Reproductive Health from Disaster to Development

October 7 & 8, 2003| Brussels, Belgium

The Reproductive Health Response in Conflict (RHRC) Consortium (formerly the Reproductive Health Response in Conflict Consortium) hosted its second international research conference, RHRC Conference 2003: Repoductive Health from Disaster to Development on October 7 and 8, 2003 in Brussels, Belgium.

European members of parliament Ulla Sandbaek and Anne Van Laeker opened the conference calling for the European Union to strengthen its commitment to reproductive health for conflict-affected populations particularly in the current challenging political environment. They also emphasized the importance of advocating for improved reproductive health policies and funding at all levels within the European Union and the value of linking humanitarian aid and longer-term development cooperation to maximize the efficiency of the European Commission’s development assistance.

The Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health for Refugees presented preliminary results on its effort to document the coverage of reproductive health services globally using literature review, surveys and key stakeholder interviews to assess quality and quantity of services, internal agency changes and funding trends. Although gaps in services persist, early findings reveal that availability of reproductive health services is improving in stable settings. The study also demonstrates that obtaining data from the earliest days of an emergency and internally displaced settings is difficult and the limited information available points to tremendous remaining needs. Final results of the IAWG global evaluation will be available in 2004 and widely disseminated so that programs may build on the lessons learned to expand reproductive health services worldwide.

At the conference reception, the RHRC Consortium announced its new name, reflecting the scope of its activities, which extends to all conflict-affected populations and is not limited to refugee settings. The Consortium also launched two new reports, The Global Decade Report, the third in a series of reports documenting the progress of providing reproductive health to conflict-affected populations, and Renewing International Commitment to Reproductive Health for Conflict-Affected Populations, a review of the Consortium’s work over the last eight years of collaboration and a description of the group’s focus for the future. In addition, the Consortium released new versions of important field-based training and awareness-building modules including Raising Awareness for Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies: A Training Manual and Moving from Emergency Response to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Programs: A Modular Training Series.

The conference was a great success in sharing information, strategies and ideas among practitioners from north and south, demonstrating the essential nature of this event in moving forward the research and development activities necessary to improve the reproductive health of conflict-affected populations.

Book of Abstracts: PDF Format / Microsoft Word

Full Proceedings: PDF Format

Powerpoint Presentations

• "Participation Of Young People In HIV/AIDS and SGBV Prevention And Response Activities, A Successful Strategy in Behaviour Change aAnd Care Among Young People In The Refugee Settlements Of Uganda." -- Evelyn Aguti; HIV/AIDS Focal Person UNHCR Uganda.
  PDF Format (991Kb) / Powerpoint (5.3Mb)
  
• "Behavior Change Communication (BCC) Strategies for HIV Prevention in a Post-conflict Setting in Southern Sudan" -- Laura Moch, MPH
  PDF Format (2.6Mb) / Powerpoint (24.7Mb)

Additional Presentations: PDF Formats

Sponsors

The RHRC wishes to thank the following organization for their support:

Conference Co-Sponsors: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Population Fund.
Collaborating Partners: International Centre for Reproductive Health at Ghent University