Policy Advocacy for Total Market Approaches for Family Planning

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Abstract

The Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region is experiencing rapid changes in social, economic, and familial structures with countries in the region characterized by aging populations and declining fertility rates. Some countries are actively trying to increase their fertility rates, which can make family planning programs politically sensitive. At the same time, most countries have an increasing unmet need for family planning, with low use of modern contraceptives and high incidence of abortion. Unmet need for family planning is particularly high among many of the region’s most vulnerable or traditionally marginalized groups, including young people, migrants, internally displaced people, refugees, and Roma. A July 2013 European and Central Asian regional review by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action emphasized inequitable access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health services throughout EECA.

Exacerbating these access issues are significant challenges related to reproductive health commodity security in the region. Many countries experience frequent stockouts or insufficient supply of contraceptives in public warehouses and pharmacies. Often there are policies that limit the types of providers allowed to provide or prescribe certain types of contraceptives. These policies can make it difficult to access contraceptives in rural or hard-to-reach areas.