Africa
Reproductive health
Population and development strategies
Advocacy
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Arab States
Central and Eastern Europe
Asia and the Pacific
Latin America and the Caribbean
Interregional Programmes
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Reproductive health.
The year 1997 witnessed further advances in adapting the maternal and child health (MCH)
and family planning (FP) approach to a reproductive health approach, including family
planning and sexual health. Throughout the region, UNFPA provided support to government
efforts to develop a clearer vision of comprehensive reproductive health services and
programming. However, despite achievements in this area, two key constraints in the region
remain: limited coverage in terms of access to and availability of a range of reproductive
health services; and an insufficient number of trained personnel to deliver such services.
To advance the process of operationalizing reproductive health programmes, an expert
consultation took place in Addis Ababa in January. The meeting was attended by national
experts from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Uganda and Senegal, as well as
representatives from United Nations agencies and The Population Council. The
recommendations that emerged from the meeting have been incorporated in a guidance note on
operationalizing reproductive health, taking into account the diversity of needs and
resources in the region. UNFPA has actively assisted Governments in the region in
mobilizing community groups, grass-roots associations, NGOs and local leaders to promote
the use of reproductive health services. Efforts have also focused on sensitizing
leadership groups on such issues as maternal mortality, adolescent health needs, and male
responsibility and involvement. As a result, religious leaders have become important
allies and are playing a major advocacy role in the implementation of reproductive health
activities in Ghana, Namibia, Niger, Uganda and Senegal. Successful male participation in
reproductive health, including use of services, has also increased in several countries in
the region, including in Ghana, Namibia and the United Republic of Tanzania. Training
programmes in the region have also been brought in line to reflect the concept of
reproductive health. UNFPA has been supporting the regional programme for Training of
Trainers in Reproductive Health, in Mauritius, as well as the centres providing IEC
training located in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Addressing adolescent reproductive health needs has been an important dimension of UNFPA
support. Thus, the Fund has provided assistance for family life education, HIV/AIDS
prevention and reproductive health and counselling services focusing on meeting the needs
of youth. These activities seek to enable young people to make responsible decisions about
their sexual behaviour. Several countries in the region have recordedan increase in the
use of multi-purpose youth centres that provide youth-friendly reproductive health
information, counselling and services. These countries include Botswana, Cape Verde,
Eritrea, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Senegal and Uganda. Innovative approaches are also
being used to reach young people. Angola, for example, is piloting the promotion of
responsible behaviour among adolescents by using peer counselling; meanwhile, Ghana,
Lesotho and Nigeria are using the approach of educating parents, particularly fathers and
mothers-in-law, as a way of reaching youth and adolescents. In the United Republic of
Tanzania, a hotline has been set up to provide reproductive health information to
adolescents and to facilitate their access to services.
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