UNFPA in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The Country Programme
UNFPA began working with the Islamic Republic
of Iran in the 1970s on a project-by-project basis. Since 1990,
three full country programmes, amounting to $30 million in funding,
have been implemented. The first and second UNFPA country programmes
addressed urgent population and family planning
issues.
The third country programme focused on the five
provinces where the needs were greatest. It promoted reproductive
health education as a part of the educational
curriculum and improved the quality of reproductive health
services and information. It also helped establish institutional
capacity to mainstream gender concerns. In the population
and development sector, the programme strengthened national capacity
in data collection and analysis by helping to establish a graduate
programme in population and development at Shiraz University. Cadres
of qualified population specialists graduate from universities each
year.
The fourth
country programme, covering a five-year period beginning in
2005, has the overall goal of enhancing the quality of life of the
Iranian people through better access to quality reproductive health
care, improved capacity to monitor progress toward international
development goals and the empowerment of women. The eight outputs are associated with the fourth country programme include improvements in:
- Availability of quality reproductive health services and commodities
- Youth-friendly reproductive health information and services
- Information and services to address sexually
transmitted infections including HIV
- Capacity to address sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights and gender issues
- National preparedness to address reproductive health concerns in emergency or post-conflict situations
- Capacity to monitor international goals
- Research and training in population and development
- Evidence-based advocacy for legislation that protects against gender-based violence
Many of the approaches for improving reproductive health are designed to build national capacity by, for instance, upgrading protocols for safe delivery and family planning, strengthening management of reproductive health commodities (especially during emergencies) and integrating the prevention and management of sexually transmitted diseases into the health system more widely. The programme also aims to increase discussion of HIV in many levels of society, from parents to religious leaders to policymakers.
Protecting the rights of women and girls is another key area for UNFPA cooperation. The programme calls for research to illuminate the consequences of gender discrimination along with evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue on issues such as gender-based violence and ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
The country programme also will work to improve
and engender data collection, analysis and utilization.
Page last updated: 9 February 2006
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