Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ...
Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ...
Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ...
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TableTable10<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ternati<strong>on</strong>al NGOs. Accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> director-generalof FPAN, district committees are located <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>ly 45districts. Although committees at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> districtlevels have been established, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re reportedly is overlap <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> work between government agencies <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> NGOs, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is no effective mechanism to follow-up whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>recommendati<strong>on</strong>s forwarded by such committees are met.In additi<strong>on</strong>, <strong>on</strong>e key stakeholder stated that, ow<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>low priority of family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Nepal, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> committeesare not effective because, at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> district level, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> committeefocuses <strong>on</strong> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r reproductive health issues – not <strong>on</strong> familyplann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. Issues related to restructur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g or reprioritiz<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g programme are discussed at<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al sub-committee meet<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs.The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Internati<strong>on</strong>al</str<strong>on</strong>g> C<strong>on</strong>ference <strong>on</strong>Populati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Development,Millennium Development Goals <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>NepalComm<strong>on</strong> goals of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ICPD Programme of Acti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>Millennium Development Goals <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clude <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>creas<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g genderequality, reduc<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g poverty, improv<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g maternal health<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> afford<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g universal access to reproductive health. IfNepal still has a high unmet need for family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,low maternal health-care usage, c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ued disparities <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>educati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> age at marriage between men <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> women,<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> country is at risk of not meet<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se goals.Target 5b of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> MDGs is “Achieve universal access toreproductive health by 2015”. Table 11 below shows <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>four <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dicators used to measure progress towards achiev<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gTablethis goal, al<strong>on</strong>g with Nepal’s targets for 2015.Political commitment to familyplann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g programme<str<strong>on</strong>g>Family</str<strong>on</strong>g> plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g is currently a “Priority One” programmefor <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> government. However key stakeholder <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>terviewssuggested that o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r reproductive health programmes, suchas <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Safe Mo<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rhood <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Safe Aborti<strong>on</strong> programmes,are gett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g more attenti<strong>on</strong> than family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. Accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gto representatives from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Family</str<strong>on</strong>g> Health Divisi<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g programme is be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g revamped <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rewere plans to create a specific family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g policy <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2011<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> order to accelerate progress towards reach<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> targetof 67 per cent CPR by 2015. The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Family</str<strong>on</strong>g> Health Divisi<strong>on</strong><str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Department of Health Services are currentlyrevis<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Nati<strong>on</strong>al Reproductive Health Strategy. O<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rkey stakeholders reported that political commitment tofamily plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g is high, but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is difficulty <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> translat<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> policies <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> programme <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> practice levels <strong>on</strong><str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ground. Accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to key stakeholders, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is nopolitical or public oppositi<strong>on</strong> to family plann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Nepal.For example, an NGO representative stated: “The politicalcommitment is sufficient but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>text <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> practice<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ground is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> problem”.Political commitment related tovulnerable groupsTable 13 shows Nepal’s recent policies that relate to familyplann<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for marg<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>alized groups.Accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to key stakeholders, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> commitment tovulnerable groups is not adequate even though <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re areTable11185