Resources

With its network of over 8,000 service delivery points and its strong advocacy voice, IPPF East, Southeast Asia and Oceania Region (ESEAOR) is in a unique position to bring together evidence in support of accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare. A comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights is critical to ensuring sexual and reproductive wellbeing and bodily autonomy. Sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) not only includes prevention and treatment of disease, but the promotion of healthy and positive sexuality and sexual pleasure. This means going beyond contraception, abortion, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections including HIV, to the inclusion of sexual health, assisted reproductive care, while recognizing the range of gender expression.                                           

The burden of unintended pregnancy in the region. Unintended pregnancy and abortion are experiences shared by women and girls around the world regardless of country income level or legal status of abortion. Unintended pregnancy is highest (93) among low-income countries with 40 percent ending in abortion. From 2015-2019, there are approximately 35 million unintended pregnancies in East and Southeast Asia and 65% to 75% of these unintended pregnancies ended in abortion. In the same period, the abortion rate for women (15-49) in most parts of Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) is 34 per 1000 women.  To address unintended pregnancy in the region, we are guided by a conceptual framework within which the most important drivers of change interact with one another. Download the full resource at the bottom of the page.

The Contraception Policy Atlas Asia Pacific Region 2023, the first intraregional comparative tool, assesses the contraception policies of 43 countries. Using 3 headings and 16 criteria, the Atlas scores policy frameworks on family planning and equitable access to contraception funding. Data for all 43 countries, collected in early 2023 and validated by IPPF ESEAOR, provides insights into reproductive rights and contraception access in the region, empowering advocates and policymakers. These findings shed light on the state of contraception policies in the region, revealing crucial insights. It was evident that only 12 out of 43 countries have legislation enshrining the right to choose the number, timing, and spacing of children. This indicates a need for greater recognition of reproductive autonomy across the region. In terms of healthcare coverage, the report noted that only 10 out of 43 countries cover contraception through their national health insurance, with just 7 providing full coverage. This suggests that access to contraception remains a financial barrier for many in the Asia-Pacific region. Emergency contraception availability also emerged as a key concern, with only 20 out of 43 countries making it available without a prescription. This underscores the importance of improving accessibility to emergency contraception. Check out the complete list HERE (available for download). 

Of the global adolescent population of 1.1 billion under 18 years, more than half live in Asia and the Pacific Region.  Adolescent girls in the Asia Pacific region face significant barriers such as limited access to healthcare (including sexual and reproductive health care), education, economic, social, and political participation, and high levels of violence and discrimination. This can lead to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes such as high adolescent pregnancy rates, STIs including HIV, and sexual and gender-based violence.  Despite the greater focus on ASRH in the global health agenda, it continues to be challenging in Southeast Asia to generate political and policy prioritisation for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). Many young people see their potential hindered by social norms, cultural attitudes, institutional and structural barriers and violations of their fundamental rights by virtue of their age.  However, in the policy-making sphere, adolescent SRH is an emotionally charged issue as it deals with sexuality (considered a taboo subject) and adolescents are considered “too young” to make decisions about their bodies, lives and futures. This policy brief aims to support national governments, including those working with national governments to develop and implement policies, donors and civil society to take adequate steps to coordinate action and contribute to the safety, health, and education of adolescent girls, and build opportunities for them. The brief unpacks the policy environment and includes a number of recommendations to strengthen the promotion and protection of the rights of adolescent girls.   

The Year Two Annual Report of the RESPOND (Responding with Essential Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Provision and New Delivery Mechanisms) program highlights the significant achievements and collaborative efforts of IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) and MSI (MSI Reproductive Choices) in implementing essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, between August 2022 and July 2023. This report highlights progress made by both IPPF and MSI in delivering quality SRH information and services, addressing the challenges faced, and outlining the key priorities for the remaining period of program implementation. At its core, the RESPOND program is ensuring that all people have access to quality SRH services in the Asia and Pacific region. The teams at MSI Asia Pacific (MSIAP) and IPPF and their Country Programmes (CP) and Member Associations (MA) have proved their commitment to this mission, which is evident in the quantitative and qualitative achievements made over the second year of the program. Leveraging IPPF’s and MSI’s established services and teams and maintaining close communication with local networks and partnerships at a countrywide level, RESPOND consistently achieves notable advancements towards its goals. The success of service implementation is greatly attributed to the strong collaborative partnerships forged with local civil society organisations, government agencies, and healthcare providers. These partnerships have facilitated the integration of project activities into existing local systems, ensuring sustainability and local ownership of the initiatives. MSI and IPPF have had a longstanding, collaborative relationship, both at the country and management level. Program management teams have collaborated through shared learnings and resources, coordination of report submissions and presentations and monitoring trips to CPs and MAs. This relationship has benefited staff in country, as they have access to more support and resources to achieve quality service delivery. Both MSI and IPPF are looking forward to continuing this working partnership into the future. Download the full report and read on for more details

Quality of Care (QoC) plays a central role in IPPF-supported health service delivery. It depends on the relationship between providers and clients, emphasizing the importance of delivering high-quality services with respect, compassion, and empathy, tailored to the client's needs, values, and preferences. At the same time, generating demand for services requires raising awareness within the community about their health needs and rights. High-quality services not only meet this demand but also enhance acceptance, uptake, and long-term usage within the community. Our approach is founded on the belief that a client-centered perspective is essential in ensuring the provision of quality healthcare as a fundamental human right, particularly in sexual and reproductive healthcare delivery. We have meticulously developed the Virtual Quality Assessment tool through extensive consultations with our Medical Associates (MAs) and invaluable support from our Secretariat's technology experts. This tool's primary purpose is to enable MAs to comprehensively assess the quality of care offered at Service Delivery Points (SDPs) to enhance the effective delivery of SRH services. It employs a hybrid approach to assess the quality of MA SDPs, both in virtual/remote and onsite settings, covering seven critical components of the IPPF QoC framework, accreditation membership standards related to QoC, Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) and humanitarian quality of care standards, as well as digital health considerations. We hope that this enhanced QoC assessment tool will be integrated into MA existing quality assurance systems, strengthening our commitment to achieving the objectives outlined in the 2028 strategy.