NGLS HANDBOOK

UNFPA

UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND

ORIGINS AND BACKGROUND

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the largest internationally-funded source of population assistance, directly managing one quarter of the world’s population assistance to developing countries. The fund began operations in 1969 and is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly. To date, 172 nations have pledged about US$4.5 billion to UNFPA. In 1998, UNFPA carried out activities in some 155 countries.

UNFPA extends assistance to developing countries, countries with economies in transition and other countries at their request to help them address their reproductive health needs and population issues, and raises awareness of these issues in all countries, as it has since its inception 30 years ago. UNFPA is guided by, and promotes, the principles of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo (Egypt). The ICPD marked a dramatic shift in approaches to viewing population and in implementing population programmes. As a process, it signaled inclusion, collaboration and international consensus on such policy goals and objectives as gender equality, equity and empowerment; human rights; quality of care; and partnership. The target-driven demographic approach was modified, and the life-cycle concept of reproductive and sexual health within a broader sustainable development approach was promoted. The focus shifted from sectoral to multi-sectoral approaches, from numbers to individuals and their needs; from the provision of family planning commodities and services to women in their reproductive period to the provision of quality reproductive and sexual health information and services to women, men and adolescents in a culturally sensitive manner. UNFPA’s three main areas of work are to: help ensure universal access to reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health, to all couples and individuals by the year 2015; support population and development strategies that enable capacity building in population programming; promote awareness of population and development issues; and advocate for mobilization of the resources and political will necessary to accomplish its areas of work.

UNFPA is primarily a grant-providing agency; responsibility for implementing projects rests with recipient countries or with UN agencies and NGOs that execute projects in their areas of expertise. UNFPA is not supported by the United Nations regular budget, but entirely by voluntary contributions. In 1998, 89 countries made pledges, most of them developing countries. The total income (provisional) of UNFPA in 1998 was US$309.3 million, compared to US$322.7 million in 1997. Expenditures for reproductive health and family planning programmes, and closely associated information, education and communications activities accounted for almost 60% of UNFPA assistance; population and development strategies for roughly 24%; and advocacy for some 16%. Africa accounted for 32.7% of UNFPA programme expenditures, the Asia and Pacific region for 32.3%, the Latin America and Caribbean region for 11.4%, and the Arab states and Europe for 11.3%. Support for inter-regional and global programmes amounted to 12.4% of programme expenditures. The fund continued to concentrate more than 60% of its resources in countries in greatest need of assistance, notably in the poorest developing countries. UNFPA maintains a channel for bilateral population assistance to specific projects.

UNFPA works closely with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and uses its field structure of resident representatives in helping to carry out its work. UNFPA representatives, in residence in more than 65 countries, are responsible for the formulation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the programmes and projects the fund supports. Since 1991, UNFPA has also been providing technical assistance through its country support teams, which are composed of experts in reproductive health and population issues and are located in eight centres throughout the world. UNFPA, as the lead United Nations organization for follow-up and implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, is fully committed to working in partnership with governments, all parts of the United Nations system, development banks, bilateral aid agencies and civil society, including NGOs. The fund is a member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) and its Executive Committee, and participates in all UNDG sub-groups and activities. It also participates in a number of other coordination mechanisms and the United Nations system-wide coordination bodies of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). UNFPA strongly supports the United Nations Resident Coordinator system and the implementation of all relevant United Nations decisions.

Nafis Sadik was appointed UNFPA Executive Director by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1987; on her appointment, she became the first woman to head one of the United Nations’ major voluntarily-funded programmes. Dr. Sadik holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General. As of 1 January 1998, UNFPA had 972 staff members, 238 of whom are at headquarters in New York, four in Geneva, and 730 in field offices. The percentage of women in professional staff positions at headquarters and the field was 47% in 1998, one of the highest percentages among United Nations agencies and organizations. Moreover, seven of the 11 members of the fund’s Executive Committee are women.

UNFPA Objectives

The objectives of UNFPA are:

--         To assist countries in providing reproductive health care, including family planning and sexual health, on the basis of individual choice; in formulating population strategies in support of sustainable development; and in advocacy for issues related to population, reproductive health and the autonomy and equality of women.

