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United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
The United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) is the largest internationally funded source
of population assistance to developing countries. UNFPA provides assistance at
countries’ requests to help them address reproductive health and population
issues, in doing so helping them meet the objectives internationally agreed on
at the
International Conference on Population and
Development (ICPD)
in 1994 and the ICPD+5
session, held in 1999.
Since its inception in
1969, UNFPA has provided more than US$4.5 billion in assistance to all
developing countries. About a quarter of all population assistance from donor
nations to developing countries is channeled through UNFPA. In addition, UNFPA
provides a channel through which donors can direct its assistance to certain
programme or field. For frequently asked
questions about the work of UNFPA click
here.
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MISSION STATEMENT
UNFPA is guided by the
principles of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development (1994). In particular, UNFPA affirms its commitment:
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To
assist developing countries in providing quality reproductive health and family
planning services on the basis of individual choice, and in formulating
population policies that support sustainable development.
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To
advance the strategy endorsed by the ICPD and ICPD+5. The strategy focuses on
meeting the needs of individual women and men rather than achieving demographic
targets. Integral to this approach is empowering women and providing them with
more choices and employment opportunities.
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To
promote cooperation and coordination among United Nations organizations,
bilateral agencies, governments, non-governmental organizational (NGOs) and the
private sector in addressing issues of population and development, reproductive
health, gender equality and women’s empowerment.
To meet these commitments,
UNFPA works in three main programme areas:
1.
Provision of reproductive health care, including the wider approach and choice
of family planning methods and information. Reproductive health services
include: safe motherhood; counseling and prevention of infertility; preventing
and treating reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases
including HIV/AIDS; dealing with the health consequences of unsafe abortion.
2.
Support for the formulation of comprehensive population and development
strategies that enable capacity-building in population programming. This
includes support of data collection and analysis and research.
3.
Advocating and promotion
of awareness for population and development issues, particularly reproductive
health and rights, improvement of the status of women, longer life expectancy,
lower infant and maternal mortality, closing the gender gap in education and
strengthening national capacity to formulate and implement population and
development strategies. In addition, UNFPA advocates for the mobilization of the
resources and the necessary political will.
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COUNTRY STRATEGY
UFNPA
began to provide assistance at the request of the Syrian Arab Republic
government in 1970 (see demographic
information about
Syria).
By the end of 2001 the agency had implemented five country programme (CP) cycles
and started with the sixth country programme cycle for the period 2002-2006.
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In the sixth country
programme cycle (2002 – 2006) the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
pledges US$ 10.8 million to assist the government of the
Syrian
Arab Republic in achieving its population and development goals. The proposed
programme was developed in consultation with the government, United Nations
agencies and multilateral and bilateral donors, taking into consideration the
national health strategy for the year 2000 and beyond. It is based on the
policies, priorities and strategies of the new government. In addition, it takes
into account the findings and recommendations of the Country Population
Assessment exercise
concluded in January 2001, which involved various stakeholders, UNFPA
headquarters staff and the UNFPA Country Technical Services Team (CST) in Amman,
Jordan. The proposed programme is consistent with the Common Country Assessment
(CCA) and with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)
exercise, which is currently under joint preparation with the government.
The
goal of the proposed country programme is to help the government achieve its
development objectives by contributing to:
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The improvement of the reproductive health status of couples and individuals.
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A
sustained balance between population dynamics and socio-economic development.
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The enhancement of gender equality and empowerment of women.
The
highest priority of UNFPA assistance in the current proposed programme is
targeted at the support of the reproductive health. Major areas of involvement
are in the increased utilization of high-quality reproductive health information
and the provision of counseling and services for women, men, youth and
adolescents, particularly in the target areas where the worst reproductive
health and family planning conditions exist. Three outputs are foreseen and
focus on three levels:
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1.
Increased availability of reproductive health
services in target areas
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2.
Improved quality of care
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3.
Enhanced IEC on reproductive health issues
In
addition to the assistance provided to the Ministry of Health, which will
continue implementing clinical and counseling training activities, Syrian Family
Planning will be the UNFPA counterpart in activities related to male
involvement, including an outreach programme aimed at men.
In the
area of Reproductive Health for youth, including in the prevention of HIV in
line with the national AIDS programme, UNFPA will support the Revolutionary
Youth Union in institutionalizing peer education.
The IEC
unit in the Ministry of Health will implement IEC activities in support of
reproductive health, including the prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDS, in liaison
with the National Committee on AIDS. The Ministry of Education will continue to
incorporate family life education into the school curricula and literacy
programmes.
The
UNFPA Good Will Ambassador in Syria Mr
Jamal Soliman, has played a critical role in the raising of awareness on
population issues and reproductive health in particular.
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PROJECTS
Population Unit (PU) Project in the
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Pan Arab Project for Family Health (PAPFAM)
National Population Conference (NPC)
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World Population Day
Every year on the 11th
July UNFPA celebrates World Population Day. This year’s celebration, 2002, was
conducted under the patronage of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister for Services
Affairs, Mr. Naji Al-Otri, with the joint cooperation between State Planning
Commission and UNFPA.
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PUBLICATIONS
State of World Population:
Every year since
1987 the UNFPA has issued a report on the status of world population. The report
of this year 2002 is the 25th in the series. The report, which is
launched under motto is “People, Poverty and Possibilities”,
offers a timely and provocative analysis of the role that population policies
and programmes play in reducing poverty at the household and national levels.
It provides an assessment of trends and offers recommendations towards meeting
the Millennium Development Goals, set by world leaders in 2000 to markedly
reduce poverty, hunger, disease and inequality by 2015.
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CONTACT US
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UNFPA
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Damascus – Syria
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Tel: 00963-11-
3314951 / 3335090
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P.O. Box 33190 & 2317
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Fax: 00963-11-3320480
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