Despite the United State's recent increase in family planning funding, a dramatic decrease in international donor funding is taking place, which threatens to unravel other humanitarian gains made in regards to issues such as poverty, hunger, and efforts to counter global warming.
In 1994 the International Conference on Population and Development took place in Cairo and alerted the world to issues of population and development, and the severe consequences for inaction. Following this highly publicized conference, countries worldwide were eager to commit funding, but after reaching a peak in 1995 with U.S.$723 million allotted, a drastic decline has occurred worldwide. The latest estimate, for 2007, shows contributions totaling only about $338 million, which according to UNFPA senior demographer Stan Bernstein, is "a hell of a decline." Furthermore, if one takes inflation into account the decrease appears even more severe.
The recent decline in funding not only hurts family planning services, but also threatens to undermine other humanitarian achievements such as advents made in the arenas of poverty and hunger. Unless their is renewed attention to issues of population and development, as well as an increase in funding for family planning, high fertility, especially in sub-Saharan Africa will simply exacerbate related humanitarian problems such as poverty. UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya A Obaid explains how "We have to protect the gains made and ensure that these gains do not slip back" in order to make any sustainable progress.
In an effort to prioritize issues of population and development, UNFPA convened 30 family planning experts in New York late this June including representatives from Bangladesh, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, India, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, the U.K. and the U.S. What they found was that countries who felt that they had made significant strides in reproductive health and effective family planning, were compelled to shift funding to other problems that seemed to require more attention. What they failed to realize however, is that such a monetary commitment must be continued if any lasting progress is to be made. Furthermore, many prior efforts were aimed at a specific age group of sexually active young men and women. Now that funding has been decreased, international programmes are having to choose what areas to focus on. This means that someone who was a child during the initial wave of family planning funding, will now find that resources and services are more limited as they become sexually active, and that the only information they will receive is that which funding will allow. One prominent example is in sub-Saharan Africa, where the limited funding has been focused almost entirely on HIV and AIDS, and has failed to address other important issues such as abortion and contraception.
Without an increase in funding, not only will family planning and reproductive health services be diminished, but an endless cycle connecting population with other humanitarian issues will relentlessly continue. If we are to make any strides regarding other issues, such as global warming or hunger, we must continue to address the core of every problem, namely , population. It is PPD's hope that a recommitment to the original goals of the ICPD will occur, and that the United State's recent increase in funding to family planning will emphasize the necessity of such a financial commitment.
Showing posts with label population. Show all posts
Showing posts with label population. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dr. Musinguzi on World Population Day 2009
Fulfilling Our Promises to Women
Saturday, 11 July 2009
In these times of global economic crisis, our families, communities and nation face increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend scarce financial resources. We hear dismal statistics repeated in the newspapers and online: the economy of developed countries (measured by GDP) is predicted to fall 4.5% in 2009 and world trade will fall nearly 10% (The World Bank’s annual Global Development Finance (GDF) report: http://www.worldbank.org/gdf2009).
For example, in Uganda, remittances are down 47%, from $504.04 million to $267.32 million (http://news.id.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3398635 and http://af.reuters.com/article/ugandaNews/idAFLM14443220090622?feedType=RSS&feedName=ugandaNews). USh2.5trn of Uganda’s budget this year (33%) is to come from donor support. Yet it is widely known that donor countries’ official development aid (ODA) is reduced when their economies face turmoil (http://ideas.repec.org/p/frd/wpaper/dp2009-01.html and Roodam, D. (2008). ‘History says Financial Crisis Will Suppress Aid’. Centre for Global Development Website, http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/10/history_says_financial_crisis.php).
What started as a financial issue of the US and Europe is now clearly a global crisis that is hitting Africa hard. It is already affecting our progress toward reducing poverty. Uganda and other developing countries are negatively impacted in the economic crisis because of our reliance on remittances from family overseas and official development aid (ODA) for national budget support.