--         To advance the strategy endorsed by the ICPD, which emphasized the interdependence of population and development and focused on meeting individuals’ needs rather than demographic targets. The key to this new approach is empowering women and expanding access to education, health services and employment opportunities.

--         To promote cooperation and coordination among UN system organizations, bilateral agencies, governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector in addressing issues of population and development, reproductive health, gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The ICPD endorsed a set of interdependent population and development objectives including sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development, and gender equity and equality. Countries were urged to include population factors in all development strategies, and to act to eliminate gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices including female genital mutilation. Quantitative goals were adopted in three areas:

--         Universal education--Elimination of the gender gap in primary and secondary education by 2005, and complete access to primary school or the equivalent by both girls and boys as quickly as possible and in any case before 2015;

--         Mortality reduction--Reduction in infant and under-five mortality rates by at least one-third to no more than 50 and 70 per 1,000 live births, respectively, by 2000, and to below 35 and 45, respectively, by 2015; reduction in maternal mortality to half the 1990 levels by 2000 and by a further one-half by 2015 (specifically, in countries with the highest levels of mortality, to below 60 per 100,000 live births);

--         Reproductive health--Provision of universal access to a full range of safe and reliable family-planning methods and to related reproductive and sexual health services by 2015.

The subsequent programmes of action endorsed at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen; the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul; and the 1996 World Food Summit in Rome all reinforced and sometimes expanded upon the objectives and goals of the ICPD.

UNFPA ACTIVITIES

ICPD+5

In December 1997, the General Assembly considered the question of follow-up to the ICPD and decided to convene a special session from 30 June to 2 July 1999 to review and appraise implementation of the Programme of Action. The special session marked the culmination of a comprehensive, five-year review of progress achieved and constraints faced in ICPD implementation, and saw the adoption by consensus of Key Actions for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD (A/S-21/5/Add.1). The review showed that in five years, progress has been made in advancing the Cairo goals. Many countries have embraced and strengthened the recognition of reproductive and sexual rights through policy changes; have taken steps to integrate population concerns into their development strategies; and have added new components to reproductive health services while improving their access. At the same time, the review revealed that much greater and urgent action is needed in areas such as prevention of the HIV/AIDS pandemic; adolescent sexual and reproductive health; reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality; and the provision of reproductive health care to women and adolescents in emergency situations. The review also revealed that the financial constraints on implementation of the Programme of Action are severe: developing countries and countries with economies in transition are having difficulty finding the necessary resources from their own budgets, and development cooperation has fallen short.

The five-year review in 1999 agreed on new benchmarks to measure implementation of ICPD goals. They include the following.

--         The 1990 illiteracy rate for women and girls should be halved by 2005. By 2010 the net primary school enrolment ratio for children of both sexes should be at least 90%.

--         By 2005, 60% of primary health care and family planning facilities should offer the widest achievable range of safe and effective family planning methods, essential obstetric care, prevention and management of reproductive tract infections including sexually transmitted diseases, and barrier methods to prevent infection; 80% of facilities should offer such services by 2010, and all should do so by 2015.

--         At least 40% of all births should be assisted by skilled attendants where the maternal mortality rate is very high, and 80% globally, by 2005; these figures should be 50% and 85%, respectively, by 2010 and 60% and 90% by 2015.

--         Recognizing that the HIV/AIDS situation is worse than anticipated by the ICPD, the review agreed that to reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection at least 90% of young men and women aged 15 to 24 should have access by 2005 to preventive methods--such as female and male condoms, voluntary testing, counselling and follow-up--and at least 95% by 2010. HIV infection rates in persons 15 to 24 years of age should be reduced by 25% in the most-affected countries by 2005 and by 25% globally by 2010.

