Belgium

Country Profile

Belgium actively promotes health in its partner countries in the South. Health is a priority sector for Belgian development assistance in 12 of its 18 partner countries: Rwanda, Senegal, Benin, Mozambique, Burundi, Uganda, Niger, South-Africa, the Palestinian Territories, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Among donors, Belgium takes the lead in the health sector in Burundi and Niger.

The Belgian Ministry of Development Cooperation has committed itself to support family planning in its 2007 strategy note on sexual and reproductive health and rights. As advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights, Sensoa, its Belgian partners and Federal Parliament members have been calling for an operational plan to implement the note, which is still lacking.

Over the past couple of years Belgium increased its investment in budget support for health, while decreasing direct investments in sexual and reproductive health, in particular for HIV/AIDS. Belgium also increased its core funding for multilateral health organizations, with a consequent run-down for earmarked funding.

Currently the focus is mainly on health system strengthening, assuming this approach will increase access to sexual and reproductive health in partner countries where health is a priority sector. Uncertainty remains though if this is indeed the case. Sensoa and its partner organizations have called the Ministry to increase transparency and to conduct a study that should allow to asses whether sexual and reproductive health rights are indeed being dealt with in the framework of the bilateral partnership agreements regarding health.

Key Documents

In English:

• The right to health and healthcare – Policy note (2008)
• Belgian Development Cooperation in the Field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – Policy paper (2007)
• The Belgian contribution to the fight against HIV/ AIDS worldwide (2006)

In Dutch:

• De Belgische bijdrage aan de wereldwijde strijd tegen hiv/aids (2008)
• De Belgische Ontwikkelingssamenwerking op het gebied van Seksuele en Reproductieve Gezondheid en Rechten (2007)
• Beleidsnota Het recht op gezondheid en gezondheidszorg (2006)

In French:

• La Coopération belge au Développement dans le domaine de la Santé et des Droits Sexuels et Reproductifs (2007)
• Le droit à la santé et aux soins de santé (2008)
• La contribution belge à la lutte internationale contre le VIH/SIDA (2006)