Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

• Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa : Well-Being for All

  Aoyama, Aoyama (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013-06-17)

  This reproductive health review of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region provides an overview of the issues and establishes a base of knowledge upon which a strategy could be constructed. Despite achievements in the population and health sectors during the last decades, several reproductive health issues remain, while new challenges have emerged. Major reproductive health issues in the region include high maternal mortality, particularly in Yemen, Morocco, Egypt, and Iraq; high fertility and slowing fertility decline; early marriage and high teenage fertility; the increasing prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS; and female genital cutting in Egypt and Yemen. There is a correlation between reproductive health issues, a country's level of social development, and the size of gaps within a country; between men and women, urban and rural, rich and poor. Therefore, it is necessary to plan and implement programs targeted to specific issues and underprivileged groups; develop effective and sustainable health systems with high-quality services; raise awareness and change behaviors of both the public and policymakers; and empower women. Strong political commitment is essential to overcoming social and cultural constraints. Possible intervention components and possible roles of the World Bank are suggested.
• Reproductive Health—The Missing Millennium Development Goal : Poverty, Health, and Development in a Changing World

  Campbell White, Arlette; Yazbeck, Abdo S.; Merrick, Thomas W. (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)

  While women in developing countries continue to die in large numbers in child birth, population and reproductive health specialists and advocates around the world are struggling to keep the policy agenda focused on the rights and needs of poor women. The 1994 Cairo Conference and Program of Action changed how we do business, and opened many doors, but the agenda is not complete and has stalled in a number of ways. At the country level, governments and donors are making difficult choices about how and where to allocate scarce human and financial resources. Funding approaches have moved away from the implementation of narrowly directed health programs to a broader approach of health system development and reform. At the same time, countries are also centering their development agenda on the broad goal of poverty reduction. This volume addresses a large knowledge and capacity gap in the Reproductive Health community and provides tools for key actors to empower faster positive change. It is a synopsis of the materials developed for World Bank's Institute's learning program on Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform. The volume brings together knowledge about epidemiology, demography, economics, and trends in global financial assistance. The volume also introduces practical tools such as benefit incidence analysis, costing, and stakeholder analysis to strengthen the evidence base for policy and to address the political economy factors for reform.
• Argentina : Rural Reproductive Health (Misiones, Salta, and Santiago del Estero Provinces), Volume 1. Main Report

  World Bank (Washington, DC, 2001-06-29)

  This report presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted in poor areas of three provinces in northern Argentina (Misiones, Salta, and Santiago del Estero). The study comprised a random (cluster) sample of three hundred households of women in reproductive age with at least one child. Focus groups (13) and in-depth interviews with key informants (health providers, educators, religious, and community leaders) were conducted to validate quantitative data and to explore issues such as gender roles, domestic violence, abortion, and contraception. The study aimed at contributing to a better understanding of reproductive health issues, quality of life, and rural poverty--primarily as it affects women--and providing policy recommendations for addressing reproductive health issues in rural poverty alleviation strategies. The study also explored, albeit on a limited basis, men's perceptions and behavior related to reproductive health. The principal findings of this study focus on gathering reliable data for decisionmaking especially at the sub-national levels; controlling family size as it has a direct impact on women's income-generating capacity and quality of life; developing the political will to promote and implement comprehensive reproductive health programs; increasing public awareness of reproductive health; and analyzing factors in the underutilization of health services and contraceptives.