As part of the ICPD+5 process and during the course of 1998, the fund organized three roundtables on major themes connected with implementing the Programme of Action: adolescent reproductive health; reproductive health and rights, including gender concerns; and partnerships with civil society. The fund also sponsored a series of technical meetings and symposia on international migration; ageing; population change and economic development; and reproductive health in emergency situations. In addition, UNFPA conducted a global Field Inquiry that was sent to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to collect information in four areas: policies and programmes in population and development; gender equality, equity and empowerment of women; reproductive rights and reproductive health; and government partnerships and collaboration with civil society.

The findings and outcomes from these activities, which focused on technical and operational assessments of the progress made and constraints faced by countries in implementing the Programme of Action, were discussed at an international forum in The Hague (Netherlands), from 8-12 February 1999. The Hague Forum was organized by UNFPA to contribute to the ICPD+5 review by focusing on key issues emerging from the appraisal process and by analysing achievements and challenges experienced in implementing the Programme of Action at the country level. Its aims were four-fold: to examine lessons learned, success stories, and obstacles and constraints encountered with a view to finding solutions to aid the further implementation of the Programme of Action; allow for exchanges among programme countries facing similar experiences; bring together a wide variety of partners to refocus their commitment on population and development; and to provide technical inputs to the General Assembly special session. The Report of the International Forum for the Operational Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD (E/CN.9/1999PC/3) was submitted to the Commission on Population and Development, acting as the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly, in March 1999. The Hague Forum was preceded by an international Parliamentarians’ Forum on 4-6 February; and a Youth and NGO Forum on 6-7 February. These meetings, organized by UNFPA, included many stakeholders--government officials, parliamentarians, non-governmental organizations, youth and private foundations--and led to a sharing of lessons learned during nearly five years of experience in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action.

To help meet the goals laid out in the ICPD Programme of Action the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board, in its decision 95/15, endorsed UNFPA’s three core programme areas, which are described below.

Reproductive Health, Including Family Planning and Sexual Health

UNFPA supports the provision of quality reproductive health care, including wider choice of family planning methods and related information. Among other reproductive health care services UNFPA supports are: safe motherhood, and maternal health care including assisted deliveries; counselling; sexual health; support for complications arising from unsafe abortion; and prevention of infertility, reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. UNFPA provides support for HIV/AIDS prevention and control according to the global strategy of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and in line with national AIDS programmes and policies. The fund pays special attention to the specific reproductive health needs of all age groups, especially adolescents and women in emergency situations such as natural disasters and armed conflicts. In addition, the fund supports technical assistance, training and research in all these areas.

Population and Development Strategy

UNFPA helps countries to formulate and implement comprehensive population policies as a central part of sustainable development strategies. This includes support for data collection and analysis, research, and activities intended to increase knowledge and awareness of some of the population challenges the world is facing in the new century, such as population ageing. The fund has also made a significant step in its ability to monitor progress in achieving ICPD goals with the development of indicators for population and reproductive health programmes.

Advocacy

UNFPA advocacy efforts at the international level seek to ensure that the principles, goals and objectives of the ICPD are understood and accepted; secure commitment and funding for meeting these objectives; and build support for UNFPA’s programme and resource-development activities. Promoting support for the ICPD is the focus of much of the advocacy work that UNFPA undertakes at the country level as part of its country programmes. Such advocacy activities are necessarily intertwined with the substantive activities being supported: for example, adolescent reproductive health and reduction of violence against women. Advocacy is, by its nature, public-policy oriented and oppositional at times and requires networking and coalition-building to broaden the base of support. To assist in this goal, UNFPA launched World Population Day on 11 July 1987--an observance that is now celebrated annually worldwide by governments and NGOs through a wide range of activities and events. The fund’s Face to Face campaign is one of the key activities used to achieve greater public awareness of population and reproductive health issues. The campaign, which uses celebrity Goodwill Ambassadors as spokespersons on a variety of issues, was expanded throughout 1998. Goodwill Ambassadors include Waris Dirie, UNFPA Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and Face to Face Campaign spokesperson; Nigerian author Chinua Achebe; Geri Halliwell of the United Kingdom, a singer and entertainment personality; Kattis Ahlstrom, a Swedish journalist and radio/television host and producer; and Keiko Kishi, a Japanese actress and television personality.

Informational publications issued by UNFPA in 1999 that are designed for international audiences include the State of World Population 1999: Six Billion--A Time for Choices; the Annual Report; a revision of the Population Issues Briefing Kit; ten issues of the news bulletin Dispatches and four issues of the UNFPA magazine Populi. In addition, UNFPA produced new booklets in its ongoing series of advocacy booklets related to the fund’s information mandate. An electronic version of State of World Population 1998 was the most-visited document on UNFPA’s popular website (www.unfpa.org). UNFPA also produces three major population reference volumes: Inventory of Population Projects in Developing Countries Around the World (annual), Global Population Assistance Report (annual), and Guide to Sources of International Population Assistance (triennial). In addition, the fund produces audiovisual information materials, as well as technical and programme related publications.

The Internet site is a key source of information for the public on the fund’s work and on population and reproductive health issues generally. In 1998 the variety and volume of information on the site continued to expand. It has been redesigned to accommodate more information and has been made easier to navigate and use. The ICPD+5 section of UNFPA’s website, created in 1998, was continuously updated to provide timely information on the full range of activities being undertaken in connection with the five-year review. UNFPA produced a great variety of posters, exhibits and multimedia materials in 1998 including a UNFPA CD-ROM containing 30 websites with more than 84,000 crosslinks and 50 software applications. A UNFPA-organized seminar in Ankara (Turkey) in December 1999 examined the role that new communication technologies might have in promoting the goals of the ICPD Programme of Action. The seminar brought together experts and policy makers from the information and communication technologies sector and the population communications field. It focused on new concepts and the operational implications of new technologies for future advocacy strategies in support of the ICPD.

The Executive Director of UNFPA serves as the Secretary of the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, which is presented annually by the United Nations Secretary-General to individuals and/or institutions who have made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of population questions and to their solutions, especially at the level of the individual and the community.

NGO RELATIONS

UNFPA has been working with civil society groups, especially NGOs, since its inception 30 years ago, and has accepted hundreds of NGOs as executing agencies for UNFPA-supported projects. Following the ICPD, UNFPA undertook several initiatives to enhance NGO/civil society participation at headquarters and regional and national levels. These included committing greater resources; designing and putting into effect new guidelines, procedures and policies; organizing meetings and consultations on a wide range of issues; facilitating dialogue, networking and coordination; and building NGO capacity. In 1998, NGOs accounted for around 16% of UNFPA’s annual programme allocations. UNFPA worked with 275 NGOs executing projects in 124 countries--186 were national NGOs, 30 were regional and 59 were international, for a total of some US$34.4 million. These figures do not include many NGOs working directly under the country programmes.

The ICPD Programme of Action proposed broader and more effective partnerships among intergovernmental organizations, governments and NGOs, especially at the national and local levels, to “assist in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of population and development objectives and activities.” Furthermore, it referred to involvement of the non-governmental sector, private sector and civil society in almost all aspects of the Programme of Action. The contribution of NGOs to the ICPD process proved to be significant, both procedurally by opening dialogue with civil society, and substantively by helping to shape a forward-looking and innovative Programme of Action. Since the ICPD, partnership has emerged as the basic process to advance implementation of the Programme of Action. The main goal of UNFPA’s collaboration with NGOs is to supplement and strengthen national capacity to implement programmes in the sectoral areas within UNFPA’s mandate. The Guidelines for UNFPA Collaboration with NGOs outline specific activities within the three areas of collaboration (reproductive health activities, including family planning and sexual health; population and development strategies; and advocacy) for which UNFPA may provide assistance to NGOs. UNFPA-NGO collaboration includes support for joint conferences, workshops or special events on population issues; regular interchange of information; and support for special publications and audiovisual materials aimed at NGO constituencies. Other areas of collaboration include formulation and implementation of national population policies, access to reproductive health including family planning and sexual health, education and communication activities, research and surveys, adaptation and introduction of contraceptive technologies, training activities, technical advisory services and fundraising.