We know that women and children in developing countries will bear the brunt of the impact of the global financial crisis. Yet we must face this harsh reality with the knowledge we have on what works in development. We must invest in critical services to mitigate the impact on women and allow them to contribute to the economic productivity of their families, communities, and our country.
Funding for reproductive health, prevention of HIV, and preventative health care in general can be viewed by both families and policy makers as non-essential services. Yet dropping these critical services leads to increases in maternal and infant death and disability.
Investing in family planning and reproductive health services not only is good for women’s health and rights (UN resolution on "Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights", June 17, 2009), it makes economic sense—each $1 invested in contraceptive services will avoid between $1.7 and $4 in expenditures on maternal and newborn health, in addition to cost-savings in education, water sanitation, and immunization. Investing in family planning services reduces maternal mortality, improves child survival, promotes women's empowerment and contributes to poverty reduction.
On 11 July 2009, people around the world will observe the 20th World Population Day. Over the past 20 years, we have seen investments in health and education for women and girls leading to increases in productivity, agricultural yields, and national incomes in developing countries.
Yet, there is still much to be achieved. For example, at the 2009 Commission on Population and Development, the Government of Uganda recognized the high population growth rate of 3.2%, “unacceptably high levels of illiteracy (30%), high infant mortality rate (76/1000 live births), high maternal mortality ratio (435/100,000 live births); low life expectancy (average of 51 years); and a high rate of HIV/AIDS (6.4%).” Yet while a number of these indices have improved over the last 10 years, Uganda has not made a significant positive step in terms of the population growth rate, fertility rate and contraceptive usage (http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2009/comm2009.htm.
Every year, 265,000 mothers in sub-Saharan Africa die in childbirth from preventable causes. In Uganda alone, approximately 6,000 women die every year due to pregnancy complications. Women bleed to death, they do not have access to antibiotics to prevent simple infections; they often do not have the option of a caesarean section when it is necessary. We can prevent these tragedies by providing women with prenatal care, skilled attendance at births, and emergency obstetric care.
Maternal mortality has significant impact on women, families and our country--in terms of lost lives, rights, and national productivity (GDP) (Maternal mortality has a statistically significant negative effect on GDP http://ajol.info/index.php/ajhs/article/viewFile/30801/23132).
We have a blueprint for what we need to do, in Africa and globally—we must fund and implement the 2006 Maputo Plan of Action of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health (later ratified by African Heads of State). This plan of action aligns with global frameworks and agreements such as the global commitment to universal access to reproductive health services by 2015 of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) agreed to by 179 countries in 1994 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In order to fulfill our commitments, we must use our resources wisely. This can best be done in developing countries by sharing our experiences and good practices through South-South cooperation and learning from the successes of our brothers and sisters in other developing countries. We need to look to the example set by other countries like Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, who have successfully lowered their rates of maternal ill-health through sustained financial and political commitment. Between 1992-93 and 2000, Egypt reduced its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) over 50% due to the focused efforts of the Ministry of Health and Population to improve access to, and quality of maternal and reproductive health services, reduce fertility rates, and improve antenatal care utilization and skilled attendance at delivery (http://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/Projects/ListProjects.cfm?Select=Region&ID=2&ProjectStatus=Active). With concentrated efforts, significant improvements in reducing maternal mortality are achievable.
South-South cooperation is a tool that we must take advantage of to both share our knowledge with other developing countries and to learn from their experiences, as well. Developed countries will be increasingly focused on their own problems, leaving us as developing countries to partner and learn from each other as we all strive towards the attainment of the common ICPD goals and MDGs. We must take advantage of our knowledge of local conditions and solutions.
We have the shared knowledge to implement effective, low-cost strategies to improve the health of mothers and children. What we now need is the commitment of community and political leaders to support health progammes that work and to fund the policies and commitments they have made.
We must commit ourselves to ending the tragedy of maternal mortality. No woman should lose her life while giving life.
by Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, M.D., M.P.H.
The writer is the Regional Director of Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (www.ppdafrica.org).
