Sexual and Reproductive Health Framework - UNFPA

existing SRH services so that perinatal depressionand other mental health problems can be preventedand treated.74. Women in low-income countries typically experiencebarriers in reaching maternal health care,particularly at the time of delivery. Three maindelays have been documented: delay in the decisionto seek care, delay in reaching emergency care anddelay in receiving appropriate care at the facility.The first two delays relate directly to factors in thefamily and the community and require increasesin demand for maternal health care, particularlyfor skilled care at delivery and preparation forobstetric complications. Communities need to beempowered to take action and to advocate for theirrights to quality reproductive health care and, inparticular, obstetric care. Mobilized communitieshave developed innovative solutions to the threedelays, including community emergency funds,emergency transportation and referral mechanisms,and increasing interaction with the healthsystem. Traditionally, many of these approacheshave centred on women, but men are criticalto improving maternal health. Data shows anassociation between increased understanding andsupport of men to women’s reproductive life stagesand improvement of women and new-born childrenhealth.75. In many countries, the major entry point for SRHis antenatal, childbirth and post-partum services,which often form the backbone of primary healthcare. Consequently, maternal health care offers keyopportunities to reach women with family planningand to offer women prevention, counselling, testingand treatment for STIs and HIV and for preventingHIV transmission during pregnancy and birth andthrough breastfeeding. The integration of otherSRH and HIV services with maternal health careis, therefore, an important strategy for attaininguniversal access to reproductive health.b. Strategies and key activities76. The fundamental approach under this outcome willbe to assist countries in their efforts to develop,cost, fund and implement national initiatives forreducing maternal mortality and morbidity, withinSRH in the basic health package, including foremergency preparedness and response, through thefollowing strategies and activities.77. Strategy: Undertaking advocacy and policy dialoguefor improving maternal health.78. Key activities:(a) Promoting dialogues among government, civilsociety and development partners to adopt thethree principles of a national initiative -- oneframework, one coordination mechanism andone monitoring and evaluation system;(b) Promoting the reduction of maternal mortalityand morbidity through the availability of familyplanning, skilled attendance at birth andemergency obstetric care;(c) Mobilizing resources from both national sourcesand donors to support the achievement of MDG5.79. Strategy: Building strategic and multisectoralpartnerships.80. Key activities:(a) Assisting in the functioning of the nationalmultisectoral committee or other coordinationmechanism and in the development of its termsof reference and biannual work plan, in whichthe respective roles and contributions of allpartners are clearly delineated;(b) Reinforcing partnerships to ensure the requiredtechnical and financial support to the nationalinitiative, including joint programmes, inparticular, with UNICEF, WHO and the WorldBank at national and district levels, with a cleardelineation of the roles and responsibilities ofeach partner.81. Strategy: Strengthening the capacity of countriesto develop and implement national plans to ensurequality maternal health care.82. Key activities:(a) Supporting countries in carrying out policyanalyses and strengthening policy dialogue fordeveloping national strategies for the integrationof maternal health issues, as part of the basicessential SRH package, in national developmentinstruments and sectoral frameworks, such asPRSs, UNDAFs and SWAps, and humanitarianresponse and recovery processes;(b) Promoting decentralized approaches and thedevelopment of decentralized SRH plans adaptedMAKING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH A REALITY FOR ALL21