INTRODUCTION
Experiences from 10 Southern countries in designing and implementing population and reproductive health policies and programmes are now documented and available in a new publication aimed at promoting South-South learning and exchange. Experiences in Addressing Population and Reproductive Health Challenges is the nineteenth volume in the series Sharing Innovative Experiences.
PPD member countries account for about 70 per-cent of the population of developing countries. Many among them are succeeding in addressing issues concerning population, reproductive health and development, in line with the policies and recommendations adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in 1994 in Cairo. They have taken measures and innovative approaches that have shown very positive results in areas such as:
- family planning;
- adolescent reproductive health and mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS;
- gender empowerment and reproductive health;
- parliamentarians’ advocacy for reproductive health; and
- linking of population dynamics and development planning.
The knowledge, experience and expertise that these countries have gained in their efforts to address these concerns represent a valuable resource for other countries interested in expanding, extending or reorienting their own population and reproductive health programmes. The case studies were prepared by national governmental agencies, national scientific institutions and experts as a learning tool and were extensively peer reviewed by a range of experts from various agencies.
