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WHO WE ARE“Through field visits and meetings with officials we havebeen concretely introduced to the big challenges [Ethiopia]is facing with regard to sexual and reproductive health andrights, and the potential Ethiopian women represent. A lot stillneeds to be done to ensure women are educated and healthyactors in the development process.”By: Véronique Mathieu, French member of the EuropeanParliament and Vice President of the Working Group onReproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development in theEuropean Parliament.The European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development is a Brussels-based Parliamentarynetwork that serves as a platform for cooperation and coordination for the 25 all-partygroups in Parliaments throughout Europe that focus on improving sexual and reproductivehealth and rights at home and abroad through national and regional health and foreign aidbudgets.Because Europe is home to 18 of the world’s 23 governmental donors of development assistance,Parliamentarians in Europe play a crucial role in making sure international funding commitmentsare met and programmes are available where they are needed the most. Domestically,these Parliamentarians work to improve the health and rights of their countries’ mostvulnerable populations.EPF’s expertise derives from its exclusive focus on Parliamentarians. Its core activities includeconducting field visits to developing countries, supporting Parliamentary activities, organisingconferences on key topics, and providing training to develop understanding and expertise inSRHR issues.EPF provides a pan-European framework for Parliamentarians to forge consensus and collaborateon resource mobilisation strategies. In addition, EPF frequently works with UN agencies,inter-governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations on the national,regional and international levels that have an interest in working with Parliamentarians.EPF began as a project ofthe International PlannedParenthood Federation EuropeanNetwork. It was legallyregistered in Belgium andrecognised by Royal Decree in2000. In 2004, EPF becamea fully independent not-forprofitorganisation.EPF Council - Lisbon, 2003
Sexual and Reproductive Health andRights & the Millennium DevelopmentGoalsEnsuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is crucial inand of itself. It is also instrumentally important for achieving the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. Achieving the health Goals – improving maternal health, reducing child mortality,promoting gender equality and combating HIV/AIDS – depends directly on making access tothese services widespread (in fact, the target of achieving universal access to reproductivehealth by 2015 is included in MDG number five). Reaching the non-health Goals - reducingextreme poverty, making primary education universal and attaining environmental sustainability– is contingent on improving sexual and reproductive health and gender equality.Making SRHR access more widespread would enable women to satisfy their desire for spacingor limiting childbirth. It would thus provide them with the ability to better balance householdresponsibilities (including childrearing) with activities outside the home, including economic,political and educational activities. Participating in community and political life, increasingeducational attainment and expanding income-generating opportunities improve a woman’sability to lead a more full and creative life by providing her with a greater voice in the choicesthat shape her life and that of her community. 1Avoiding unplanned births allows families to invest more in each child’s education, nutritionand health, and can reduce poverty and hunger for all members of a household. Smaller familysize can help stabilise rural areas, slow urban migration and balance natural resource usewith the needs of the population. 2The Millennium DevelopmentGoalsGoal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hungerGoal 2: Achieve universal primary educationGoal 3: Promote gender equality and empower womenGoal 4: Reduce child mortalityGoal 5: Improve maternal healthGoal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseasesGoal 7: Ensure environmental sustainabilityGoal 8: Develop a global partnership for developmentEvidence shows that investments in and access to reproductive health, including family planningand sexual health, are essential to breaking the cycle of poverty and freeing national andhousehold resources for investments in health, nutrition, and education, promoting economicgrowth with tangible returns. 31 UN Millennium Project, 2006. Public Choices, Private Decisions: Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals.2 UNFPA, 2005. Reducing Poverty and Achieving the Millennium Goals.3 Stockholm Call to Action: Investing in Reproductive Health and Rights as a Development Priority. Issued at High-Level RoundtableReducing Poverty and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: convened by UNFPA and the Government of Sweden April 2005.05
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