Two year grant will help to expand voluntary contraception and safe abortion services for women in Africa’s poorest countries
London - Marie Stopes International (MSI) today announced that the Danish Government has decided to support MSI with a grant of €4.4million (DKK 33million). The grant will support MSI’s voluntary contraception and safe abortion services through September 2011.
“This grant clearly demonstrates the leadership Denmark is providing on the important issue of women’s health” said Dana Hovig, MSI Chief Executive. “We warmly welcome this new partnership with the Danish Government to increase women’s access to quality services in Africa and elsewhere.”
Hovig explained that over 500,000 maternal deaths still occur each year from largely preventable causes, almost entirely in the developing world. Despite renewed efforts to combat this high toll through action around Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 (Improve Maternal Health), little progress has been made on a global level and MDG 5 shows the least progress of all the MDG targets1.
“The issue of sexual and reproductive health and rights is taboo in many places,” said Ms. Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation. “Our support will help Marie Stopes International overcome these taboos by providing millions of women and men with quality contraceptive information, products and services.”
Approximately 215 million women want an effective method of contraception but cannot access it2. Today, an estimated 67,000 women3, almost all of them in developing countries, die each year as a direct result of an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions. Many thousands more are left injured, disabled or infertile due to unsafe procedures. Nearly all of these deaths and injuries could be prevented through adequate access to sexual and reproductive health and safe abortion services.
Speaking from the European Parliament, Michael Cashman MEP said “Within the European Union there are many countries with different views on sexual and reproductive health. Denmark, however, is at the forefront of women’s rights as demonstrated by its funding of non-government organisations that focus on this area. It is time that Governments throughout the world follow the example set by Denmark.”
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For media enquiries and spokesperson interview please contact:
Michael Tirrell: +44 (0) 20 7034 2089 / +44 (0) 7771 681 265
Tony Kerridge: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / +44 (0) 7748 948 037
References:
1 UN, MDG 5 Fact Sheet, 2008
2 Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) “Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health”, 2009
3 Health, Nutrition and Population Centre at the World Bank, ”Fertility Regulation Measures and their Costs”, 2007
Notes to editors:
Danish Parliament
The Danish Government constantly works to ensure that any international assistance fulfils its original goal of helping the poor by providing critical investments in education and health, infrastructure plus support for the development of a private sector as an engine for growth.
Special emphasis is put on the effort to promote the respect for human rights and poverty reduction for women and their participation in the development process.