Introduction

Africa (Sub-Saharan)

Arab States

Europe

Asia and the Pacific

Latin America and the Caribbean

Interregional Programmes

UNFPA's interregional programmes promote safe motherhood.

Reproductive health. Since ICPD, governmental and non-governmental organizations from developing countries have been redesigning and broadening policies to integrate reproductive health components into primary health care systems. The reproductive health component of the interregional programme aids countries in these efforts in a number of ways. For example, it provides support for the development of new and improved contraceptive methods and helps to verify that such methods are safe and effective. Another activity is the development of guidelines, methodologies and operational approaches to integrate and strengthen reproductive health programmes and services. The inclusion of new reproductive health components in family planning programmes requires clear technical instructions on key issues of integration as well as on the content of each component. The development of feasible and cost-effective reproductive health interventions for application at the primary health care level is also essential. In conditions of poverty, for example, basic technology to deal with some reproductive health components is prohibitively expensive. There is therefore a need to develop simpler diagnostic tests and single diagnostic therapies for STDs. Interregional programmes also promote the concept of reproductive health as an overall approach to the health and well-being of women, men and adolescents.

In 1998 UNFPA continued to support the development and assessment of contraceptive methods, contraceptive surveillance and social science research in reproductive health. UNFPA focused its assistance on developing and conducting research on female-controlled methods, such as the vaginal ring, the female condom, emergency contraception, and new methods for males. Support provided by the Fund was instrumental in the development of an information package on the female condom. The status of male contraceptive development is promising, in particular for hormonal methods. UNFPA has begun to fund an innovative initiative that promotes the involvement of industry in developing new contraceptive agents that respond to the needs and perspectives of women. There are a variety of leads in this area, and several potential spermicides and microbicides are in initial clinical trials.

As part of efforts to operationalize reproductive health programmes, UNFPA funded the development of technical guidelines on key reproductive health issues; the development of tools for training NGO professionals in advocacy, gender issues, reproductive health, youth and institution-building; and the enhancement of reproductive health components in emergency situations. Providing support for the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality is an ICPD goal as well as a UNFPA programme priority. In the context of reproductive health, UNFPA promotes policy and programmatic efforts to ensure that women have ready access to well-equipped and adequately staffed essential maternal health care services, including emergency obstetric services. In this regard, the establishment of twinning arrangements between obstetric and gynaecological professional societies in developed and developing countries has been particularly valuable in helping to improve maternity services in developing countries, especially in the early detection, referral and management of life-threatening complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

There is a broad agreement that the prevention of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, should be an integral component of reproductive health programmes. UNFPA is providing funding to UNAIDS to develop and test strategies for the successful integration of STD- and HIV/AIDS-prevention activities into reproductive health programmes. In this regard, UNFPA last year provided support for the continued development of simple, rapid, diagnostic tests for syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Strip tests for these STDs are still in progress. To respond to the issue of how best to address the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents, UNFPA has been supporting activities to promote and underscore adolescent reproductive health issues through research, training, information and advocacy as well as by providing technical support. UNFPA aims to increase the research capacity of institutions so that they can assess the health needs — including sexual and reproductive health needs — of adolescents, identify gaps in programmes, plan interventions to address those gaps and evaluate interventions that are implemented.

Population and development strategies. In its interregional support in the area of population and development strategies, UNFPA has funded the development of sustainable national integrated information systems and the promotion of timely and cost-effective data collection efforts and analyses. It is recognized that continued support for the strengthening of integrated information systems is critical if countries are to be able to monitor programme implementation and to track country progress in reaching the goals of ICPD as well as those of other United Nations conferences. For example, analytical findings in the form of graphs and maps can be put together at the lowest administrative level and for different thematic areas of country programmes with the use of the Geographic Information System. UNFPA has also supported the development and application of rapid assessment methodologies, which are especially useful in assessing the modalities for operationalizing the reproductive health approach and in carrying out impact assessments. 

In the area of population and the environment, the Fund has worked with other United Nations agencies and organizations, NGOs and universities to produce manuals for countries seeking to formulate population and environment policies and interventions. In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Union, UNFPA held an expert workshop to train country officials in the application of population and environment frameworks for sustainable development. A memorandum of understanding between UNEP and UNFPA was initiated in 1998 and signed in 1999.

The interregional programme has continued to support sociocultural research methodologies, for example, those that seek to provide frameworks for the study of the impact of sociocultural factors on fertility behaviour and on the role and status of women. It is expected that the typologies developed will be adapted for country-level use. They can also be used for cross-country comparative studies. In supporting research on international migration, UNFPA has emphasized the need to study the situation of women migrants and to collect gender- specific migration data. UNFPA has pursued its work in the area of international migration with such partners as the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Statistical Division and the United Nations Population Division. The information dissemination projects funded under the interregional population and development strategies programme, such as the Population Information Network, the Annual Review of Population Law, and the Fund's Inventory of Population Projects in Developing Countries Around the World, have continued to be well received. A number of recommendations have been advanced for improving the Fund's interregional activities in the area of population and development. Since many projects on population and development strategies are closely related, there is a need for more cross-area collaboration to enhance the quality of outputs and to widen the dissemination of findings to a broader audience, including policy makers. It has been suggested that the Internet should be used more extensively to expand the range of potential users of research findings and methodological innovations.

Advocacy. Advocacy is essential to raise awareness, galvanize broad-based political commitment and mobilize resources for population and reproductive health issues. It is also indispensable in placing population concerns on development agendas. Advocacy plays a key role in promoting the goals of the ICPD Programme of Action at the national, regional and global levels. Equally important is the fact that advocacy is essential for raising the profile of UNFPA in countries around the world and for increasing awareness of the Fund's work in the areas of reproductive health, including sexual health and family planning, and population and development strategies. The UNFPA country offices play a crucial role in raising public awareness and government support for the work of UNFPA. To aid them in their work, the country offices use advocacy materials prepared by UNFPA headquarters, along with materials developed at the country level that respond to the social, cultural and language particularities of programme countries.

