UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will launch two new initiatives to increase access to family planning and improve maternal health in some of the most-hard-to-reach areas around the world, including post-conflict and post-disaster countries.
These initiatives which build on UNFPA's years of support to family planning will be announced at the 2013 Women Deliver Conference, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 28 to 30 May.
On 30 May, UNFPA will announce a new project with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) that addresses the high unmet need for family planning among some of the world's most marginalized populations, particularly in post-conflict countries and those in transition. The initiative will boost advocacy and scale up voluntary family planning information and services in Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Myanmar, South Sudan and others, with an emphasis on young people and other vulnerable groups.
UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says we need to think outside the box "to reach the 222 million women who are unable to access modern family planning", adding that "It is not enough to just distribute contraceptives".
Rather, he says, "we must approach the situation holistically by creating an enabling environment that responds to the needs of women, men and young people and promotes innovative policies and programmes, including comprehensive sexuality education, and those that apply the latest technologies".
