Despite remarkable achievements in the past five
decades, much more must be done to break the barriers that prevent women, men
and couples from fully exercising their reproductive rights and choices, says new UNFPA report released today
At the turnover of the State of World Population 2019 Report, entitled
“Unfinished Business: the pursuit of rights and choices for all” were (from L-R)
Salvacion A. Collao, POPCOM Finance Chief, Lourdes Nacionales, POPCOM
Administrations Chief, Susan Codotco, POPCOM Information Management and
Communications Division Chief, Lolito R. Tacardon, POPCOM Deputy Executive
Director, Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, POPCOM USEC, Iori Kato,
UNFPA-Philippines Representative, Vicente Jurlano, UNFPA-Philippines National
Program Officer-Population and Development and Pamela Aine, UNFPA-Philippines International
Operations Manager.
The year 2019 is unique as it marks two important
milestones in the field of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive
rights: 50 years since the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) began
operations globally with Filipino national Rafael Salas as its
first Executive Director, and 25 years since the landmark International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo where 179 governments
agreed on a call for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive
health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and
childbirth services.
Much has been achieved in the Philippines since 1969.
The average number of births per woman was 6.0 in 1973. Today it is 2.7[1],
even though the country has the highest total fertility rate in the ASEAN
region. In order to reach the national
target of 2.1 average number of births per woman under the Philippine
Development Plan (PDP), the Philippines needs to step up its efforts.
According to the 2017 Philippines National Demographic
and Health Survey, about 17 percent of currently married women aged 15-49 have
expressed intention to space or limit their children but are not using any
method of family planning. Such
proportion of unmet need for family planning services is highest among
adolescents at 28 percent.
To finish the unfinished business of the ICPD,
governments, activists and stakeholders will rally at the Nairobi Summit on
ICPD25 to be held on 12-14 November to sustain the gains made so far, and
fulfill the promise of the ICPD agenda. Most countries, including the
Philippines, need to build on the foundation of the past achievements to reach
those who have been left behind and make sexual and reproductive health and
rights a reality for all.
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