The Fund's interregional advocacy efforts have been mainly carried out through the production, distribution and dissemination of publications, computer software and audiovisual materials. Most of the projects launched under the current programme cycle were executed by well-established partners who, in carrying out their important advocacy role, have changed the project contents to reflect the ICPD focus. This is verified in an analysis of the outputs (publications and the provision of information databases through CD-ROMs) of 16 projects. It is also notable that a significant number of interregional projects have included technological elements (e.g., Web sites, software packages, multimedia and digital broadcasting components) that have ensured wider access and dissemination of project findings and outputs. 

The Fund's flagship publication, The State of World Population 1998 report, focused on The New Generations, the largest-ever generation of youth and the growing numbers of elderly people world-wide. The report examined the social implications of these demographic trends, particularly young people's pressing needs for education, job opportunities and health care (including reproductive health information and services). Launched in London and 24 other cities on 2 September 1998, the report and its major messages received extensive coverage in newspapers and leading radio networks around the world. An electronic version of State of World Population 1998 was the most-visited document on the Fund's popular Web site, <www.unfpa.org>. The Internet site is now a key source of information to the public on the Fund's work and population and reproductive health issues, with an average of 800 visitors a day. In 1998 the variety and volume of information continued to expand. The site was redesigned and was made easier to navigate and use.

In response to the high level of interest generated by the ICPD+5 review and appraisal process, a new section was added to the UNFPA Web site in 1998, and was regularly updated to provide timely information on the full range of activities being organized in connection with the ICPD+5 review and appraisal. The Web site included press releases, photographs and documentation on UNFPA-organized round tables and technical meetings, as well as information on the preparations for the International Hague Forum, held in the Netherlands in February 1999.

Other key publications in 1998 included the Annual Report; a revision of the Population Issues Briefing Kit; 10 issues of the news bulletin Dispatches and four of the UNFPA magazine Populi; and a new booklet in the Fund's advocacy series, UNFPA at Work: Five Country Profiles, which describes the Fund's country- level operations in Burkina Faso, Eritrea, India, Nicaragua and the Syrian Arab Republic. In addition, UNFPA produced posters, exhibits and multimedia materials including: the 1998 UNFPA CD-ROM containing 30 Web sites, with more than 84,000 cross links and 50 software applications; an institutional video, UNFPA Is Making a Difference; and six video news releases on issues including safe motherhood, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassadors and the launch of The State of World Population report. A poster competition and poster production were organized for World Population Day.

The UNFPA "Face to Face" advocacy campaign was expanded in 1998. Launched in 1997, the campaign uses celebrity Goodwill Ambassadors to raise awareness of reproductive health and population issues. Film stars and celebrities from Africa, Asia, the Arab States, Europe and the United States of America have been appointed UNFPA Goodwill Ambassadors. For example, Japanese Goodwill Ambassador Keiko Kishi, an actress and television personality, travelled to Senegal to produce three 30-minute documentary programmes for three Japanese television stations. Film actress Shabana Azmi, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador from India, is helping to expand the "Face to Face" campaign to regions beyond Western Europe. The recent appointment of renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe as UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador will increase the roster of the Fund's Goodwill Ambassadors from developing countries.

Public awareness of population- and reproductive health-related issues has been steadily increasing since the 1994 ICPD. As a result of successful media outreach efforts through, for example, video news releases, press conferences and the work of Goodwill Ambassadors, UNFPA is increasingly well known among the general public in both developed and developing countries, and is known among journalists as a reliable source of information on population-related issues. However, despite these successes, UNFPA continues to face the challenge of convincing the public in developed countries of the importance of development and population issues, and in particular reproductive health. Opinion polls show that while citizens consider these issues important, they do not necessarily see direct connections between achieving ICPD goals and other issues that they regard as very important, such as the environment, poverty, migration and war.

The outputs from the major interregional projects managed by UNFPA are of high quality in terms of presentation, content and coverage of ICPD issues. Assessment of the outputs of these projects was undertaken through content analysis of publications, videos and public service announcements; a study of the size and composition of mailing lists; and a review of such feedback as clippings, independent reports and surveys. Publications with extensive circulations that are supported by UNFPA, such as Studies in Family Planning, Population and Development Review, People and Planet and Entre Nous, the European magazine for reproductive and sexual health, have generated sustained interest and support for ICPD and its goals.

The Fund's experience has shown that working with partners in the population and development field with extensive networks and outstanding track records is essential to generate significant and sustained interest and support for the ICPD Programme of Action. To achieve the full value-added potential of interregional advocacy projects, there is a need to establish linkages among them. In addition, attention needs to be given to improving the use of materials developed through some of the projects and to maximizing the use of project outputs.

South-South cooperation. UNFPA continued its support to technical cooperation among developing countries through its South-South initiatives. In 1998, South-South cooperation continued to be an important mode for transferring skills, resources and capabilities among developing countries. Five South-South Centres in China, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Tunisia have facilitated the sharing of best practices and experiences in the field of population and reproductive health in a systematic manner. Another important South-South initiative in which UNFPA has been participating is the Partners in Population and Development, an inter-governmental alliance that promotes South-South cooperation not only in member countries, but in other countries as well. The Partners in Population and Development is focusing attention on increasing the role and involvement of NGOs in South-South cooperation, including through the East African Reproductive Health Network and the PROFAMILIA Project on South-South Training in Sexual and Reproductive Health in Latin America.