Family Planning Conference ends with UNFPA asking for more funding to meet MDG 5

The 2nd International Conference on Family Planning (FP) has ended in Dakar with UNFPA asking for acceleration in funding for FP activities to make decisive progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goal 5.

“UNFPA is ready to galvanise greater political and financial commitment to family planning as part of sexual and reproductive health at all levels together with our partners”.

Dr Werner Haug, Director of Technical Division of the UNFPA, who made this request, said though there had some increment in the trend of inflow of funds from $400 million in 2006 to $748 million in 2009, it was far from keeping the pace with the current reproductive needs of women.

The conference, which was attended by over 2,200 researchers, program managers, clinicians, parliamentarians, policy makers and jurists, shared research, best practices, and progress on national strategies to deliver family planning services, with the ultimate goal being universal access to family planning.

Participants examined cutting-edge research and programs that were helping to advance the health and wealth of families and nations worldwide.

The conference, which was under the theme: “Family Planning: Research and Best Practices” was co-hosted by Bill and Melinda Gates, Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Government of Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Prevention, along with international bodies including UNFPA, World Bank, World Health Organisation and USAID.

Dr Haug noted that the UNFPA had been mandated by the Special Session of UN General Assembly to cooperate with partners to assess the implementation of the “Programme of ICPD Programme of Action-Beyond 2014”.

“The review of process will aim at providing the most authoritative account of the state of population and development in 2014, including identifying and addressing new or emerging challenges and opportunities for accelerating the implementation of the Cairo Agenda”.

“It is our hope that commitments and events in 2012 and 2013 will reinvigorate all partners and strengthen our collective commitment to ICPD”.

Dr Michael Klag Dean of John Hopkins School of Public Health: Evidence-based Advocacy for Family Planning and Global Health, urged researchers to work closely with policy makers in their respective countries to ensure that findings of their research were available for action.

The Prime Minister of Senegal, Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye commended the sponsors, organizers and participants for making the conference memorable and relevant and urged various countries to implement the recommendations of the various sessions that were relevant to them to ensure that every child was wanted in this world.

Source: GNA