NGOs seeking assistance from UNFPA must satisfy the fund that they have substantive knowledge and experience in population activities, and that they have the ability and capacity to execute projects on their own. Preference is given to NGOs that have sustained interest in population-related activities. It is UNFPA’s long-term policy to encourage NGOs to include population components in their own ongoing programmes. The fund may consider assisting such population components on an experimental basis. In general, no support is given for core staff or institutional support. NGOs are expected to be able to undertake population activities without such support. Funds are provided to NGOs for specific projects. UNFPA has guidelines on NGO project formulation and appraisal, in addition to guidelines on assistance to NGOs.

Proposals for NGO projects at the national level must be submitted to the UNFPA representative in the country concerned. While processing the proposal, the representative will make sure that the country’s government has no objection to the project. In the case of inter-country projects, the request for assistance may be forwarded directly to UNFPA headquarters in New York. In these cases UNFPA may require that each national project, as a component of the larger programme, be forwarded through the UNFPA representative in the individual country concerned. Strict financial monitoring and project evaluation procedures are also part of all cooperative agreements between UNFPA and NGOs.

NGO Advisory Committee

In 1995 UNFPA established an NGO Advisory Committee at the international level to advise the fund on policy and programming matters and to promote more active involvement of NGOS in the work of UNFPA, especially in advocacy activities. The committee has met annually for the past four years and is composed of 25 to 30 representatives of NGOs: community-based, national, regional and international. UNFPA attaches great importance to the work of the committee and seeks to act upon its recommendations to the extent possible. In 1997, UNFPA succeeded in ensuring that the NGO Advisory Committee voice was included in deliberations of the UNFPA Executive Board, and in 1997 and 1998 a representative of the committee addressed the Executive Board and presented recommendations of the previous years.

Guidelines for UNFPA Collaboration with NGOs

In November 1997, UNFPA revised its Guidelines for Collaboration with NGOs in order to further strengthen its interaction with the NGO community to facilitate implementation of the ICPD recommendations. Emphasis was placed on identifying and fostering new and innovative partnerships with the full range of NGOs worldwide.

Accreditation Processes

UNFPA cooperation with NGOs extends beyond the list of NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to organizations working at the national and local levels. The certification of NGOs as possible executing agencies for UNFPA-funded projects is conducted through an accreditation process based on criteria enumerated in the above-cited guidelines. The accreditation process for NGOs that may potentially execute international or regional level projects is conducted at headquarters by a committee chaired by the Deputy Executive Director (Administration and Policy). The accreditation process for NGOs that may potentially execute national level projects is conducted at the country level, under the guidance of the UNFPA representative.

NGO/Civil Society Theme Group

A primary focus of the NGO/Civil Society Theme Group, established in January 1998, is to formulate, recommend and as appropriate implement strategies, procedures and activities that will promote, strengthen and facilitate UNFPA interaction and collaboration with civil society, particularly NGOs. Both UNFPA staff at headquarters and in the field participate in the work of the theme group.

Participation in UN Conferences

UNFPA has actively supported participation of NGOs, particularly women’s NGOs and youth groups, during the preparations for and at United Nations conferences and summits. UNFPA support in this area was notable in the preparations for and at the General Assembly special session on ICPD+5; and at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women and the ICPD.

Programme Review and Strategy Development

The current Programme Review and Strategy Development (PRSD) Guidelines have a section under sectoral strategies that is devoted to NGOs.

Comparative Advantage

UNFPA believes that NGOs can play a critical role in the area of advocacy. NGOs often engage in activities that might be considered sensitive, and that are taken up by governments once popular acceptance is guaranteed. NGOs are also particularly suited to deliver reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health services, at the community level; promote gender equality and equity; conduct innovative research; and organize cost-effective training and other activities.

UNFPA believes there are several areas where there is room for strengthening collaboration with NGOs, particularly in the areas of programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation. UNFPA is exploring ways to help NGOs increase their sustainability and self-reliance, while at the same time enhance their management skills, training, accountability and transparency.

Contact

Stirling Scruggs, Director, Information and External Relations Division (IERD), UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/297 5011, fax +1-212/557 6416, website (www.unfpa.org).