Africa govts on course in provision of family planning services

African countries are driving progress and delivering on the promises they made on family planning, a summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has revealed.

The International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2013, dubbed “Full Access, Full Choice,” is highlighting progress since the July 2012 London Summit on Family Planning, when the global community pledged to provide 120 million more women around the world with voluntary access to contraceptives by 2020.

“What is most encouraging is that countries taking the greatest steps towards improving access to modern contraceptives, including increased domestic resources for family planning, are those where family planning choices have been the most limited,” said Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund.

Countries are said to currently make up one-third of the more than 70 commitment-makers to the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020).

The summit noted that governments are in the lead in bridging gaps in the provision of family planning services in collaboration with civil society organisations, service providers, advocates, industry leaders and experts.

The FP2020 progress report noted that in the past one year, one-quarter of the commitment-making countries –which include Burkina Faso, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, and Zambia– have launched detailed, costed national family planning plans.

Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda are part of a third of countries that have increased their national budget allocations for family planning services or supplies. Half of commitment-making countries have held national family planning conferences.

Worldwide, more than 220 million women do not have access to modern contraceptive methods that meet their needs. Addressing these needs for contraceptives would result in fewer maternal deaths, unintended pregnancies and child mortality.

Dr Babatunde in his address indicated that expanding family planning access and choice is the first step for African nations to achieve the demographic dividend, which refers to the long-term economic growth that can result from lower fertility rates.

“However, for this dividend to be realised, it must be coupled with investments in women’s and girls’ education, a productive workforce and good governance,” he said, adding that governments, civil societies and development partners should create opportunities to ensure that every person including the youth have the knowledge and access to contraceptives.

“For the youth to effectively realise their dreams and contribute to their nations, they should be allowed to have choices on family planning to reduce the cases of teenage pregnancies.”

Increased access to family planning by itself is not adequate to make a lasting difference in women’s lives.

“Family planning isn’t enough on its own; it needs to be a part of something bigger,” said Theo Sowa, the chief executive officer of the African Women Development Fund.

“It’s no good for a woman to have a choice of contraceptive methods if there is a strong threat of violence against her.”

Family planning saves and improves women’s lives, and benefits their families and nations.

“Women fight for themselves and their families because they know it is a matter of life versus death,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The latest evidence on integrating family planning and HIV service delivery shows that stronger linkages between family planning and HIV programs are critical to helping realise these ambitious goals for global health.