World leaders urged to double investment in reproductive health care

Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, a non-profit organization, has called on world leaders to double investments on health to accelerate progress in achieving universal access to reproductive health care by 2015.

The current annual financial contribution to Millennium Development Goal 5 amount to $3.1 billion and to achieve universal access by 2015 funding for reproductive health must be increased to $6.7 billion.

This was contained in a statement issued by Global Leaders Council for
Reproductive Health and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday.

The statement said investment in reproductive health was very important to global development with extensive advantage for maternal and child health, poverty reduction, women’s empowerment and security.

“Reproductive health is an essential investment in the world we envision-a world with healthy families and communities, stable societies and abundant natural resources” the statement said.

It said this year, more than 215 million women around the globe were eager to plan their families but lacked access to modern contraceptives which was improper to global development.

“A nation’s health – its families, its communities, and its economy – is directly linked to the health of its women” it explained.

The Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health is a group of sixteen sitting and former heads of State, high-level policymakers and other leaders committed to advancing reproductive health care for lasting development and prosperity.

The group is chaired by former President of Ireland Mary Robinson to mobilize political will and financial resources necessary to achieve universal access to reproductive health care by 2015 which is a key target of the United Nation Millennium Development Goals.

The Council was launched on September 20th, 2010 at the advent of the United National Millennium Development Goals Summit.

Source: GNA