The world has moved closer to reaching key reproductive health targets – including cutting rates of maternal mortality – but financial resources for this effort still do not keep up with demands, according to a survey released Tuesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
More and more countries are committed to safe motherhood, family planning policies are well-established around the world and the use of modern contraceptives is on the rise, according to the Global Survey, which tracks progress since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994. It was compiled based on responses from 169 countries.
– The Global Survey shows that countries have taken full ownership of the ICPD programme and a significant amount of progress has been achieved during the past last decade, said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid. – The challenge during the next 10 years is to build on this progress and ensure that investments reach the poorest segments of the population, especially women and young people, added she.
According to the survey, more than 90 per cent of countries have integrated family planning and safe motherhood into their primary health care systems. A similar percentage had taken measures to address adolescent reproductive health, including integrating reproductive health education into school curricula. Many of the survey respondents have also established national AIDS commissions and programmes to deal with the impact of the pandemic.
The lack of financial resources is cited as the greatest threat to progress, with more than 80 per cent of countries reporting that available resources did not meet needs. In addition, the survey shows that current financial commitments by donor countries to poorer States are inadequate to make the Cairo vision a reality.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
