Inadequate supplies of contraceptives, condoms and basic medicines contribute each year to millions of unintended pregnancies and tens of thousands of maternal deaths and new HIV infections.

Against this backdrop, health experts, media professionals, officials and lawmakers from 10 East and South-East Asian countries met in Bangkok from 11 to 13 December to explore ways to strengthen national access to these lifesaving supplies, a commitment that would have wide-ranging benefits.
Through a declaration issued at the closure of the workshop, the participants resolved “to become ardent advocates for reproductive health and to continuously influence public opinion, policies and legislation […] to ensure reproductive health remains a critical factor for alleviating poverty”.

The participants issued an appeal for Governments to take actions in four different areas, pertaining to budget allocation, resource mobilization, reproductive health policies and programmes, and capacity-building.

Among others, participants urged Governments to “commit to the implementation of international agreements on reproductive health, particularly the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Millennium Development Goals and United Nations Charters, to ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights are promoted to improve the health of women, children and communities”.

The adoption of an integrated approach to address the increasing demand for reproductive health commodities was also urged, along with a focus on improving reproductive health for adolescents and youth, and encouraging male involvement in reproductive health.

The regional workshop was hosted by UNFPA and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD).