Session: The Unfinished Agenda for Family Planning and Reproductive Health

5132.0: Wednesday, November 10, 2004: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

Oral

The Unfinished Agenda for Family Planning and Reproductive Health

Although US bilateral funding for reproductive health (RH), including family planning (FP) has increased in recent years, UNFPA data show a sharp decline in total donor FP funding. This weakening support threatens all RH services. Because of its relatively strong funding position at the time of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), FP effectively functioned as a pillar around which other RH services could be built. Evidence now shows that FP and RH have been weakened in many countries by the separation of disease-specific priorities, notably HIV/AIDS. This panel examines progress toward the RH goals defined at the ICPD and describes challenges faced by the Cairo agenda on its 10th anniversary. Panelists discuss roles played by donors, national governments and RH foundations in addressing shifts in funding and priorities related to HIV/AIDS. Emerging data from Kenya will be presented, suggesting that when a growing share of health resources are used to address disease-specific initiatives such as HIV/AIDS, basic health care suffers, including FP/RH. Preliminary data from the 2003 Kenya DHS Survey shows contraceptive prevalence at a plateau after years of increases, and a small increase in TFR. Analysis will show how poor and other marginalized FP users have fared over this period. On the other hand, opportunities for successful integration of RH and HIV/AIDS services will be discussed. Lessons presented will be instructive for all countries affected by shifts in US policies and overall donor RH funding, especially those also gravely affected by HIV/AIDS.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) describe changes in donor policies and funding patterns related to family planning, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS 2) cite data from at least one country where donor focus on HIV/AIDS has had a detrimental effect on family planning use and reproductive health outcomes 3) cite considerations for family planning practitioners when serving HIV positive clients, in terms of method choice and broader counseling issues 4) describe lessons learned and best practices for successful integration of reproductive health (including family planning) and HIV/AIDS services.

Moderator(s):

Timothy R. Williams, MA, MES

12:30 PM

Defining the Unfinished Agenda for Family Planning and Reproductive Health: Old and New Priorities