FCI briefing cards on MDGs

FCI briefing cards on MDGs and SRH

Family Care International has produced briefing cards on the Millennium Development Goals and sexual and reproductive health to raise awareness among governments, NGOs and others of the importance of sexual and reproductive health for development and the contribution of sexual and reproductive health toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The cards are designed to provide clear, concise information on the links between sexual and reproductive health and the first seven MDGs. Each card also includes the commitments made by governments at prior international conferences, statistics, quotes, and key actions.

They can be used in advocacy efforts at the community, national, regional and international levels to ensure that the relationship between sexual and reproductive health and the MDGs is fully understood and integrated in strategies to achieve the goals, including in poverty reduction strategy papers and development plans.

Key advocacy messages to use with the briefing cards:

   1. Improving the sexual and reproductive health of men, women and young people is essential for achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but particularly those on gender equality and women’s empowerment, child mortality, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS.
   2. The UN Millennium Project stresses that expanding access to sexual and reproductive health information and services is a “quick win,” a cost-effective action that can put countries on the road towards achieving the MDGs and produce real results in improving the quality of people’s lives in the short and long term.
   3. The Millennium Projects also recommends that a target—universal access to reproductive health services by 2015 through the primary health care system, ensuring faster progress among the poor and other marginalized groups—and related indicators be added to the MDG framework under Goal 5, to improve maternal health.
   4. Governments should advocate for and support the use of the goal from the International Conference on Population and Development to “ensure universal access to reproductive health by 2015,” as a target to measure progress towards achieving the MDGs at the national level, as well as in international and regional forums.

How to get the briefing cards and the messages out:

1. Advocate with government representatives Request a meeting with government officials, including the Minister of Health, Minister of Development, Minister of Finance and others to advocate for their support for including sexual and reproductive health in national-level strategies to achieve the MDGs and give them copies of the briefing cards. In the lead up to the Millennium+5 Summit, ask them to endorse the target as part of their national policy for the Summit and publicly advocate for and support the inclusion of a target on universal access to reproductive health at international and regional meetings that they attend. Strongly urge them to send instructions to their permanent missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva that are negotiating the Summit preparations. Mission staff should be requested to advocate for the target by including references to it in their national or regional group statements in the UN, and to voice support during negotiations.

2. Share them with other NGOs and advocates Organize a meeting of NGO representatives working on sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental sustainability, gender equality, development, and other issues related to the MDGs to discuss the linkages between the goals and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Develop common strategy to ensure that sexual and reproductive health is integrated into community, regional, and national-level campaigns and initiatives to achieve the MDGs.

3. Organize an event Hold an event to distribute the briefing cards and share information about the initiatives that you and/or your partners are undertaking on sexual and reproductive health and rights and the MDGs. Invite colleagues, government officials, representatives of UN agencies, influentials, community members, and the media to attend.