Countdown 2015 Europe
"No one should die for want of a three cent condom"Sexual and reproductive health is essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Within this ensuring that all people everywhere have access to reproductive health supplies is central. Interact Worldwide have joined together with Countdown 2015 Europe which brings together a group of 18 leading European NGOs experienced in advocacy for reproductive health in development aid. As civil society organisations we work in 15 European countries in a concerted effort to achieve increased support from European donors for Reproductive Health Supplies (RHS). Also, we aim at improving European coordination and coherence to narrow the gaps between the needs, demand and availability of the necessary supplies. Building greater political and financial commitment in Europe is key to securing universal access to reproductive health as an essential step toward achieving the MDGs.
We want to see European donors increasing their commitment to reproductive health supplies and taking the lead on ensuring universal access to reproductive health supplies is achieved.
What are Reproductive Health Supplies?
Reproductive health supplies (RHS) are not just condoms and other contraceptives.
According to UNFPA, they refer to ‘all the essential equipment, commodities and medicines required for sexual and reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health and for effective responses to HIV and AIDS'.
Why do we need to increase funding?
Every single minute a women dies due to a lack of emergency obstetric care, usually due to lack of supplies. It is estimated that 137 million women globally have an unmet need for contraception. Almost two thirds of women in Sub-Saharan Africa are not using modern methods of contraception and almost half are using no method of family planning.
There is currently a massive gap between the demand for RHS and their supply, due to rising demand and falling support.
- There are now more people of reproductive age - current 15-25 year olds are the largest ever generation of young people
- Increased demand - use of RHS is expected to increase 40% by 2015 due to population growth and the success of family planning programmes.
- Increased transmission of HIV - 75% of all infections are through sexual transmission, making condoms essential for HIV prevention.
For more information on Countdown 2015 Europe in the UK please email Amy Whalley at whalleya@interactworldwide.org, visit our website or download the brochure.
EVENTS
EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS STUDY TOUR: MALAWI 26TH APRIL - 5TH MAY 2008
Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, lack of access to reproductive health supplies is a key factor in these unnecessary deaths. Interact Worldwide, together with Vaestollitto, led a group of European journalists from Ireland, Norway, Germany and Finland to Malawi to investigate this and how Malawi is struggling to acheive the health related Millennium Development Goals.
AID EFFECTIVENESS AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: WHAT IS MORE AND BETTER SRH AID?
Interact Worldwide, together with Action for Global Health and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health, hosted an event on the 21st April 2008 The meeting discussed the best way to deliver current and increased levels of aid for sexual and reproductive health, in light of the increased focus on aid effectiveness, in the run up to this year's High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Ways of improving the effectiveness of current health, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS spending were also explored. Speakers included Chris McCafferty MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, Malcolm McNeill, Team Leader Global AIDS and Reproductive Health Team DFID and Dia Timmermans, UNFPA Senior Advisor on Aid Effectiveness.
RESOURCES
FUNDING FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SUPPLIES - Read 'Funding for Reproductive Health Supplies: An Analysis of Official Development Assistance from European Donors'. This report identifies available funding from all European governments and the European Commission for sexual and reproductive health as well as reproductive health supplies. For the UK we find that it is very difficult to identify dedicated funding for reproductive health supplies.
OPTIONS TO INCREASE INVESTMENT - Read the second edition of the inception report of Countdown 2015 Europe that lays out the current estimates for ensuring universal access to reproductive health supplies as well as updates on the availability of funding for SRH through the Global Fund and the International Health Partnership
ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - Read the recommendations of Countdown 2015 Europe on how the UK could play its part in acheiving universal access to reproductive health.
FINANCING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - Read the UK brief laying out the estimates of UK fair share to acheive universal access to reproductive health.
AID EFFECTIVENESS AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - Read the UK brief outlining our recommendations ahead of the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra in September 2008.
