The Family Federation of Finland is a member of Countdown 2015 Europe consortium which brings together ten European non-governmental organisationsworking in the global field of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Countdown 2015 Europe aims to increase financial and political support and commitment for the global accessibility of contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies.
Reproductive health supplies include for example contraception and other supplies necessary for safe childbirth, as well as equipments needed for HIV testing and other sexually transmitted diseases. These supplies are desperately needed since there are over 350 million couples worldwide lacking the access to modern contraceptives.
Women all over the world are lacking means to safe childbirth, which can lead into invalidity or death of the infant. Complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is the main cause of death for females in the developing countries.
There are over three million new infections of HIV every year. Condom is the only way to prevent transmission of HIV. In the developing countries the gap between supply and demand of reproductive health supplies is apparent. The demand has increased due to the successful awareness raising campaigns of the past decade.
According to the UNFPA (2007), by 2015 the finance needed just for contraceptive will rise from 875 million Euros to 1, 2 billion Euros. However, during 2005 the given funding was only 143 million Euros.
Every deficit of a million Euros in the funding of contraceptive will cause:
- 360 000 unintended pregnancies
- 150 000 abortions
- 800 maternal deaths
- 25 000 infant deaths
The EU is the largest donor of development aid in the world. Development cooperation of the EU is aiming at eradication of poverty, durable social and economic development and respecting the human rights as well as fulfilling the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
Sexual and reproductive health has a direct impact in poverty reduction, and in improving economic and social development. Therefore, it is extremely important that advocacy is done among policy makers in order to secure sufficient support and funding for sexual health issues including reproductive health supplies.
More information:
Project coordinator Marina Wetzer-Karlsson
(09) 2280 5132
firstname.lastname@vaestoliitto.fi