FORUM: Economic and Social Council Sub-Commission 1

FORUM: Economic and Social Council Sub-Commission 1

QUESTION OF: Improving access to reproductive health care in rural areas

SUBMITTED BY: Finland

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL,

Reaffirming that reproductive health care in this resolution will include screening for both breast and cervical cancer, counseling about and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive education and access, family planning services, prenatal health education and services, childbirth assistance, and treatment for and reduction of female genital mutilation and related issues,

Deeply concerned that the issue of women’s reproductive health can be difficult to discuss publicly particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as cultural sensitivities and taboos surrounding sexuality are particularly pronounced in the MENA region,

Recognizing the need for improving access to reproductive health care specifically in rural areas,

Alarmed by the fact that traditional methods of birth control, such as withdrawal and periodic, calendar-oriented abstinence are the methods used most often for family planning in the MENA region, as these methods are not reliable and often result in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases,

Fully aware that traditional social and religious ideas can blunt the effect of education programs, making women less likely to seek out reproductive health care,

Noting the strong link between women’s reproductive health and their social and economic status, therefore actions to improve reproductive health care in rural areas need to be implemented,

Congratulating the valuable work that is undertaken by The United Nationsto bring reproductive health care services directly to the rural areas where they are needed through the use of mobile health units,

1. Asksallwilling member states to collaborate with all relevant United Nations Organizations (UNOs)to improve access to reproductive health care through means such as, but not limited to:

a)collaborating with UN’s mobile health units that are used to bring emergency medical care to disaster-struck areas and are used to provide an array of health care services such as reproductive health care services, in hard to reach locations

b)studying the many potential uses of telepresence machines and software to improve access to reproductive health care through means such as, but not limited to:

1. investing in studies to design cheaper, more extensive telepresence technology
2. developing ways to distribute this technology cheaply to rural areas all around the world;

1. Encourages member states to work with organizations such as the Planned Parenthood, the major provider of women’s health care services in the United States, to allow medical professionals to be in multiple places at the same time using common video cameras, computer displays, and microphones, which makes it possible for a single medical provider to have a telepresence at many different locations at once so that this efficient technology can be used through means such as, but not limited to:

a)observe the measurement and dispensing of medications that require a doctor’s oversight

b)allow a single doctor to:

1. oversee medication abortions in many widely dispersed locations in the same day
2. look at physical symptoms of visiting patients, and to examine test results, across wide areas
3. provide general reproductive health care to more women

c)provide health care without physical traveling expenses, which can reduce the cost of doing so greatly;

1. Invitesthe further implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poorer Countries Initiatives (HIPC), which was established as a source of debt relief and low interest loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in order to reduce debt therefore allowing a higher allocation of funds dedicated to providing access to reproductive health in rural areas by:

a)providing assistance to those countries that are eligible for the HIPC initiatives but have yet to reach completion points by offering advice and other forms of support to help them fulfill certain criteria

b)increasing the period of time in which indebted countries that are not eligible for the HIPC initiative have to pay off their debt, appropriate to the needs and feasibility of the situation, provided that nations produce a transparency report indicating how the money will be spent

c)readdressing certain criteria that nations must meet in order to be contenders for the HIPC initiative in order to allow a greater amount of nations to participate in the program

d)implementing milestones within the HIPC initiative that will allow nations to receive aid with the completion of other financial accomplishments including the restoring of funds and commitment to providing reproductive health to women and girls, most notably those in rural areas, in order to ensure that the aid will be used effectively to pay off their debt

e)implementing further transparency milestones that address the issue of corruption that will require transparency reports for the IMF to ensure that government officials are not breaching international law and misusing multilateral loans that are specifically delegated to the provision of reproductive health care in rural areas;

1. Expresses its hope for developed countries and UNOs and NGOs to help implement programs that willpromote the employment of women and support women-led businesses in developing countries to grow rural economies while gently promoting social change from within by shifting the balance of economic power more toward women in these countries, who will then be well placed to promote change from within that benefits them and other women, in ways such as but not limited to:

a)providing training and aid for income generation and job search, by:

1. offering professional advice to rural women to produce high value food products and crops for both international and national markets
2. teaching skill-building classes for starting and running small businesses
3. lending formal clothing such as suits for job interviews,
4. giving both small and large low-interest loans to those looking to start a new business

b)granting scholarships and loan repayment chances for women seeking to finish their high school level equivalent education or pursuing higher education;

1. Calls uponco-operation between member states and relevant NGOs and UNOs such as The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and medical industries, to help raise awareness of reproductive rights and reproductive health care, through methods such as, but not limited to:

a)holding public talks and campaigns for rural women to educate them about their reproductive rights and the reproductive health care services they have access to

b)launching interactive and enlightening work shops regarding this matter

c)incorporating in public school curricula as well as encouraging private schools to raise awareness and educate the students on reproductive health care that will include education on, but not limited to:

