Real and perceived threats to reproductive health: a way forward

Ten years ofter the International Conference on Population and Development finds the reproductive health community under threat from at least three sources: global initiatives, reforms of the health sector, and new financial modalities from donors and lenders. These challenges, however, mainly reflect the complete system failure in many low-income countries in providing basic reproductive health services to women, especially those who are poor and socially vulnerable. The reproductive health community can do a lot more to address the system failures and potential threats and take advantage of opportunities offered. The starting point should be an internal look at how the reproductive health community has performed in helping low-income countries. Understanding these changes and opportunities in the health sector is another important step, but understanding will only be effective if representatives of the reproductive health community in low-income countries are armed with the skills and tools needed to engage in health sector reforms, to take advantage of global initiatives and to effectively influence the implementation of new holistic forms of aid.