UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
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| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
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This document is being made available by the Population Information
Network (POPIN) Gopher of the United Nations Population Division,
Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis,
in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund's
Emergency Relief Operations. For further information, please
contact Dr. Daniel Pierotti, Senior Advisory, UNFPA Emergency
Relief Operations, 9, chemin des Anemones, 1219 Chatelaine, Genva,
Switzerland.
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UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
EMERGENCY RELIEF OPERATIONS FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN AFRICA
UNFPA assistance focuses on the provision of reproductive
health psycho-social counselling, informational education /
communication, and clinical services within health care
schemes and mechanisms developed for relief operations in
refugee situations. UNFPA is providing financial and technical
support to the following main aspects of reproductive health:
safe motherhood, prevention and treatment of sexually
transmitted diseases and AIDS, sexual abuse and gender
violence, family planning, adolescent healthy sexuality and
reproductive health, information education, communication,
and, special programs for men.
UNFPA funds equipment, supplies and drugs needed for the
delivery of these services. It may also extend its support to
technical assistance, training and salary support for
reproductive health providers in the field. It provides its
assistance through host governments, UN agencies (UNHCR, WHO,
UNICEF, IOM, etc.), Institutions, and Non Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) having the capacity and know how to
operate successfully in difficult situations. These executing
partners who deliver emergency health relief should be ready
and willing to insert a basic and adapted reproductive health
component into their general emergency health care package.
UNFPA primarily channels its assistance through a worldwide
network of Country Directors, Country and Technical Support
Teams. In order to adequately answer reproductive health needs
of refugee situations in an appropriate way, UNFPA opened up
an office in Geneva, November 1, 1994, for emergency relief
operations based in Geneva. This office is responsible for the
overall coordination of UNFPA assistance in emergency relief
operations for reproductive health. Since its opening, the
officer in charge has started to work with geographical and
technical Divisions at UNFPA/HQ and in close collaboration
with concerned divisions of other UN Agencies and NGOs. It is
in daily contact with UNHCR, working mainly with the Section
for Program and Technical Support. The principal activities
UNFPA Office for Emergency Relief Operations are to:
- promote and facilitate reproductive health preparedness and
responses in emergency situations to members states, UN
agencies and NGOs.
- facilitate formulation and implementation of UNFPA policy on
reproductive health in emergency situations through data
collection and analyses and dissemination on camps;
- familiarize and sensitize UNFPA Country Directors and
Country Support Teams on reproductive health issues
- develop programs and coordinate UNFPA activities to address
the reproductive health needs of refugee, displaced
persons and returnee women;
- identify and contact potential implementing partners for
UNFPA projects, with special attention to NGOs;
- plan, coordinate, monitor and evaluate UNFPA projects on
reproductive health in emergency situations.
Africa is currently the continent most badly stricken by local
and sub-regional conflicts, with the accompanying cortege of
refugees and internally displaced persons. The situation of
Rwanda has been specially dramatic and unprecedented. In 1994,
in a 4 month period, 15% of its population was wiped out by
violent death, and 1/3 of its nationals have been either
displaced in Rwanda or become refugees in the neighboring
countries, mostly, Burundi, Tanzania, and Zaire. As a result
of that situation, the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board took the
decision on June 16 1994 to: "... support in appropriate ways
and in collaboration with other relief agencies, emergency
assistance to the people of Rwanda ..."
Immediate measures were taken by UNFPA. Three reproductive
health projects were approved and funded in September/October,
1994, and are all currently operational:
- In Burundi a 154,000.00 US$ project called "Humanitarian
Assistance for Rwandan Refugees" was approved. It is being
executed directly by UNFPA and implemented by the
coordinating office for family planning of the Rwandan
Ministry of Health.
- In Tanzania, a 206,185.00 US$ project called "Mother-Child
Health / Reproductive Health Services and STD/HIV
Intervention for Rwandan Refugees" was approved. It is being
carried out by the African Medical and Research Foundation
and implemented by the local family planning association
UMATI.
- In Rwanda itself, a 748,880.00 US$ project called "Emergency
Rehabilitation of Mother-Child Health/Family Planning
Services MCH/FP)" was approved. It is being undertaken by
UNICEF and implemented by the Ministry of Health.
In parallel to these three projects, UNFPA is assisting local
authorities in introducing an objective method for estimating
the number of internally displaced persons. The UNFPA office
in Rwanda has also been reopened, and partners are being
identified in Zaire to develop reproductive health activities
in the refugee camps on the border of this country.
In other African countries UNFPA has begun to initiate
activities in refugee camps in the Ivory Coast and Somalia.
The Fund is exploring the possibility of developing a program
in Kenya. In Egypt, a project has been authorized for
rehabilitation of MCH/FP services following a natural disaster
(floods).
Responding to women's reproductive health needs is a well
known and documented concept in public health. Refugee women
share the same preoccupations and needs as other women.
However, their precarious living conditions necessitate
adaptation of reproductive health service to these conditions.
Not only in Africa but in every refugee situation, timing of
intervention is essential to success and efficiency. At what
moment should reproductive health activities start? During the
exodus, when the camps are instable and unsafe? When they have
just set up? When they are stabilized? Or during the
returning period and rehabilitation phases?
In order to answer those questions adequately, UNFPA and
UNHCR, with the collaboration of its sister agencies, UNICEF
and WHO, are jointly organizing the first Inter-agency
Symposium on Reproductive health in Refugee Situations to be
held on June 28-30, 1995 in Geneva. At the end of the
symposium, a practical field manual will be edited and then
delivered to all of those who are actively engaged in trying
to alleviate the suffering and despair of millions of human
beings in the world today. This manual is being prepared so
that field staff often without guidance in meeting the
particular needs of reproductive health take the proper
decisions for implementing, integrating into existing
structures and strengthening this type of clinical and
counseling services.