UN seeks more funding for contraceptives and condoms

New York, Oct 4 (PTI) The United Nations is seeking more funding for contraceptives and condoms for H.I.V. since 2001 when they peaked to USD 224 million.

Donors contributed USD 223 million in 2007, a mere
five percent increase over the previous year when USD 212
million were received, reveals a new analysis released by the
United Nations Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.).

The Millennium Development Goals (M.D.G.s) report for
2007 showed that some 200 million women globally have an unmet
need for effective family planning, and the number of
contraceptive users is projected to rise by over 25 percent
over the 2000 figure by 2015.

Without concerted national and international efforts,
millions will not be able to exercise their reproductive
health choices, according to the analysis, Donor Support for
Contraceptives and Condoms for STI/HIV Prevention 2007.

It shows a six-fold increase in donor investments in
the female condom, from nearly USD 2 million in 2001 to almost
USD 13 million in 2007. Overall, 85 percent of donor support
in 2007 was allocated to three types of supplies: male
condoms, oral contraceptives and injectables.

Sub-Saharan Africa received 60 percent of the total,
up from less than 50 percent in 2006, followed by Asia and the
Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and the Arab States and
Eastern Europe, the report said.