The World Bank is hosting the “South Asia High-Level Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Beyond the MDG Countdown” on May 26-28, 2014, in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The Forum aims to provide an opportunity for the countries in the South Asia Region to share experiences and learn the state-of-the-art knowledge about successful interventions that have accelerated the achievement of the fifth Millennium Development Goal, which aims to reduce maternal mortality. The Forum will discuss several topics including family planning, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and adolescent health. The Forum will also examine the key enablers and drivers of the successful strategies at the household, community, health service delivery and policy levels that may be useful for charting the post MDG agenda.
The Forum is also represented by H4 partners, namely, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA. It is expected to have about 80 participants from governments, experts, H4 partners, and the World Bank.
The sessions of the Forum will entail the following topics:
Population Challenges: Moving Forward - The various countries of the South Asia Region are all at different stages of their demographic transition, shifting from traditional to modern demographic regimes. While some countries are still experiencing rapid population growth, other countries are facing challenges of population aging. This session is to present and discuss the population challenges at the global, regional, and country levels (Bangladesh and Pakistan) and identify some of the strategies and policy interventions that are needed to turn the tide.
Households and Communities: Key Drivers of RH Results – This session discusses what has worked in improving RH outcomes at household and community levels. The topics include: Community Midwifery Training in Afghanistan; Role of men in family planning in Pakistan; and JSY for safe motherhood in India.
Health Services for Reproductive Health: Can We Do Better? – This session addresses innovations in RH service delivery in South Asian countries. The topics include: Cervical cancer prevention in Karnataka, India; Maternal health services in Bhutan, and Adolescent health services from UNICEF.
Acceleration Strategies towards MDG 5: Global Experience – In this session, participants of the Forum will have opportunities to learn evidences on what worked and what didn’t globally. The topics include: Success factors in RH; Maternal mortality challenges in Latin America; Evidences from impact evaluation of MCH interventions.
Reproductive Health and the Post MDG Challenges: Gearing Up – This session addresses remaining challenges and what can be done to accelerate countries’ progress in RH beyond the MDG 2015. The topics will include: Demand side financing for RH; Non-communicable diseases; RH services in the context of universal health coverage (UHC).
At the end of the second day of the Forum, there will be an opportunities for the government representatives and delegations from all eight South Asian countries to discuss what each government can do in improving RH outcomes in the respective countries, which will be presented in a special session on Wednesday. In the last session of the Forum, the H4 representatives will also discuss how best H4 can assist each country’s efforts.