Working Toward Contraceptive Security in Latin America and the Caribbean
Contraceptive security exists when individuals are able to choose, obtain, and use contraceptives and condoms whenever they need them.
Requires Adobe Acrobat 4.0
Governments and donors in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region have made significant investments in family planning and, as a result, the demand for contraceptives and condoms has dramatically increased and will continue to grow rapidly in the region. At the same time, donor support for contraceptive commodities is declining. After three decades of contraceptive donations, USAID is gradually phasing out its support in LAC. Achieving contraceptive security in the absence of donor support is a high priority in the region.
In the summer of 2003, USAID's Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean launched regional initiative to determine how contraceptive security in the LAC region could be more effectively addressed and strengthened in light of the phase-out of contraceptive donations. The initiative, which is being implemented by the POLICY and DELIVER Projects, commenced in July 2003 with a Regional Meeting in Managua, Nicaragua. Seventy representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations, UNFPA, and USAID from nine Latin American countries came together to discuss and share their country's experiences with donor phase-out and efforts to achieve contraceptive security. The meeting was followed by two-week country assessments in Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru, which were conducted between September 2003 and May 2004. Each assessment resulted in a full assessment report and an accompanying summary of country-level findings. Findings in each country were also presented to stakeholders at the end of each assessment. A regional report describes the findings at the regional level and makes recommendations for regional contraceptive security initiatives.
In October 2004, POLICY and DELIVER held a conference in Lima, Peru to share and discuss country-specific and regional findings with representatives from nine LAC countries and to formulate regional and country-specific initiatives to further CS in the region. These proposed initiatives (recommendations) will form the basis for future LAC Bureau interventions (to be implemented by POLICY and DELIVER) designed to promote CS at the regional level.
The country assessment reports (summaries) and regional report are all linked below.
|
