A range of partners including the Departments of National Planning and Monitoring, Department of Health, Oil Search Foundation, Marie Stopes, the United Nations and senior diplomats celebrated World Population Day yesterday (July 11, 2017) under the theme ‘Family planning, empowering people, developing nations,” Oil Search reports.
A breakfast meeting held at the Holiday Inn, Port Moresby to mark this day heard that family planning is vital for shaping lives and strengthening livelihoods across Papua New Guinea.
Oil Search Foundation (OSF) in a press release today (July 12, 2017) states that access to safe, Voluntary Family Planning (VFP) is a human right.
It sees VFP as central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and is a key factor in reducing poverty. OSF states that Investments in making family planning available also bring economic and other gains that can drive development forward.
Placing a strong emphasis on family planning activities, OSF acknowledged the universal call to action and in response to the high demand from provincial partners to address rapidly increasing population growth, entered into a partnership to help Marie Stopes PNG increase the availability of family planning services in the community.
EMTV Online understands, Marie Stopes has been working with the Foundation for a year, undertaking multi-day outreach to some of the most remote villages in Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces.
According to the report, Marie Stopes provided awareness to 1,300 people and facilitated 281 family planning interventions in 34 villages in Kutubu and Kikori Districts in the first quarter of 2017. This included the provision of implants, Depo injections and oral contraceptives for women and vasectomies for men.
“By working with the community and understanding their needs, we have seen a significant increase in the demand for family planning services. Men, in particular, are coming forward to share the responsibility for reproductive health.” OSF Provincial Development Manager, Jenny Alpa said.
Falling on July 11, World Population Day is an important day on the international calendar which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. This year policymakers, donors, and advocates from around the world will gather at the Family Planning Summit in London, UK, to discuss efforts to reach international Family Planning 2020 goals and ensure that 120 million more women and girls around the world are able to plan their families and their futures.
These efforts will help further the goal of universal access to sexual and reproductive health, as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
