Reproductive Health in Developing Countries

Worldwide, more than 50 million women suffer from poor reproductive health and serious pregnancy-related illness and disability. And every year more than 500,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Most of the deaths occur in Asia, but the risk of dying is highest in Africa.
Women in high-fertility countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have a 1-in-16 lifetime risk of dying from maternal causes, compared with women in low-fertility countries in Europe, who have a 1-in-2,000 risk, and in North America, who have a 1-in-3,500 risk of dying. High maternal mortality rates in many countries are the result of inadequate reproductive health care for women and inadequately spaced births.

Reproductive Health Strategy World Health Assembly adopts first global strategy on reproductive health and resolution on the family and health. Reproductive and sexual ill-health accounts for 20% of the global burden of ill-health for women, and 14% for men. Five priority aspects of reproductive and sexual health are targeted in the strategy: improving antenatal, delivery, postpartum and newborn care; providing high-quality services for family planning, including infertility services; eliminating unsafe abortion; combating sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, reproductive tract infections, cervical cancer and other gynaecological morbidities; and promoting sexual health.

The strategy was developed as a result of extensive consultations in all regions with representatives from ministries of health, professional associations, non-governmental organizations, United Nations partners and other key stakeholders. It lays out actions needed for accelerating progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international goals and targets relating to reproductive health, especially those from the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, and its five-year follow-up (ICPD+5).

Country Profiles for Population and Reproductive Health: Policy Development and Indicators 2005" covers the areas of socioeconomic health, adolescent reproductive health, gender equality and reproductive health commodity security. Indicators for ICPD Goals as well as MDGs are identified by special symbols. Information is also given on differences within countries between urban and rural areas, best performing and worst performing administrative regions, by education, and different income groups, where available.

Decline in Family Planning Funding Must Be Reversed, Says UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund), New York 03 April 2006 — More funding for international family planning is needed urgently to enable 200 million women in developing countries to exercise their human right to determine the size of their families.

European Commission Contributes € 15 million for Reproductive Health Supplies in 17 Developing Countries Affected by Conflict 02 May 2006, UNITED NATIONS, New York — The European Commission has contributed € 14.87 million to help UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, provide equipment and supplies for obstetric and maternal health in 17 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in conflict or post-conflict situations. The contribution will last for two years, helping millions of people to use affordable, good-quality reproductive health commodities of their choice