Technical Publications

Adding it Up The Benefits of Investing In Sexual and Reproductive Health Care This new report jointly published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, makes the case for increased funding for sexual and reproductive health services-particularly in resource-poor countries-by illustrating the unusually broad societal and individual impact of investments in sexual and reproductive health.

Investing in People National Progress in Implementing the ICPD Programme of Action 1994-2004 This Global Survey includes responses from 169 countries on the steps they have taken to implement the Cairo Programme of Action, including measures related to population and development, gender equality, women's empowerment, reproductive rights and health and HIV/AIDS.

Investing in People -- A Summary National Progress in Implementing the ICPD Programme of Action 1994 - 2004 A summary of the Global Survey that includes responses from 169 countries on the measures they have taken to implement the Cairo Programme of Action in the fields of population and development, gender equality, women's empowerment, reproductive rights and health and HIV/AIDS.

South Asia Conference for the Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula 9-11 December 2003 • Dhaka, Bangladesh This conference marked the beginning of the UNFPA Campaign to End Fistula's expansion to the South Asian region. The objective of the conference was to introduce UNFPA's fistula campaign in South Asia, to review current knowledge about obstetric fistula in the region and to discuss steps for moving forward with the campaign in the region.

Emergency Obstetric Care -- Checklist for Planners Emergency obstetric care is the cornerstone of UNFPA's efforts to improve pregnancy outcomes. This six-panel checklist is designed to help programme planners and managers monitor elements that are critical to providing a high quality of emergency obstetric care.

Making Safe Motherhood a Reality in West Africa Using Indicators to Programme for Results For too long, efforts to reduce maternal mortality stalled, in part because the facts underlying the problem --and the best strategies to address it --were poorly understood. This report documents UNFPA's efforts to address maternal mortality using a strategic and practical evidence-based approach in a region where data has been scarce,and where too many women have died. Increasing access to emergency obstetric care is central to this approach.

Maternal Mortality Update 2002 A Focus on Emergency Obstetric Care Every minute a woman dies from lack of life-saving emergency obstetric care. Addressing this need is the centrepiece of UNFPA's efforts to make motherhood safer. The new Maternal Mortality Update explains the critical importance of timely medical interventions hen complications develop -- as they do in more than 5 per cent of all deliveries. It also documents UNFPA's efforts to reduce maternal mortality throughout the developing world.

Obstetric Fistula Needs Assessment Findings from Nine African Countries UNFPA partnered with EngenderHealth to conduct a first-ever study on the occurrence of fistula in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Benin, Chad, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia). The report offers a glimpse of the issue as seen through the eyes of clients who seek services and professional health workers in 35 hospitals where fistula is treated. It highlights the urgent need for equipment, skilled medical staff and surgical supplies in order to meet the high demand for care. Access and download the report by sections in different languages.

The Second Meeting of the Working Group for the Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula Addis Ababa -- 30 Ocotber - 1 November 2002 UNFPA leads a coalition of organizations committed to the prevention and treatment of fistula, an isolating disability that results from unrelieved obstructed labour. This report, from the second meeting of the working group, documents the considerable progress that has been made in bringing fistula to wider attention, in collecting data about it, and in developing strategies to end fistula in the developing world, just as it has been virtually eliminated in industrialized countries.

Report on the Meeting for the Prevention & Treatment of Obstetric Fistula London -- 2001 This report reviews the first meeting of international fistula experts in London in July 2001, which launched this initiative and focused on concrete actions to alleviate the suffering of affected women. It is our sincerest hope that together we can work to make fistula as rare in Africa and in all developing countries as it is in the industrialized world. We know that new partners will join us in this worthwhile initiative.

Maternal Mortality Update 1998-1999 This Maternal Mortality Update highlights assistance provided by UNFPA in 1998 and 1999 in 89 countries. In many countries, this assistance built upon and expanded the scope of MM prevention activities the Fund supported in previous years. The precise level of UNFPA financial support for maternal mortality prevention activities is difficult to measure since in most countries is an integral part of reproductive health services and information. However, a review of expenditure data for 1998-99 gives an estimate of UNFPA support for MM prevention in of US$ 108.4 million. Of the estimated US$ 108.4 million, about US$ 105 million was spent at the country level and US$ 3.4 million at the regional and inter-regional levels.

Guidelines for Monitoring the Availability and Use of Obstetric Services Direct measurements of maternal mortality rates and ratios are complex and subject to large margins or error. These guidelines provide an alternative approach to monitoring progress in addressing maternal mortality: they present a series of 'process indicators' that assess the availability, use and quality obstetric services. Aimed at a professional audience, the document also provides guidance on data collection and interpretation. Published by UNICEF in collaboration with UNFPA and WHO.

