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MEDIA CENTER New Book Documents Transformation in Reproductive Health Programs Worldwide NEW YORK (18 April, 2002) — The Population Council today released Responding to Cairo: Case Studies of Changing Practice in Reproductive Health and Family Planning, a 462-page volume documenting the global response to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo. The ICPD Programme of Action called for population programs to take a client-oriented approach to reproductive health and attend to issues of gender, sexuality, and empowerment. The 22 case studies in Responding to Cairo show how a wide range of programs from 18 countries have risen to this challenge. Marking a growing global movement, the ICPD brought reproductive health and rights to the forefront of the international population agenda. Responding to Cairo, co-edited by Population Council researcher Nicole Haberland and consultant Diana Measham, adds a critical new dimension of analysis to the body of material documenting efforts to promote ICPD goals. "Policies pronounced on the world stage are only as good as their implementation in the field," said Haberland. "These case studies show that strides have been made in expanding the scope of reproductive health care and increasing women's power in sexual relationships, interactions with health care providers, and communities. While much remains to be done to realize the Cairo vision, these case studies demonstrate that there are concrete, field-level experiments grappling with how best do this." According to Haberland and Measham, important changes in policy and practice are taking place, notably the following:
The projects and programs profiled in detail in this volume represent a rich body of experience that can help to provide direction, fresh ideas, and cautions as the field moves forward. "Many of these efforts are at the vanguard of change. Replicating and scaling up the approaches they embody is the key to meeting Cairo's goals," the editors conclude.
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