Strengthening global collaboration to advance contraception and abortion care
We are delighted to announce a new collaboration between FIGO, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance inter-professional cooperation and improve contraception and abortion care across five countries in Africa and Asia.
Collaborate for women: Abortion and Contraception Care Together (C4W ACCT) will strengthen capacity and support for national uptake of competency-based education in family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC) in Bangladesh, DRC, Mozambique, Nepal and Sierra Leone. It will also build on inter-professional collaboration among OBGYNs, midwives and allied healthcare professionals to ensure sustainable improvements in women’s health.
C4W ACCT will engage with national societies of obstetrics and gynaecology, midwives’ associations, WHO country offices and other key stakeholders to develop context- specific strategies to incorporate competency-based learning into national education programmes, increase access to FP and CAC services and advance sexual and reproductive health.
Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including contraception and safe abortion, is an essential part of health care. We are glad to be continuing our long-standing collaborations with HRP, WHO and ICM to equip the next generation of healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide essential SRHR services safely, effectively and respectfully.
Frances Longley, FIGO CEO
Healthcare workers need the skills and know-how to provide family planning and comprehensive abortion care. The knowledge to provide these important and life-changing services must be embedded in a competency-based education system that includes a performance assessment. HRP and WHO are proud to work with professional associations on ensuring that healthcare workers are able to provide effective, timely, equitable and respectful care.
Dr Bela Ganatra, Head of the prevention of unsafe abortion unit at HRP and WHO
ICM's Essential Competencies for Midwifery Practice include providing family planning and comprehensive abortion care services. By improving interprofessional collaboration with OBGYNs, we can optimise access to these services, ensuring women get care where they need it, when they need it. Taking a gender transformative approach will be key in achieving real, measurable and sustainable improvements in delivering these essential services. I look forward to collaborating with our members, as well as FIGO and their national members on this critical work.
Anna af Ugglas, ICM Chief Executive