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Home , Family planning, Reproductive rights

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Individuals can readily access meaningful information on the design, provision, implementation and evaluation of contraceptive services, programs and policies, including government data. Individuals are entitled to seek remedies and redress at the individual and systems level when duty-bearers have not fulfilled their obligations regarding contraceptive PLANNING 2020: information, services and supplies.9

Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: AND EMPOWERMENT Ensure national Incorporate indicators into monitoring Identify potential accountability and strategies and plans include that reflect the community and redress mechanisms, which might be accountability and redress mechanisms, service users’ point of view regarding applicable in the contraceptive delivery PRINCIPLES FOR including monitoring and evaluation, availability, accessibility, acceptability, space, including those in the private which are in place and functioning and quality of information and services, sector. Where these mechanisms already regarding the provision of contraceptive as well as awareness of their rights, exist, ensure that they are effectively FAMILY PLANNING information, services and supplies. entitlements, and mechanisms available implemented and enforced. Functioning monitoring and for them to have input and seek redress. accountability mechanisms should integrate community input and share findings with all relevant stakeholders, The fundamental right of individuals to decide, freely The rights principles outlined in this document must including beneficiaries. and for themselves, whether, when, and how many be realized in order to reach and sustain goals for children to have is central to the vision and goals of meeting contraceptive needs. These rights principles VOICE AND PARTICIPATION Family Planning 2020 (FP2020). The international are informed by and build upon existing rights community has agreed that the right to principles and resources that seek to integrate rights- Individuals, particularly beneficiaries, have the ability to meaningfully participate in the design, provision, implementation, and evaluation of contraceptive services, programs and policies.10 includes the right to control one’s health and body, based approaches specifically for family planning into including sexual and reproductive freedom. 1 However, programming. Ensuring that principles Policy and Programming: Markets: more remains to be done to ensure that human rights are at the center of family planning policies, programs, Ensure the meaningful participation of Identify potential accountability are in fact treated as the cornerstone of any family measurement and contraceptive markets represents diverse stakeholders in the formulation and ensure that manufacturers and planning effort: from global initiatives to national some of our most challenging work. However, as a of policy, and in the design, delivery and distributors of contraceptives seek oversight of programs, including women and incorporate diverse consumer programs to community-based projects. global initiative, FP2020 recognizes that investing and adolescents, poor, vulnerable perspectives in their planning and in human rights is critical to growing sustainable, and marginalized as part market strategies. In order to ensure that FP2020 and its mechanisms equitable and effective programs with lasting impact. of a supportive policy and program embody and espouse the ideals grounded in existing environment. rights agreements and frameworks, the Rights By securing and fulfilling the rights of an additional and Empowerment Working Group (RE WG) has 120 million women and to access family planning established a common understanding of rights information and services by the year 2020, FP2020 9. Center for and UNFPA. Briefing 10. Fund (UNFPA). Paper: The Right to Contraceptive Information and Programme of Action of the International principles as they relate to ten dimensions of efforts will result in fewer unintended , Services for Women and Adolescents. New York: Conference on Population and Develop- Center for Reproductive Rights, 2010. ment. New York: UNFPA, 1994. family planning: fewer women and girls dying in and , including from unsafe , and • Agency and fewer deaths. Moving this agenda forward will • Availability rely on fostering meaningful partnerships among • Accessibility governments, civil , the private sector and This product was conceptualized and developed by FP2020’s Rights & Empowerment Working • Acceptability beneficiaries. Rights violations must be brought Group and informed by input from members of the FP2020 Country Engagement, Performance • Quality to light and addressed when they occur. Yet equal Monitoring & Accountability and Market Dynamics Working Groups. In particular, this product • Empowerment attention needs to be paid to empowering and benefited from the leadership of Suzanne Ehlers and Kim Ocheltree of Population Action International • Equity and non- informing clients so they know, understand, claim their and contributions by: Muhammad Aslam, Bayer Healthcare; E. Tyler Crone, ATHENA Network; • Informed choice rights, and can become pivotal partners in ensuring Rodio Diallo, Population Services International; Christine Galavotti, CARE; Krishna Jafa, Population • Transparency and accountability the realization of rights in future family planning and Services International; James Kityo, International HIV/AIDS Alliance; Karen Newman, Population • Voice and participation health development initiatives. and Network; Grethe Petersen, Marie Stopes International; Sara Seims, Senior Fellow, David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Sivananthi Thanenthiran, ARROW; John Townsend, Population 1. United Nations. Committee on Economic, Social and . General Council; Ravi Verma, International Center for Research on Women; and the FP2020 Secretariat. Comment No. 14 on Article 12 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. New York: United Nations, 2000.

CORE PARTNERS

WWW.FAMILYPLANNING2020.ORG WWW.FAMILYPLANNING2020.ORG @FP2020GLOBAL @FP2020GLOBAL AGENCY AND AUTONOMY EMPOWERMENT Individuals have the ability to decide freely the number and spacing of their children.2 To exercise this ability, individuals Individuals are empowered as principle actors and agents to make decisions about their reproductive lives, and can execute must be able to choose a contraceptive method voluntarily, free of discrimination, coercion or violence. these decisions through access to contraceptive information, services and supplies.

