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Addressee: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA
Full Text
The Permanent Forum reiterates previous recommendations that WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNFPA, as well as regional health organizations and Governments, fully incorporate a cultural perspective into health policies and programmes and reproductive health services aimed at providing indigenous women with quality health care, including emergency obstetric care, voluntary family planning and skilled attendance at birth. The roles of traditional midwives should be re-evaluated and expanded so that they may assist indigenous women during their reproductive health processes and act as cultural brokers between health systems and indigenous peoples.
Responses
UNICEF: In Argentina, UNICEF has been promoting the implementation of the Safe and Family Centered Motherhood Initiative since 2010. Recent examples of initiatives undertaken in the provinces of Salta, Chaco and Misiones have proven successful in strengthening the accompaniment of women in delivering their children in accordance with cultural practices; in building the capacity of indigenous outreach health agents on various modules including on newborn health, sexual and reproductive health, as well as women’s rights; supporting knowledge exchange between the traditional system of health care and Public Health. UNFPA is adopting an inter-cultural approach in its interventions. For instance, the new Strategic Plan for 2018-2021 has a specific output and indicator on inter-cultural approach. In addition, UNFPA is adopting inter-cultural approach as part of health programming.
Final Report of UNPFII Session 17 (2018)
Area of Work
