As the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) initiative reaches its halfway point, countries with low rates of contraceptive use will need to bolster spending on family planning services to meet international goals, The Guardian reports.
Background
FP2020, which launched in 2012, is an international initiative that aims to facilitate access to modern methods of contraception for 120 million additional women and girls across 69 countries.
According to a 2015 progress report, there are currently 290 million contraceptive users in participating countries, marking an increase of 24 million women and girls since FP2020's launch. However, the report projected that countries will miss the 2020 targets if they maintain the same rate of progress.
Funding concerns
According to The Guardian, FP2020 organizers are calling on participating countries to increase their spending on family planning services amid concerns about flagging donor contributions to the initiative.
At its launch, donors pledged to allocate $2.6 billion over eight years to the initiative, while participating governments said they would increase contraceptive spending and bolster family planning services. Between 2012 and 2014, donor contributions increased from $1.1 billion in 2012 to $1.4 billion in 2014, an increase of more than 30 percent.
However, in the past year, some donors have started redirecting foreign aid budgets to other areas. In addition, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which provides contraception to the 69 countries, faces a $140 million shortfall amid cuts from major donors.
In addition, according to The Guardian, some FP2020 participating countries have failed to match their initial pledges. For example, while Uganda's president in 2012 vowed to boost contraceptive funding and facilitate access to contraception within the country, the government's efforts still depend on donors.
Further, The Guardian reports that women's access to family planning services remains hindered by logistical obstacles, such as a lack of trained medical professionals to raise awareness about different contraceptive methods and lingering cultural taboos around sex. According to a recent report from the Guttmacher Institute, some women opt not to use modern contraceptive methods because they are concerned about potential health risks or side effects.
Comments
Noting that donor contributions are not a sustainable financial model for the initiative, Beth Schlachter, executive director of FP2020, called for governments to make good on their pledges to increase family planning funding in their budgets. "Domestic mobili[z]ation has to be a key to this," she said, adding, "Family planning, domestically, has not received the same share as other development areas."
Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of UNFPA, said, "Progra[m] countries must step up to the plate … We need to have them understand that they must budget for sexual and reproductive health services because if we have enough services … family planning will reduce maternal mortality. They must budget regularly, make money available and we must continue to advocate for that."
Osotimehin also underscored the need to reach the youth population in target countries, where up to 70 percent of the populations in some regions are under age 35. He noted, "The largest number of new infections for HIV is adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, which implies the need to do something."
Separately, Joshua Lozman -- deputy director of program advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of four primary partners in FP2020 -- said increasing national funding for family planning services is a "primary focus."
He added, "Within current budgets everyone has to make trade-offs and (there is) a compelling case for family planning." For example, higher rates of contraceptive uptake can help empower women, reduce rates of unintended pregnancy, curb infant and maternal mortality and help prevent unsafe abortions.
Lozman explained, "Family planning doesn't sit on an island. Lots of things (related to) women and children's health have to be budgeted for and this has to be part of the broad conversations" (Ford/Kavuma, The Guardian, 7/28).
