14 Nov 2012

UN / POPULATION FUND REPORT 2012

The State of World Population 2012, launched today by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), points out that 222 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for family planning, which delivers "immeasurable" rewards to women, families, and communities. UNTV

Posted at: November 14, 2012 5:12 pm

Duration: 01:29

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / POPULATION FUND REPORT 2012
TRT: 1.29
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 14 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

14 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK

2. Wide shot, Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report: "The State of World Population 2012" sits down
3. Cutaway, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report: 
"This years UNFPA report makes the case that voluntary family planning is a human right. Morever because it's a right, everyone who wants access to family planning should have access to it."
5. Cutaway, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report:
"With age appropriate sexuality education and access to contraception the young can truly plan for schooling, work and child bearing under their terms 121255 However despite promises and resolutions and conventions that affirm the right to family planning it remains out of reach for a staggering 222 million women in developing countries today."
7. Cutaway, reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report:
"The lack of family planning perpetuates poverty and gender inequality and can lead to population pressures in poor countries struggling to provide basic services. The UNFPA report shows that access to family planning unlocks unprecedented rewards at both individual and national level where it can contribute to economic development."
9. Cutaway, reporters
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report:
"We're working with governments everywhere to help them tare down the economic, the social, the logistical barriers to family planning so that everybody who wants it has it."

STORYLINE:

A new United Nations report urged additional investments in family planning that could save developing countries more than $11 billion a year in maternal and newborn health care costs, while stressing that the benefits of making services available to everyone are not just economic.

At the launch of the "State of World Population 2012" report, published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the author of the report Richard Kollodge, said that this years report made the case that voluntary family planning was a human right.

Kollodge stressed that, "because it's a right, everyone who wants access to family planning should have access to it."

He added that despite promises and resolutions and conventions that affirmed the right to family planning, "it remains out of reach for a staggering 222 million women in developing countries today."

UNFPA's flagship report states that increased access to family planning has proven to be a sound economic investment. One third of the growth of Asian 'tiger' economies is attributed to a demographic shift in which the number of income-generating adults became higher than those who depended on them for support.

This shift, the report notes, was a consequence of family planning and brought increased productivity, leading to economic development in the region. 
The report notes that governments, civil society, health providers and communities have the responsibility to protect the right to family planning for all women, including those who are young or unmarried.

Kollodge noted that UNFPA was working with governments everywhere to help them "tare down the economic, the social, the logistical barriers to family planning so that everybody who wants it has it."

The report also found that financial resources for family planning have declined and contraceptive use has remained mostly steady. In 2010, donor countries fell $500 million short of their expected contribution to sexual and reproductive health services in developing countries. Contraceptive prevalence has increased globally by just 0.1 per cent per year over the last few years.

An additional $4.1 billion is necessary each year to meet the unmet need for family planning of all 222 million women who would use family planning but currently lack access to it, according to the report.