Contraceptive Security Question & Answer
Q: Is the United States cutting off contraceptive supplies to developing countries?
Answer:
The United States is increasing contraceptive commodity assistance and working with other donors to increase the overall supply of contraceptives worldwide to try to meet the increasing demand.
The United States is committed to providing contraceptive and condom supplies to developing countries where it has reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) assistance programs. In 2000, USAID spent almost $53 million on contraceptive and condom shipments. The comparable figure for 2007 is slightly more than $79 million.
One goal of USAID assistance is to help countries assume ownership of their FP programs. Ensuring available contraceptive and condom commodity supplies is one part of country ownership. Donors can only partly satisfy the need for contraceptive commodities.
A hallmark of USAID assistance is the priority we place on supporting sustainable activities and working with countries to prepare for the day when U.S. assistance is phased out. In countries where the time is right, USAID development programs frequently prepare for long-term country “ownership”, for example by strengthening national systems to sustainably supply contraceptives.
A number of countries have already graduated from USAID family planning assistance, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Morocco, Jamaica and Turkey. Others, such as El Salvador, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, are in the process of implementing a multi-year plan – developed by USAID in coordination with national stakeholders – to reduce assistance gradually while strengthening the sustainability of the family planning program.
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