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“No one should die for want of a three cent condom.” Dr. Peter Piot, UN AIDS Executive Director Sexual and reproductive health is essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Baring this in mind, it is central that all people everywhere have access to reproductive health supplies. Countdown 2015 Europe brings together leading European sexual and reproductive health and rights organisations for a campaign to call for increased donor support for reproductive health supplies and improved coordination and coherence in providing supplies. Countdown 2015 Europe was initiated in September 2007 in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and in the EU in Brussels. In January 2008, activities were broadened to include Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. We will be monitoring the commitment of these donors, both the European national governments and the EU institutions, to provide greater access to reproductive health supplies in developing countries. In addition, we aim to increase awareness of the need to narrow the gap between the demand for reproductive health supplies and their effective availability. We want to see European donors increase their commitment to reproductive health supplies and take the lead on ensuring that the MDG target of universal access to reproductive health is achieved. What are Reproductive Health Supplies? Reproductive health supplies (RHS) are not just condoms and other contraceptives... ...they include ‘all the essential equipment, commodities and medicines required for sexual and reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health and for effective responses to HIV and AIDS'. For further information see UNFPA Why do we need to increase funding? There is currently a massive gap between the demand for reproductive health supplies and their effective availability, due to rising demand and falling support. There are now more people of reproductive age - the current generation of 15-25 year olds are the largest ever generation of young people Increased demand - the use of reproductive health supplies is expected to increase 40% by 2015 due to population growth and the success of family planning programmes. Increased transmission of HIV - 75% of all infections are through sexual transmission, making condoms essential for HIV prevention.
Options to increase investment There are several options to increase investment in reproductive health supplies. They are explained in the inception report of Countdown 2015 Europe, “Strategic Options for Greater European Investments in Reproductive Health supplies”, which lays out the current estimates for ensuring universal access to reproductive health supplies. |
For more information, please contact the Countdown 2015 Europe Project Coordinator, An Huybrechts (