Saturday, 11 July 2009
In these times of global economic crisis, our families, communities and nation face increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend scarce financial resources. We hear dismal statistics repeated in the newspapers and online: the economy of developed countries (measured by GDP) is predicted to fall 4.5% in 2009 and world trade will fall nearly 10% (The World Bank’s annual Global Development Finance (GDF) report: http://www.worldbank.org/gdf2009).
For example, in Uganda, remittances are down 47%, from $504.04 million to $267.32 million (http://news.id.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3398635 and http://af.reuters.com/article/ugandaNews/idAFLM14443220090622?feedType=RSS&feedName=ugandaNews). USh2.5trn of Uganda’s budget this year (33%) is to come from donor support. Yet it is widely known that donor countries’ official development aid (ODA) is reduced when their economies face turmoil (http://ideas.repec.org/p/frd/wpaper/dp2009-01.html and Roodam, D. (2008). ‘History says Financial Crisis Will Suppress Aid’. Centre for Global Development Website, http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/10/history_says_financial_crisis.php).
What started as a financial issue of the US and Europe is now clearly a global crisis that is hitting Africa hard. It is already affecting our progress toward reducing poverty. Uganda and other developing countries are negatively impacted in the economic crisis because of our reliance on remittances from family overseas and official development aid (ODA) for national budget support.
We know that women and children in developing countries will bear the brunt of the impact of the global financial crisis. Yet we must face this harsh reality with the knowledge we have on what works in development. We must invest in critical services to mitigate the impact on women and allow them to contribute to the economic productivity of their families, communities, and our country.
Funding for reproductive health, prevention of HIV, and preventative health care in general can be viewed by both families and policy makers as non-essential services. Yet dropping these critical services leads to increases in maternal and infant death and disability.
Investing in family planning and reproductive health services not only is good for women’s health and rights (UN resolution on "Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights", June 17, 2009), it makes economic sense—each $1 invested in contraceptive services will avoid between $1.7 and $4 in expenditures on maternal and newborn health, in addition to cost-savings in education, water sanitation, and immunization. Investing in family planning services reduces maternal mortality, improves child survival, promotes women's empowerment and contributes to poverty reduction.
On 11 July 2009, people around the world will observe the 20th World Population Day. Over the past 20 years, we have seen investments in health and education for women and girls leading to increases in productivity, agricultural yields, and national incomes in developing countries.
Yet, there is still much to be achieved. For example, at the 2009 Commission on Population and Development, the Government of Uganda recognized the high population growth rate of 3.2%, “unacceptably high levels of illiteracy (30%), high infant mortality rate (76/1000 live births), high maternal mortality ratio (435/100,000 live births); low life expectancy (average of 51 years); and a high rate of HIV/AIDS (6.4%).” Yet while a number of these indices have improved over the last 10 years, Uganda has not made a significant positive step in terms of the population growth rate, fertility rate and contraceptive usage (http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2009/comm2009.htm.
Every year, 265,000 mothers in sub-Saharan Africa die in childbirth from preventable causes. In Uganda alone, approximately 6,000 women die every year due to pregnancy complications. Women bleed to death, they do not have access to antibiotics to prevent simple infections; they often do not have the option of a caesarean section when it is necessary. We can prevent these tragedies by providing women with prenatal care, skilled attendance at births, and emergency obstetric care.
Maternal mortality has significant impact on women, families and our country--in terms of lost lives, rights, and national productivity (GDP) (Maternal mortality has a statistically significant negative effect on GDP http://ajol.info/index.php/ajhs/article/viewFile/30801/23132).
We have a blueprint for what we need to do, in Africa and globally—we must fund and implement the 2006 Maputo Plan of Action of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health (later ratified by African Heads of State). This plan of action aligns with global frameworks and agreements such as the global commitment to universal access to reproductive health services by 2015 of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) agreed to by 179 countries in 1994 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In order to fulfill our commitments, we must use our resources wisely. This can best be done in developing countries by sharing our experiences and good practices through South-South cooperation and learning from the successes of our brothers and sisters in other developing countries. We need to look to the example set by other countries like Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, who have successfully lowered their rates of maternal ill-health through sustained financial and political commitment. Between 1992-93 and 2000, Egypt reduced its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) over 50% due to the focused efforts of the Ministry of Health and Population to improve access to, and quality of maternal and reproductive health services, reduce fertility rates, and improve antenatal care utilization and skilled attendance at delivery (http://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/Projects/ListProjects.cfm?Select=Region&ID=2&ProjectStatus=Active). With concentrated efforts, significant improvements in reducing maternal mortality are achievable.
