Italy
2008 - Diritti e salute sessuale e riproduttiva

Since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, the Italian Government has shown limited support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in terms of both funding and policies. In particular, resources targeted to reproductive health supplies are negligible and very difficult to track. However, reproductive health services cannot meet people’s needs if reproductive health supplies (RHS) are not available and affordable. In many developing countries, people receive advice on how to protect their sexual and reproductive health, but cannot get the supplies they need to do so. There is an urgent need for European donors to increase their political and financial commitment to RHS. This is vital for securing universal access to reproductive health and achieving the MDGs. On the ground of the above, AIDOS is implementing an awareness campaign on reproductive health supplies (RHS), as part of the Countdown 2015 Europe network, coordinated by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) European Network.

Objectives:

• To strengthen political and financial support and commitment among Italian key government officials and decision makers, MPs, MEPs and policy makers, as well as opinion makers on Reproductive Health Supplies (RHS)
• To expand the support base among Italian NGOs and civil society organisations for RHS
• To enhance the collective capacity of the Countdown 2015 Europe Consortium member organisations to advocate for European support to RHS
  

Activities:

Activities will be aimed at promoting political commitment to RHS, involvement of the media and tracking of ODA expenditures for RHS and will therefore include:

• Meetings with key decision makers
• Strategic workshop on RHS
• Production of an information kit on RHS:  fact sheet on the Countdown 2015 Europe network, fact sheet on Italian Development Aid and Reproductive Health Supplies, two reports tracking Funding for Reproductive Health Supplies from European Donors
• Production of the booklet Sensitizing through smiling, satiric stories on RHS shortages by Luciana Littizzetto, very successful author and actress, including drawings by Simona Bassano di Tufillo.
  

 Expected outcomes:

• Decision and policy makers and officials of development co-operation affirm their commitment to RHS, through policy and program measures as well as through transparent and traceable financial allocations. RHS shortage is addressed within the framework of a comprehensive strategy to promote universal access to SRH services and rights, contributing to the achievement of the MDGs.
• Italian NGOs, with particular attention to those implementing programs and projects in the health sector including HIV/AIDS prevention, become vocal in advocating for RHS and start including provision of RHS in their interventions in developing countries.
• Italian MEP support initiatives to address RHS shortage, SRHR, and the achievement of the MDGs, in particular those related to maternal health, HIV/AIDS and women’s empowerment initiated by the Countdown 2015 Europe Consortium.
• Italian NGOs back up advocacy initiatives at European level by the Countdown 2015 Europe Consortium.
• The Italian media cover actions and achievements by the Countdown 2015 Europe Consortium.
  

The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.