Maternal Mortality in 1995 Estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA The document opens by summarizing the complexity involved in measuring maternal mortality and the reasons why such measurement is subject to uncertainty, particularly when it comes to monitoring progress. Subsequently, the rationale for the development of 1995 estimates of maternal mortality is presented along with a description of the process through which this was accomplished. This is followed by an analysis and interpretation of the results, comparing them to the 1990 estimates developed by WHO and UNICEF and describing some of the difficulties that such comparisons involve. The final parts of the document present a review of progress in maternal mortality reduction accomplished over the past few years followed by a summary of the kind of information needed to build a fuller understanding of both the levels and trends in maternal mortality and the interventions needed to achieve sustained reductions in the coming few years.

State of World Population

State of World Population 2004 The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and The Global Effort to End Poverty This year's report, The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and the Global Effort to End Poverty, examines the progress countries have made and the obstacles they have encountered at the halfway point in implementing the ICPD plan.

General Information

Implementing the Safe Motherhood Action Agenda: A Resource Guide Published by The Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Group The Guide lists and describes a range of available materials and resources that can be used to design safe motherhood interventions at the local and national levels. The goal of the Guide is to ensure that individuals and organizations responsible for supporting, designing and implementing safe motherhood programs in developing countries know about the most effective and cost-effective strategies, and know how to access existing resources that can help them carry out these strategies.

Periodicals

DISPATCHES: Issue Number 60 News from the United Nations Population Fund, January-April 2004 IN THIS ISSUE: • A Decade After Cairo, World Celebrates Landmark Agreement • 2003: Record Number of Donors Support UNFPA • US Administration Urged to Uphold Congress Decision to Resume UNFPA Funding • Arab Parliamentarians Urge Governments to Honour Cairo Commitments • UNFPA Launches New Safe Motherhood Effort in Viet Nam • New UNFPA-Supported Youth Centre Opens in Rwanda • UNFPA Protects Reproductive Health of Displaced Sudanese • Responding to the Earthquake Tragedy in Iran

DISPATCHES: Issue Number 61 News from the United Nations Population Fund, May-June 2004 IN THIS ISSUE: • Latin America Reaffirms Cairo Population Consensus on its Tenth Anniversary • Agencies Team up to Save Women's Lives in Latin America and the Caribbean • Cambodia's Young Campers Discuss Reproductive Health Issues • Uganda Gears Up to Fight Fistula • Emergency UNFPA Supplies Airlifted to Haiti • Belize launches new initiative to protect youth against HIV/AIDS • World's Youngest Nation to Use Latest Technology for its National Census • New System Helps Countries Manage their Reproductive Health Commodities

DISPATCHES: Issue Number 62 News from the United Nations Population Fund, July-August 2004 IN THIS ISSUE: • Young People to Advise UNFPA on Their Rights and Needs • Youth Activists Gear Up for the Bangkok AIDS Conference • Reproductive Health and Gender Equality Key to Breaking Cycle of Poverty, According to African Ministers • Cambodia Conducts Population Survey with UNFPA Support • UNFPA Spearheads Campaign to End Fistula in Sudan • Swedish Funds Support HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Tea Plantations of Bangladesh • New UNFPA Support to Better Health Care in Africa

DISPATCHES: Issue Number 63 News from the United Nations Population Fund, September-October 2004 IN THIS ISSUE: • Report Examines Triumphs and Setbacks Since Cairo Population Consensus • British Support for UNFPA to Increase Over the Next Four Years • Latin America Reaffirms its Support for Cairo Consensus • Timor-Leste Announces Preliminary Census Results • Kazakhstan Takes Over Family Planning • Developing Contries Intensify Efforts to End Fistula • Youth Issues Get National Attention in Maldives

Other Reports and Documents

Reduction of Maternal Mortality A Joint WHO/UNFPA/UNICEF/World Bank Statement This joint statement represents a consensus between WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the World Bank and is an example of the common purpose and complementarity of programmes supported by the four agencies and designed to reduce and prevent maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. The principles and policies of each agency are governed by the relevant decisions of its governing body and each agency implements the interventions described in this document in accordance with these principles and policies and within the scope of its mandate. The statement draws on lessons learned and knowledge gained by countries worldwide in their efforts to reduce and prevent maternal and neonatal deaths, identifies the issues involved in selecting appropriate interventions, and builds a consensual approach to addressing the problem effectively.

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