South-South cooperation is a tool that we must take advantage of to both share our knowledge with other developing countries and to learn from their experiences, as well. Developed countries will be increasingly focused on their own problems, leaving us as developing countries to partner and learn from each other as we all strive towards the attainment of the common ICPD goals and MDGs. We must take advantage of our knowledge of local conditions and solutions.
We have the shared knowledge to implement effective, low-cost strategies to improve the health of mothers and children. What we now need is the commitment of community and political leaders to support health progammes that work and to fund the policies and commitments they have made.
We must commit ourselves to ending the tragedy of maternal mortality. No woman should lose her life while giving life.
by Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, M.D., M.P.H.
The writer is the Regional Director of Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (www.ppdafrica.org).
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
World Population Day- 11 July 2009
The 20th World Population Day will be celebrated on 11 July with focus on women and the economic crisis, with the theme “Fight Poverty: Educate Girls: Investing in Women is a Smart Choice.”Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) celebrates World Population Day with PPD member countries and calls on all donor and developing countries to fulfill their promises to women.
In these times of global economic crisis, our families, communities and nation face increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend scarce financial resources. We hear dismal statistics repeated in the newspapers and online: the economy of developed countries (measured by GDP) is predicted to fall 4.5% in 2009 and world trade will fall nearly 10%. It is widely known that donor countries’ official development aid (ODA) is reduced when their economies face turmoil.
What started as a financial issue of the US and Europe is now clearly a global crisis that is hitting Africa hard. It is already affecting our progress toward reducing poverty. Developing countries are negatively impacted in the economic crisis because of our reliance on remittances from family overseas and official development aid (ODA) for national budget support.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid underscores that during these times of global economic crisis, decision-makers have to increase resources for reproductive health, including family planning. "We can make greater progress for women and families. There is no smarter investment, with such high economics and social returns, than investing in the health and rights of adolescent girl and women."
And the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon stated that “investing in women’s health, especially reproductive health, can not only save the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleash an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year. . . Together, let us advance the rights of women and girls, and empower them as highly productive members of society capable of contributing to economic recovery and growth. There can be no better investment on this day or any other.”
For more information and resources, please see http://www.unfpa.org/wpd/2009/en/
Combattez la Pauvrete: Eduquez vos Filles
Investir dans les femmes est un choix avise
Nul ne sait encore quelle ampleur atteindra la présente crise économique mondiale. Nous savons que les femmes et les enfants des pays en développement supporteront le plus gros de son impact. Ce qui a commencé comme une crise financière dans les pays riches s'élargit maintenant en une crise économique mondiale qui frappe durement les pays en développement. Elle affecte déjà les progrès réalisés vers la réduction de la pauvreté.
Les politiques décidées en réponse à la crise qui s'inspirent du rôle des femmes en tant qu'agents économiques peuvent faire beaucoup pour atténuer les effets de la crise sur le développement, surtout parce que les femmes, plus que les hommes, investissent leurs gains dans la santé et l'éducation de leurs enfants. Il faut investir dans la santé publique, l'éducation, les soins aux enfants et les autres services sociaux. Cela atténue l'impact de la crise sur la famille entière et augmente la productivité au profit d'une économie plus saine.
