been invited to take part in the poster session while Simba will present her studies during an oral presentation session. The research paper that I will present during the course was prepared when I enrolled for a course at Public Health Foundation of India. Simba’s research paper was prepared during her studies at Indian Institute of Public Health where she was sent there by the state government,” said 48-year-old Tushar who is also associated as a programme officer with an international non-government organisation based in USA.

The conference is held every two years in the Asia-Pacific region.

The first conference, named 1st Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Health (APCRH), was held between February 15 and 19, 2001 in Manila, Philippines to increase awareness on the importance and nature of reproductive and sexual health issues in the region.

Prior to the conference, a youth forum will be conducted one day before the conference, which is designed to give participants an opportunity to discuss youth-related global issues and to build their capacity on networking and advocacy skills.