Developing Countries: Family Planning

International Development written question – answered at on 30 November 2009.

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Photo of Chris McCafferty Chris McCafferty Labour, Calder Valley

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidance his Department has issued to his Department's country offices on incorporating (a) sexual and reproductive health and rights, (b) family planning and (c) abortion services into country strategy papers.

Photo of Michael Foster Michael Foster Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development

The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) including improved access to family planning and safe abortion services. We are working internationally and through our country offices to advance progress on SRHR. This is central to achieving the millennium development goals including maternal health, reducing child mortality, AIDS response and women's empowerment.

DFID has policy papers that guide our approach to improving SRHR including the Maternal Health Strategy, Position Paper on SRHR and Achieving Universal Access-the UK's strategy for halting and reversing the spreading of HIV in the developing world. In addition, DFID recently issued an updated policy paper on safe and unsafe abortion which clearly demonstrates DFID's commitment to preventing unsafe abortion and improving access to safe abortion. All policy papers are available on DFID's website at:

www.dfid.gov.uk

Regional and country programmes reflect DFID's priorities in the areas of SRHR as appropriate to the country context. Where it is difficult for country offices to work directly on an issue, e.g. safe abortion where the national legal framework does not support this, DFID considers support through regional programming. This is why DFID has committed £6.5 million over five years to support regional work to increase access to safe abortion in sub-Saharan Africa.

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