{"id":4665,"date":"2010-08-12T16:44:57","date_gmt":"2010-08-12T16:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.africlub.net\/awdf\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2015-08-13T10:11:37","modified_gmt":"2015-08-13T10:11:37","slug":"communique-by-the-african-women-leaders-network-for-sexual-and-reproductive-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awdf.org\/OldSite\/communique-by-the-african-women-leaders-network-for-sexual-and-reproductive-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Communique by the African Women Leaders\u2019 Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health"},"content":{"rendered":"The African Women Leaders\u2019 Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health was launched in Lweza, Uganda to coincide with the 15th<\/sup> General Assembly of the AU Heads of States Summit in Kampala, Uganda in July 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Network seeks to strengthen women\u2019s collective voice by providing leadership to reposition sexual and reproductive health and in particular, family planning on the continent.\u00a0 The network consists of women ministers, parliamentarians, civil society leaders, renowned artistes and musicians from all over Africa who firmly believe that sexual and reproductive health is a fundamental human right and should be located firmly within women\u2019s ability to choose and control their sexual decision making in a safe way.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Network was launched to register our dismay that women\u2019s lives, including young women and adolescents, continue to be lost in Africa to preventable maternal deaths.\u00a0 The devastation these deaths causes to families, communities and to the prosperity of our nations is totally unacceptable. Whilst we recognize some strides have been made towards improving sexual and reproductive health including family planning, the Network is concerned at the slow progress resulting in the alarmingly high rates of maternal deaths on the continent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite governments\u2019 commitments to address the high level of unmet need for contraception; enhance access to information amongst young people; reduce maternal deaths, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions\u2019 implementation of these commitments and resource allocations remain dismal. \u00a0Maternal deaths are preventable and despite the availability of affordable cheap technologies to prevent them, they continue unabated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Network is focused on scaling up advocacy efforts and raising the profile of family planning as a simple method of preventing maternal deaths and empowering women, as well as continued prioritization of overall sexual and reproductive health at national, regional and international levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

We welcome the recent developments at international and regional levels. Specifically the Continental Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health Maputo Plan of Action 2007- 2010, The Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in 2009 and the ongoing AU summit whose theme is Maternal, Infant and Child Health Development in Africa. In order to accelerate action and transformation, we urge our governments to:<\/span><\/p>\n