A global partnership that hopes to provide family planning options to 120 million women held a conference recently in Rwanda to review their progress.
One of organisations that are taking part in this effort is the United Nations Population Fund. The Fund’s executive director, Natalia Kanem, says that modern family-planning and contraceptive methods offer several benefits to society, besides the obvious. Lower birth rates means more women are able to fill up gaps in the workforce and it can also help reduce poverty cycles
According to the organisation's progress report, the results of the partnership’s efforts are mixed.
Africa has shown the most progress with the number of women using modern contraceptive methods has increased by 46 million is the last 5-6 years. However this is still far from the partnerships target of providing 120 million. Countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh have shown the least progress, and the partnership’s delegates are concerned that the governments are doing little to address the issue.
Other obstacles to the partnership's goals are religious and cultural resistance, legal barriers and lack of education.
