UNFPA and Partners Expand Family Planning in Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK - To combat high levels of maternal mortality and meet people’s needs for family planning, UNFPA and other partners have agreed to significantly expand the delivery of reproductive health commodities and services in Pakistan during the next five years. The agreement, signed earlier this month in Islamabad with the Government of Pakistan, is intended to save the lives of Pakistan's mothers and help stabilize its population growth.

Under the agreement covering a five-year period, UNFPA will spend a total of $18 million for the procurement of contraceptives, $8 million from its own funds and $10 million from the United Kingdom Department for International Development. In addition, the United States Agency for International Development will provide $50 million to help communities purchase contraceptives and services. The Pakistan Government will seek to earmark a minimum of $7 million each year to procure contraceptives.

UNFPA will be responsible for international procurement of all contraceptives. It will also provide technical assistance to improve the distribution of contraceptives to public health centres around the country, with special attention to rural areas suffering from insufficient supplies.

After periods of slow growth, contraceptive use in Pakistan has increased steadily in recent years, and now 28 per cent of women of reproductive age use modern family planning methods. But many more couples would practise family planning if services were more widely available. The Government's population policy aims to increase voluntary contraceptive use to 40 to 50 per cent of couples by 2007.

Pakistan has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Since 1950, its population has more than tripled to 153.5 million, and it is expected to reach 350 million by 2050. The average family size is decreasing but still exceeds five children per woman, and maternal mortality remains high.

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The United Nations Population Fund provides international leadership on population and reproductive health issues and is a key source of financial assistance for family planning, safe motherhood and HIV prevention programs in developing countries.

Contact Information:

Omar Gharzeddine
Tel.: +1 (212) 297-5028
Email: gharzeddine@unfpa.org