1. breast and cervical cancer
2. counseling about and preventing and testing for sexually transmitted diseases
3. contraceptive education
4. treatment for and reduction of female genital mutilation and related issues
5. importance of availability and accessibility of safe and accessible abortion services

d)encouraging the participation and involvement in reproductive health care organizations and coalitions

e)setting up official internationally-accessible websites to spread awareness on the significance of reproductive health care

f)spreading information such as documentaries and advertising campaigns on reproductive health care through all forms of media in existing community networks including youth, schools, universities and clubs

g)actively consulting, cooperating, and working with local governments in order to respect regional sovereignty and to get approval for any aforementioned policies to be implemented;

1. Calls forthe implementation of a four step plan for integrating children in rural areas into educational sector to allow for early intervention of least developed nations through impersonal learning programs, which would include the following measures:

a)a diagnosis performed by developing nations through the assistance of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UNFPA that identifies the level of reproductive health knowledge in specific rural areas by age group

b)a review of the documentation on each teacher and instructor that has been assessed for one’s knowledge and awareness on reproductive health

c)provision of necessary resources into educational settings with the guidance of TheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCultural Organization(UNESCO) and TheUnitedNationsInstituteforTrainingandResearch(UNITAR) and UNICEF

d)an annual review of each school’s evaluation and needs report, accompanied by any necessary revisions made by the school or the country’s development bureau in order to evaluate the children’s understanding on the importance and available access to reproductive health care;

1. Further calls forcapacity building measure to be implemented in schools and in reproductive health care centers to help school leaders and health care practitioners provide support for femalesby:

a)directing public investment to professional and leadership development efforts that are tightly linked to the reproductive health needs of each rural county and district

b)conducting research and analysis on effective methods for the provision and implementation of reproductive health care, as well as necessary teaching, counseling, and mentoring at schools

c)ensuring that educators use age appropriate rhetoric and teaching styles so that the dignity and religious practices of women and girls are not offended

d)providing sensitization training for educators so that they may address the various difficulties that may arise while teaching in a competent and respectful manner;

1. Urges all member states to implement laws related to reproductive health care such as, but not limited to:

a)continue and expand on the removal of practices such as female genital mutilation in rural areas as it can increase the danger of infecting diseases

b)banning early marriages, as marriage at too young an age poses a serious health risk, because marriage leads to reproduction and the reproductive systems of younger women are not fully developed;

1. Further recommendswilling member states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide monetary funding and humanitarian aid for reasons such as, but not limited to:

a)finding cheaper, easier and more efficient ways to provide rural areas with health care

b)aiding the payment for medical professionals, such as, but not limited to:

1. graduates of reproductive health related majors such as obstetric–gynecologic students who can participate in loan repayment programs that require practicing in rural locations
2. reproduction-specialized doctors and health care workers

c)providing rural areas with technology such as, but not limited to:

1. computers for online medical information and aid
2. relevant medical equipment

d)buildinginfrastructure in rural areas such as:

1. medical centers
2. hospitals
3. reproductivehealth care information centers

e)condoms to stop sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from further transmitting;

1. Requests all member states to set up hotline numbers that direct to the medical professionals across the country that adolescent girls can call to, that provides help about reproductive health emergencies and provides aid and suggestions related to reproductive health care;

1. Hopesfor the creation of a suggested division of the government in willing member states in order to:

a)participate in international and regional conventions held by organizations such as but not limited to Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR), World Health Organization (WHO) and UNFPA by submitting annual reports that would include information such as but not limited to:

1. statistical evaluations of assessment of the country’s women population in rural areas to be reported to UNFPA including information such as but not limited to maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy at birth, total fertility rate, contraceptive prevalence rate
2. identifying new or modified federal resources to develop, enhance, and sustain programs that would create necessary legislation on both national and regional level

b)centralize efforts for providing safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility regulation of the choice of the user that would identify existing federal resources being used and determine whether resources are being used effectively

c)regulate and coordinates regional, national and international outreach, such as the aspen institute to women in rural areas

d)establish a basic resource distribution and management framework for all rural counties that adequately incorporates the facets of reproductive health care such as but not limited to sexual health, childbearing and health, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent health;

1. Endorses allowing a group of women in each area to attend bimonthly seminars held by NGOs such as Marie Stopes International (MSI) and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and be provided with sufficient knowledge of reproductive healthcare to enable them to go around their community door-to-door to talk about:

a)family planning

b)dangers of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and how to prevent them

c)the risks that malnourished pregnant women face such as preterm delivery and eclampsia and how to effectively address them.