2012:03PU OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES
Whereas 1 NCWC Policy 95.2 urged the Government of Canada to:
a. mobilize resources to guarantee reproductive rights for women in Canada and to work with other countries to guarantee the same rights to women everywhere, including access to reliable information, quality health care services and family planning aids;
b. concentrate on Overseas Development Aid, where applicable, on programs which involve the participation of women in receiving countries and which are directed at improving women’s political, social and health status;
c. urge the United Nations (UN) to provide regular reviews of the implementation of the “International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Plan of Action”;
Whereas 2 Canada is committed to play its full role to help reach the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs) as contained in UN General Assembly Resolution A/55/2 adopted by consensus on September 18, 2000, including goal number 5 to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters, and goal number 4 to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds from their current rates by 2015; and
Whereas 3 at the 2010 G8 meeting in Muskoka, the Government of Canada showed leadership by launching the “Muskoka Initiative”, an integrated approach to accelerate the progress of MDGs 4 and 5 which provide for antenatal care, attended childbirth, postpartum care, sexual and reproductive care and services including voluntary family planning; while at the same time some government departments were either cutting or eliminating funding to Canadian and international partners who were offering valuable sexual and reproductive health services abroad (services which are publicly funded for Canadian women); and
Whereas 4 215 million women worldwide do not have affordable and reliable access to contraception, and many of these women live in Africa where the HIV virus now affects more women than men, and where affordable and reliable access to contraception would make a major difference in saving the lives of women and children; and
Whereas 5 in 2005 the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade urged that Canada honour the Millennium Development Goals and increase the Canadian AID budget to 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) by 2015; but the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) figures for 2010 indicate that disbursement by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for Official Development Assistance was 0.33% of GNP; therefore be it
Resolved 1 that the National Council of Women of Canada adopt as policy support for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, particularly those related to maternal mortality and under-five mortality which depend in large part on the adequate funding of sexual and reproductive health services for women, with a Canadian Official Development Assistance budget which will help realize these goals by 2015; and be it further
Resolved 2 that the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, particularly those related to maternal mortality and under-five mortality which depend in large part on the adequate funding of sexual and reproductive health services for women, by
a. increasing its budget for Official Development Assistance so that it reaches 0.5% of GNP by 2015, and continue increasing its budget until the goal of 0.7% is reached, and
b. with the Official Development Assistance budget, increasing the funding for sexual and reproductive health services by 30% by 2015; and be it further
Resolved 3 that the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada, through Canadian International Development Assistance to restore and increase funding to Canadian partners, partners in developing countries, and international organizations for sexual and reproductive health programs, in order to reach the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.