Solidarity remarks by Mrs. Miranda Tabifor, UNFPA Zimbabwe Country Representative
The year 2024 is the milestone for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
The ICPD shifted the focus of population and development programmes towards rights and choices of individuals to freely make their own fertility decisions, access reproductive health care and ensure gender equality.
In the past 30 years, since the ICPD Programme of Action was adopted by 179 countries including Zimbabwe, good progress has been made to advance and achieve sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
UNFPA’s work on improving sexual and reproductive health is a key effort towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3, which calls for good health and well-being. It also advances Goal 5, which calls for gender equality, as well as many of the other goals included in the 2030 Agenda.
UNFPA works with governments, other UN agencies, civil society and donors to develop comprehensive efforts to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care.
UNFPA advocates for integrating the delivery of these services into primary health care, so it is as accessible as possible. This means, for instance, that a woman could address her family planning, antenatal care, HIV testing and general health needs all in one place.
Zimbabwe has made progress in advancing SRHR, HIV/AIDS including in reduction of maternal mortality and improving family planning services.
Honorable members,
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as the lead UN Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights agency, stands in solidarity with the Government and Parliament of Zimbabwe in efforts to advance the integrated SRHR, HIV and AIDS policies, programmes and funding to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens.
In this respect UNFPA supports the Government of Zimbabwe in strengthening the health system to deliver quality integrated SRHR, HIV & AIDS education and services.
Some of the achievements include:
● Supporting the government in the provision of family planning services. By the end of 2023, 2.1 million women were using modern contraceptives. As a result of contraceptive use in the last 5 years 3,7 million unintended pregnancies, 931,000 unsafe abortion and 10,600 maternal deaths were averted. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies also plays a key role in the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and therefore important in the provision of integrated SRH and HIV services.
● Strengthening of maternal services including antenatal, delivery and post-delivery services has also been supported as part of the campaign on “Zero Maternal Deaths”. Critical HIV prevention and treatment services are provided as part of the maternal services provision.
● Supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care in strengthening the health system to be adolescent friendly and responsive. 586 health staff from 22 districts in five provinces, were trained in adolescent and youth friendly service provision resulting in an increased number of health facilities providing adolescents and youth friendly SRHR, HIV and AIDS services including contraception. In the past two and half years 726,380 young females accessed family planning services in these UNFPA supported districts.
● Supporting the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to strengthen the delivery of quality, age-appropriate Comprehensive Sexuality Education aimed at empowering young people with knowledge on SRHR, HIV & AIDS and skills to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. This support reached out to almost 2 million young people in school in the past 2 and half years.
Honorable members,
Though efforts have been made, some work still needs to be done to achieve universal access to SRHR, HIV & AIDS for all in the country.
According to a study, in 2015, household out of pocket expenditure accounted for about one quarter of total health expenditure in Zimbabwe.
Currently the Government policy directives states that maternal health care should be provided free of charge to everyone. However, at some facilities user fees are charged. This presents a barrier for accessing health care.
Some areas for the Parliament’s project consideration include:
● Advocacy for increased domestic funding for SRHR, HIV & AIDS. This will ensure commodity/medicines security that is critical for provision of HIV and SRH health services and effective implementation of government policies and facilitates universal access to health services such as the free user fee policy for maternal health.
● Advocacy for an enabling policy environment to ensure that our laws are aligned; and ensure access to integrated SRHR, HIV, AIDS services for all including left behind populations.
● Advocacy for increased investments in young people’s SRHR, HIV & AIDS needs as well as women and girls with disabilities.
● Advocacy to strengthen the supply chain and logistics system to ensure reproductive security commodities reach the last mile.
UNFPA pledges its support, and remains committed and shall collaborate across the entire sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and AIDS ecosystem to deliver on the agenda. I wish the Parliament well in its endeavors to improve the integrated SRHR, HIV & AIDS policies, programmes and resources in Zimbabwe.
