Reproductive and sexual health

Promoting gender equity in health: the ENGENDER Project

EPHA is part of the ENGENDER project which aims to counter the current lack of information on actions, policy and programmes aiming to improve gender equity in health. Launched in November 2009, ENGENDER has three specific objectives: promoting and supporting gender equity in health by developing an online inventory of good practices in Europe, creating a sustainable "European network on policies and interventions tackling gender based inequalities in health", a forum to exchange (...)

The dark side of Mother’s Day: maternal mortality

On the occassion of Mother’s Day, the European Parliament Working Group on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development, in collaboration with Amnesty International’s EU Office, organised an event on 6 May 2010 to draw attention to the urgent need for action to improve maternal health worldwide. Chaired by Sophie in `t Veld MEP, the event was structured around a BBC documentary screening of "Death mothers don`t cry" and included also a speech delivered by Amnesty (...)

WHO adopts resolution on monitoring the achievement of health-related Millennium Development Goals.

In light of the upcoming UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Review Summit in September 2010, and concerned by the fact that the achievement of the MDGs lags behind and greatly varies between countries, the 63rd World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on monitoring and strengthening global commitments in order to achieve them. Key points of the resolution on monitoring the achievement of health-related MDGs the MDGs are interlinked and therefore the global partnership for (...)

Action for Global Health Brussels partners launched "Just a minute!" MDG 5 campaign

At the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of ACP (African-Caribbean-Pacific) and EU countries, Action for Global Health Brussels partners - including EPHA - launched the "Just a minute!" campaign and photo exhibition to highlight the issue of maternal health: every minute a woman dies from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, but "Just a minute!" presents concrete solutions to help improve maternal health. Just a minute! AfGH campaign AfGH Brussels partners - EPHA, Plan Europe and (...)

Time to get real: AfGH Policy Report launched – "2010 Reality Check - Time is running out to meet the health MDGs"

On World Health Day (7 April 2010), a new report by Action for Global Health was launched simultaneously in six places across the European Union. The report "2010 Reality Check: Time is Running Out to Meet the Health Millennium Development Goals" urges European leaders to focus on concrete issues and take up actions that can break the cycle of poverty and ill health in developing countries. EPHA is a member of this Consortium. In light of the upcoming United Nations MDG Review Summit in (...)

Action for Global Health’s successful Cross-Europe Conference - Delivering the Right to Health with the Health Millennium Development Goals

"Health is a right in Europe and beyond, for all human beings, regardless of their place in the world", said new European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs in his key speech at the Action for Global Health Cross-Europe Conference in the European Parliament on 2 March 2010. The purpose of the event was to discuss what the EU can do to deliver the right to health using the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). On 2 March 2010, Action for Global Health (AFGH), of which EPHA (...)

Violence against women at work - a mental health perspective

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2010, Mental Health Europe has published a report on violence against women in the workplace. The report aims to contribute to reducing violence against women at work in all its forms. Zero tolerance of this violence is crucial to change attitudes and behaviours. MHE’s European Project “Violence against Women in the workplace… Let’s talk about it! The mental health impacts of violence and harassment against (...)

European Action on Sexual Health

On 13 January 2010, the European Commission hosted a meeting of the Sexual Health Forum. The Forum marks a step towards the formation of a EU strategy on sexual health for young people. The overall aim of the Forum is to raise knowledge and awareness of the importance of sexual health and well-being for the overall health status of current and future generation. According to Chair Robert Madelin (Director General, DG SANCO), discussions at the Forum were set against a background of (...)

Ethnic Minorities and Fighting STIs and HIV - a cross-European experience

Amsterdam, 9 October 2009 - The European Public Health Alliance attended a conference on Ethnic Minorities and Fighting Sexually Transmittable Infections (STIs), including HIV across Europe.The event, entitled "United we stand!", covered a variety of issues and was an attempt by cross-Europe HIV organisations to bring together sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV, ethnic minorities, migration and religion. Not only in developing countries but also within the EU borders there are (...)

Poverty Eradication and Sexual and Reproductive Health

In 2002, the European Commission (EC) agreed to fund a 42 month joint UNFPA-IPPF programme on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in 22 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries - which despite national and international efforts, has experienced difficulties in bridging the gap between needs and resources. The overall objective of the joint programme was to improve the capacity of ACP countries to deliver a basic package of SRH services to the target populations (the most (...)