• Wednesday, November 30, 2011
• Inter Press Service

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling on world leaders to invest in voluntary family planning, not only to save and improve the lives of women and children, but also to empower people, strengthen health systems and reduce poverty. As thousands of experts gather in Dakar, Senegal, this week for the largest family planning meeting of its kind, UNFPA Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin said 'unmet need for voluntary family planning remains appallingly high.' A keynote speaker at the historic event, he said: 'Investing in voluntary family planning today will not only pay dividends now, but will also help history’s largest generation of young people enjoy opportunities and forge a brighter future.

'Family planning will also save women’s lives and enable them to space their pregnancies, so that they can seize educational and employment opportunities. This would empower and enable them to contribute even more to their communities and nations,' added Dr. Osotimehin.

'This conference in Dakar is officially about family planning,' said Dr. Osotimehin. 'But it’s also about a larger effort to improve women’s and children’s health. It’s about every woman, every child. It is about accelerating social and economic progress. And it’s about a new path to sustainable development.'

The International Conference on Family Planning, which started Tuesday, brings together more than 2,000 leading scientists, experts and policy makers to examine cutting edge research and programmes that help advance the health and wealth of families and nations worldwide. It also aims to boost efforts to ensure wider access to family planning— particularly for the more than 215 million women in developing countries who lack access to modern family planning.

The four-day conference will feature more than 140 plenaries and sessions, 45 panels and 170 poster exhibitions that will share the latest research, proven strategies, and lessons learned in addressing the need for family planning worldwide.

UNFPA is co-organizing a number of panels and side events, including a session on integrating family planning with other reproductive health care; another on new developments to measure unmet need in family planning; a third on male involvement in family planning; and a fourth on key elements of successful programmes that deliver family planning services through community health programmes. UNFPA is also taking an active part in a high-level ministerial meeting on realizing the demographic dividend for the wealth and health of nations.

'To meet the global demand for family planning, we must galvanize greater political and financial support. We must hold governments accountable for their commitments, and champion innovation and access — both in the global North and in the South,' said Dr. Osotimehin. 'Commitments need to turn from words to action.'

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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