Policy and Programming: Measurement: Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: Implement national and subnational Develop better measures to capture the National and subnational family planning Conduct periodic collection and analysis Ensure that marketing strategies as family planning plans and programs to right to reproductive self–determination, plans and programs ensure contraceptive of community–based data designed to well as product and service promotion ensure that women and girls can access including indicators that touch use or non–use as a right that contributes capture changing perceptions of and generate awareness of and promote and use contraceptive methods of their on community norms and service to empowerment and gender equity, not barriers to women’s and girls’ ability women’s and girls’ right to access the choice without third-party authorization providers’ attitudes around reproductive simply a high–impact health intervention to access contraceptive services. contraceptive services, information (e.g. spousal consent, parental consent, autonomy, as well as women’s and or contributor to other development and supplies of their choice. religious leaders or other persons) girls’ awareness and confidence in their goals. These policies, plans and programs or other restrictions based on age, ability to access and use family planning. should also acknowledge and prioritize ethnicity, marital or other status. Such indicators may require special where appropriate interventions beyond investments such as special studies, the health sector that enable women to in-depth monitoring, and collection exercise reproductive decision–making and analysis of qualitative indicators to (e.g. life skills, comprehensive sexuality support quantitative measures. education, girls’ education, creation of employment opportunities for women, etc.). AVAILABILITY facilities, trained providers and contraceptive methods are available to ensure that individuals can exercise full choice from a full range of contraceptive methods (barrier, short-acting, long-acting reversible, permanent and emergency EQUITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION contraception). Availability of services includes follow-up and removal services for implants and IUDs. Individuals have the ability to access quality, comprehensive contraceptive information and services free from discrimination, coercion and violence.6 Quality, accessibility, and availability of contraceptive information and services should not vary by non-medically indicated characteristics, such as age, geographic location, language, ethnicity, disability, HIV status, sexual ACCESSIBILITY orientation, wealth, marital or other status. Health care facilities, trained providers and contraceptive methods are accessible—without discrimination, Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: and without physical, economic, socio-cultural or informational barriers. Eliminate policies that deny specific Conduct and utilize disaggregation Promote equitable access to populations (e.g. adolescents, of data by wealth quintile, age groups, contraceptive information and services, unmarried women, etc.) access to marital status, geographic residence particularly for socially and physically ACCEPTABILITY contraceptive methods. In settings and parity to track and ultimately marginalized groups by addressing price where these policies have already been seek to address issues of inequity and range of available service outlets. Health care facilities, trained providers and contraceptive methods are respectful of medical and individual preferences, eliminated, ensure that during program and discrimination. are sensitive to gender and life-cycle requirements and respect confidentiality.3 implementation, all women and girls, in practice, enjoy equitable access to Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: contraceptive information, services and Ensure that individuals are confident Effectively collect and utilize Ensure that contraceptive products are supplies, particularly for vulnerable in their ability to make reproductive disaggregated data to better understand consistently available at all levels of the and marginalized populations (e.g. decisions, including by prioritizing and address issues of accessibility and delivery system and promote availability and elevating acceptability alongside availability, particularly for marginalized in diverse market segments. This may be unmarried women, poor, and accessibility and availability, and by and underserved populations (e.g. achieved by harnessing innovative and adolescents, geographically isolated minimizing provider bias. Such bias might adolescents, women in emergency diverse channels to eliminate stock-outs, populations, etc.). manifest as either: denial of services or settings, ethnic minorities, etc.). reduce financial barriers and provide promotion of specific methods to certain sustainable access for hard-to-reach and subgroups or communities. marginalized women and girls. INFORMED CHOICE Individuals have the ability to access accurate, clear and readily understood information about a variety of contraceptive methods and their use.7 To exercise full, free and informed decision-making, individuals can choose among a full range of safe, effective QUALITY and available contraceptive methods (barrier, short-acting, long-acting reversible, permanent and ).8 Individuals have access to contraceptive services and information of good quality which are scientifically and medically appropriate.4 Quality of care is a multifaceted element that includes but is not limited to: a full choice of quality contraceptive methods; clear and Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: medically accurate information, including the risks and benefits of a range of methods; presence of equipped and technically competent 5 Programs prioritize access to Strengthen metrics to ensure that Focus on innovative efforts to ensure providers; and client-provider interactions that respect informed choice, and confidentiality, and client preferences and needs. information about and service provision indicators of informed choice effectively individuals have a choice across product (directly or when necessary through capture: provision of accurate, readily categories (spacing and limiting), Policy and Programming: Measurement: Markets: referral) of a range of methods. Full understood information about a range of including those that are acceptable Programs seek to address underlying Capture quality from both the Ensure that products in the public and choice includes ensuring that individuals contraceptive methods; and individuals’ to special populations. needs that impede quality, particularly provider/facility and client perspectives private sector meet quality standards. by ensuring that providers have by utilizing indicators that reflect of all ages and irrespective of marital access to and ability to choose among the environment, training and tools availability and accessibility of skilled or other status are able to obtain their a range of high-quality and acceptable needed to provide quality information, providers as well as more accurate preferred contraceptive method. contraceptive methods. counseling and service delivery. and consistent measures of client satisfaction.

2. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 3. United Nations. Committee on Economic, Social and 12 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and 6. World Health Organization. Ensuring Human Rights 7. UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination 8. World Health Organization. Ensuring Human Rights Programme of Action of the International Cultural Rights. General Comment No. 14 on Article Cultural Rights. New York: United Nations, 2000. in the Provision of Contraceptive Information and Against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW General in the Provision of Contraceptive Information and Conference on Population and Development. 12 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Services: Guidance and Recommendations. Geneva: Recommendation No. 21: Equality in and Services: Guidance and Recommendations. Geneva: New York: UNFPA, 1994. Cultural Rights. New York: United Nations, 2000. 5. World Health Organization. Ensuring Human Rights in WHO, 2014. Family Relations. 1994. WHO, 2014. the Provision of Contraceptive Information and Services: 4. United Nations. Committee on Economic, Social and Guidance and Recommendations. Geneva: WHO, 2014. Cultural Rights. General Comment No. 14 on Article