Protéger les avancées réalisées
Les investissements dans l'éducation et la santé des femmes et des filles ont été liés à des augmentations de la productivité, des rendements agricoles et du revenu national — qui tous contribuent à la réalisation des OMD. Les investissements de cette nature faits par les gouvernements dans le monde entier ont augmenté les taux d'inscription scolaire, diminué l'écart entre les sexes dans l'éducation, apporté aux personnes atteintes du sida des médicaments qui les sauvent, étendu la prévention du VIH, fourni des moustiquaires pour prévenir le paludisme et amélioré la santé infantile grâce à l'immunisation.
Pour plus d'informations et de ressources, s'il vous plaît voir http://www.unfpa.org/wpd/2009/fr/index.html
Thursday, May 14, 2009
International Conference on Family Planning Research and Best Practices
Kampala, Uganda, 15-19 November 2009
The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Makerere University's School of Public Health, and other international and national partners are organizing a conference on “Family Planning Research and Best Practices.” The conference program will include an opening plenary, multiple concurrent oral sessions, an exhibit area, poster sessions, lunchtime roundtables, a policymaker forum, and special panel presentations. More information is available at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/
The dates for the conference are November 15 (evening opening) and November 16-17 (full days) with November 18 as an optional day for third-party sponsored meetings.
The PPD ARO will be involved with this conference and is encouraging all PCCs to submit abstracts for oral sessions and poster sessions. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 June 2009. Information and guidelines on how to submit an abstract is at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/16701.html
Limited travel support from the conference organizers may be available to participants whose abstracts are selected for oral presentation. The conference organizers will provide you with travel support application forms with notification letters if you are selected for oral presentation.
As the PPD ARO does not currently have funding to support PCC travel to this conference, we are currently seeking funding from donors to help PCCs attend the conference. Thus, the PPD ARO would be willing to write letters of support to donors in your country (UNFPA country office, etc.) if you request. We will be happy to provide you with more information on the conference as the date nears, and would, of course, be happy to assist you with planning your logistics to the best of our abilities.
The PPD ARO contact for this conference is Mr. Abdelylah Lakssir, Programme Officer. You can reach him by email (E-mail: alakssir at ppdsec.org) or by phone (+256-772-779-714) or the general office contact: http://ppdafrica.org/contact.html
Conference website: http://www.fpconference2009.org/
Contact information: info@fpconference2009.org
The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Makerere University's School of Public Health, and other international and national partners are organizing a conference on “Family Planning Research and Best Practices.” The conference program will include an opening plenary, multiple concurrent oral sessions, an exhibit area, poster sessions, lunchtime roundtables, a policymaker forum, and special panel presentations. More information is available at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/
The dates for the conference are November 15 (evening opening) and November 16-17 (full days) with November 18 as an optional day for third-party sponsored meetings.
The PPD ARO will be involved with this conference and is encouraging all PCCs to submit abstracts for oral sessions and poster sessions. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 June 2009. Information and guidelines on how to submit an abstract is at: http://www.fpconference2009.org/16701.html
Limited travel support from the conference organizers may be available to participants whose abstracts are selected for oral presentation. The conference organizers will provide you with travel support application forms with notification letters if you are selected for oral presentation.
As the PPD ARO does not currently have funding to support PCC travel to this conference, we are currently seeking funding from donors to help PCCs attend the conference. Thus, the PPD ARO would be willing to write letters of support to donors in your country (UNFPA country office, etc.) if you request. We will be happy to provide you with more information on the conference as the date nears, and would, of course, be happy to assist you with planning your logistics to the best of our abilities.
The PPD ARO contact for this conference is Mr. Abdelylah Lakssir, Programme Officer. You can reach him by email (E-mail: alakssir at ppdsec.org) or by phone (+256-772-779-714) or the general office contact: http://ppdafrica.org/contact.html
Conference website: http://www.fpconference2009.org/
Contact information: info@fpconference2009.org
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Evaluation of World Bank Support for Health, Nutrition, and Population
Between 1997 and mid-2008 the World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition, and population (HNP) provided $17 billion for government-run projects in the fields of nutrition, health, and family planning. An additional $873 million was invested in private health and pharmaceutical investments. Although these numbers may seem high, a report issued last week by the bank's Independent Evaluation Group revealed that one third of the 220 projects undertaken by the World Bank HNP had failed to achieve their goals. Furthermore, the emphasis on HIV/AIDS related projects has resulted in unsatisfactory outcomes, and progress in the nutrition and family planning sectors have greatly been inhibited by such unequivocal funding measures.
According to the evaluation, 7 out of 10 AIDS projects financed by the bank had failed to achieve satisfactory outcomes. In Africa, the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic, 8 out of 10 AIDS projects had unsatisfactory outcomes, one of the bank's worst records worldwide. The report insinuated that the failure is not a result of incompetent or ineffective programmes, but rather the inability of inexperienced or weak bureaucracies to carry out such complex projects (ironically, which were encouraged by the donor). Julian Schweitzer, the World Bank’s director of health, nutrition and population, admitted that inexperience and weakness was not just at the country level, but also "sometimes our own".
To improve the effectiveness of such programmes, the report suggested a simplification of projects, a reduction in the number of government ministries involved, and a focus on more modest objectives. Also addressed, was the need to improve programmes in developing nations, with a specific focus on Africa. Middle income countries ranked adequately in their ability to carry out such initiatives, but in Africa, more than three-quarters of the projects were deemed ineffective. The World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition and population needs to make an immediate effort to concentrate resources where they are most crucially needed, and more importantly to ensure that programmes are being carried out appropriately within these regions.
To improve the effectiveness of such programmes, the report suggested a simplification of projects, a reduction in the number of government ministries involved, and a focus on more modest objectives. Also addressed, was the need to improve programmes in developing nations, with a specific focus on Africa. Middle income countries ranked adequately in their ability to carry out such initiatives, but in Africa, more than three-quarters of the projects were deemed ineffective. The World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition and population needs to make an immediate effort to concentrate resources where they are most crucially needed, and more importantly to ensure that programmes are being carried out appropriately within these regions.
Aside from the issue of programme efficiency, the report detailed another important trend in global health, namely, the disproportionate attention and funding allotted to AIDS programmes in the last decade. Since 1997, foreign assistance for global health has increased, with a specific focus on HIV and AIDS. Although it is incredibly important to deal with such a deadly disease, the focus on family planning has greatly declined as a result of this relatively new emphasis on AIDS funding. In reaction to the report, Professor William Easterly of New York University stated that the evaluation of the World Bank confirmed "a fear that many of us have had for some time: that hugely disproportionate attention to AIDS has had a negative effect on aid efforts for all other health problems."
Since 1997, nearly 60% of World Bank HNP projects have focused on AIDS, while efforts aimed at tuberculosis, malaria and leprosy were granted significantly fewer resources (malaria made up only 3% of the projects, and tuberculosis only 2%). Family planning has also been negatively affected by the disproportionality of funds, and leaders of the evaluation group have realized the implications of this. Martha Ainsworth, lead author of the report, reaffirmed the groups commitment to increase funding for family planning by stating, "helping women control the number of children they bear is essential to reducing the high rates at which they die in childbirth in the poorest nations, the fact that no one’s been paying attention to reducing high fertility is critical for Africa."
Mr. Schweitzer, of the World Bank, strongly agreed with the evaluators call for greater efforts in family planning and nutrition, and reaffirmed the necessity of donors and recipient countries working together to coordinate projects and achieve targeted results. In recent years, PPD has advocated against global decrease in population and family planning funding, and it is our hope that such an internal evaluation will be a call to action for the World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition, and population to change their efforts. And as PPD has long recognized, an emphasis on the African region and family planning efforts are crucial to achieving progress worldwide.
To view an executive summary of the report, visit:
Interested in reading more about specific countries project performance assessment reports? Then check out: http://go.worldbank.org/3764K5QNI0
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Bongaarts and Sinding on International Family Planning Programs: Myths v. Facts
Bongaarts and Sinding (a "founding father" of PPD) published "A response to critics of family planning programs" in the recent issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
In this article, the authors argue that funding for international family planning programs in developing countries has declined by 30% since the mid-1990s. Decisions by policymakers and donors to reduce investments in contraceptive services and supplies were based on plausible-sounding—but misguided—arguments. “Donor fatigue” and persistent opposition from conservative governments and institutions, in particular the Bush administration and the Vatican, contributed to this decline. Family planning programs were placed on the back burner as other pressing problems, such as the AIDS epidemic, rose in prominence.
