'Money matters and policies count. At the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, the international community endorsed an approach to improving reproductive health based on meeting individual needs and respecting human rights. The 179 nations present agreed on a plan for achieving universal access to basic reproductive health care by 2015-and on the financial resources needed to make it a reality. They pledged to share the costs, estimated at US$18.5 billion annua more...

‘The general aim of this report is to understand their circumstances, perceptions and attitudes concerning certain aspects of their lives, especially their sexual and reproductive health. The specific objectives were to • examine the nature and type of information adolescents receive on sexual and reproductive health issues (including puberty, HIV and other STIs, and preventing pregnancy); • assess their health-seeking behavior and the factors that help or hinder seeking sexual and reprodu more...

‘Addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa is vital, given the devastating impact of AIDS, the high rates of unintended pregnancy and the risk that those pregnancies may lead to unsafe abortions. Protecting the health of adolescents is clearly important for the adolescents themselves. Increased investment in adolescent sexual and reproductive health can contribute to wider development goals, because it enables adolescents to become healthy, produc more...

‘This paper focus on the key to Uganda’s continued success in reducing HIV/AIDS, as well as unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, is a commitment to focusing on young people, who dominate the country’s population. This, however, is no simple task. Those committed to protecting the next generation of Ugandans must recognize the diversity and varying needs of adolescents. For all adolescents, one thing is certain: Any program or policy aimed at protecting the sexual and reproductive health more...

Family Health International (FHI) is pleased to announce the release of a new family planning checklist for screening clients who want to initiate the use of contraceptive implants.

Contraceptive implants are matchstick-sized rods that contain progestin. Implanted beneath the skin of a woman’s upper arm, the progestin is slowly released over 3 to 5 years. Contraceptive implants, such as Norplant, Jadelle, Sinoplant, and Implanon, are safe and effective for use by most women. For some women, more...

'In the 10 years since the last global review of abortion policies, 16 countries have increased the number of grounds on which abortions may be legally performed, while two have eliminated all such grounds, according to a study released today. An additional 10 countries maintained their existing grounds for abortion, but adopted changes to increase access to abortion, including decentralizing the approval of facilities where abortions may be obtained, expanding the types of providers who may per more...

A paper developed by the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG), advocates for a better articulation of community-involvement processes and for more comprehensive measures of outcomes of community-involvement interventions. Co-chaired by UNFPA and CARE, the group's active members include: Advocates for Youth, CARE, Pathfinder International, Save the Children-USA, and UNFPA.

This publications outlines the specific reproductive health needs of this cadre of adolescents and the programmatic responses that can be used to reach them.

This issue of the monthly e-newsletter on youth reproductive health and HIV prevention features 16 program resources with Web links, and 12 journal article summaries on research from Brazil, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

This paper was presented at the symposium on Breastfeeding and Feminism: A Focus on Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice. It underscores the power and potential of synergy between and among organizations and individuals supporting breastfeeding, the mother-child dyad, and reproductive health to increase sustainable breastfeeding support. These concepts were brought together to lay the groundwork for working group discussions of synergy in program and policy actions.