UNFPA applauds Bangladesh for decreasing fertility rates
DHAKA, 1 April 2009: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has applauded Bangladesh government and it people for help decreasing the countrys total fertility rate in last 10 years through adopting successful family planning programme.
– The result of a very successful national family planning programme is that the total fertility rate, after years of stagnation, has now further declined to an average of 2,7 children per women, a 20 percent decrease in last 10 years, UNFPA country representative Arthur Erken said while addressing an inaugural function.
The launching ceremony of the South Asian countrys first “National Communication Strategy for Family Planning and Reproductive Health” was held Wednesday.
Health Secretary Sheikh Altaf Ali attended the program as chief guest with Family Planning Director General Mohammad Abdul Qayyum in chair.
The UNFPA representative stressed the need for making the permanent contraceptive methods popular in the country to help reducing over fertility rate.
– We have to avoid unnecessary stock-outs of contraceptives, beef-up and invest additional resources in our outreach programme to hard-to-reach population, he said, adding that women should not get married before the legal age.
Skeikh Altaf Ali said the government would formulate the action plan in light of the strategy paper made for family planning and reproductive health.
The Health Secretary emphasized on changing attitudes of the people at grassroots levels to make success in the family planning and reproductive health programme.
– If we can change the behavior of the grassroots people by showing them the dream of advanced life, we’ll be able to bring a success to this programme, he said, adding that changing the peoples attitudes for adopting any contraceptive measures is very tough job.
The Secretary urged the people all walks of life to come forward in creating awareness about the benefit of the family planning and reproductive health.
The strategy document identifies 11 target audiences and provides strategic guidelines to address emerging challenges in family planning and reproductive health sectors through targeted and strategic interventions.
The target audiences are newlywed and low parity couples, married couples with desire family sizes, husbands/males, poor and under served population, adolescent, unmarried youths, service providers, programme manager sand supervisors, religious and community leaders, political leaders and policy makers and mass media personnel.
Kilde: The Push Journal