The journal International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health can be read online for free at: http://www.guttmacher.org/journals/toc/ipsrh3501toc.html
In this article, the authors argue that funding for international family planning programs in developing countries has declined by 30% since the mid-1990s. Decisions by policymakers and donors to reduce investments in contraceptive services and supplies were based on plausible-sounding—but misguided—arguments. “Donor fatigue” and persistent opposition from conservative governments and institutions, in particular the Bush administration and the Vatican, contributed to this decline. Family planning programs were placed on the back burner as other pressing problems, such as the AIDS epidemic, rose in prominence.
Myth: Family planning programs have little or no effect on fertility.
Fact: Decades of research show that comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services lead to sharp rises in contraceptive use that help women avoid unwanted pregnancies. Over a thirty-year period (1960–1990), fertility declined in the developing world from more than six to fewer than four births per woman, and almost half of that decline—43%—is attributable to family planning programs.
Myth: Fertility declines are under way everywhere, so the population problem has largely been solved and family planning programs are no longer needed.
Fact: Population will keep growing even if fertility could immediately be reduced to the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, because:
- Current birthrates still leave fertility above the level needed to bring about population stabilization.
- People live longer as higher standards of living, better nutrition, expanded health services, and greater investments in public health measures have reduced death rates, and further improvements are likely.
- The large number of young people entering their childbearing years will result in population growth for decades to come. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 43% of the total female population was younger than 15 years in 2005.
Myth: The death toll of the AIDS epidemic makes family planning undesirable and unnecessary.
Fact: Despite the substantial mortality from AIDS, UN projections for all developing regions predict further large population increases. Despite a severe epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, the region’s population is expected to grow by at least one billion between 2005 and 2050. This is because the annual number of AIDS deaths (two million) is equivalent to just 10 days’ growth in the population of the developing world.
Myth: Family planning programs are not cost-effective.
Fact: The World Bank estimates the cost of family planning at $100 per life-year saved. This is of the same order of magnitude as other health interventions, such as basic sanitation for diarrheal disease, a short course of chemotherapy for tuberculosis, and condom distribution for HIV prevention. All these interventions, including those for family planning, are much more cost-effective than antiretroviral treatment of AIDS, which currently receives a large proportion of health-related development aid.
Myth: Family planning programs at best have made women the instruments of population control policies and, at worst, have been coercive.
Fact: Today, nearly all programs around the world respect the right of couples to make informed reproductive choices, free from undue persuasion or coercion. An important exception is China, however, where the one-child policy continues to violate reproductive rights standards.
Population growth and what to do about it has been the subject of controversy since the 1700s. Perhaps because at its most fundamental level the subject deals with sex, it has been a peculiarly incendiary topic of public policy debate. Yet much of today’s discussion about family planning programs, a principal instrument through which population policies have been implemented over the past 50 years, is based on faulty perceptions and misinformation. Large-scale national family planning programs have, for the most part, been remarkably successful.
Why does this matter? Because women and children continue to suffer and die as a consequence of unwanted and unintended childbearing. Beyond that are renewed concerns about a variety of environmental issues and about the security of nations and the stability of governments, as well as deepening worries about food security and pervasive poverty.
“In the face of declining political and financial commitment to family planning programs, we must address head-on the faulty criticisms that have held back efforts to satisfy the unmet demand for family planning services,” say Bongaarts and Sinding. “High fertility and rapid population growth remain real problems that merit our attention and action.”
Read the entire article online at: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/JournalArticles/IPSRH_35_1.pdfThe journal International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health can be read online for free at: http://www.guttmacher.org/journals/toc/ipsrh3501toc.html
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