Promising Unified Reproductive Health Plan for Africa Emerges

Washington, DC - September 25, 2006

Last week, Ministers of Health of the African Union (AU) adopted a cohesive strategy to “achieve universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa.” PAI calls for full support for this laudable plan in the form of adequate donor funding and technical assistance to ensure the success of this strategy.

The plan highlights a number of critical key approaches, including the integration of family planning, sexual and reproductive health programs and HIV/AIDS services, the importance of a strong health sector that includes family planning, and flexibility within countries to implement universal access based on individual country needs. Each of these components of the African Union's plan are crucial to its success.

Continent-wide government commitment is an important step in addressing the persistent problem of lack of access to contraceptives in Africa. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 95% of the estimated 529,000 maternal deaths in 2000 occurred in Africa. Family planning currently prevents 215,000 maternal deaths each year, but many more lives could be saved if people had greater access to comprehensive services.

Justifiably, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has garnered a huge proportion of countries’ own resources as well as those of private and public donors. But programs that address longer-standing health problems, including infant and maternal mortality, must remain a priority health intervention for countries. These different facets of the same critical health crisis are inextricably linked. The commitment to vastly improving access to sexual and reproductive health is only the first step; financial and logistical support from donor countries must follow suit to make this pledge a reality.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.