Norway to boost female condoms

The female condom is an untapped opportunity. No other commodity offers women the same dual protection against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, while providing women control over the choice of preventives.

Although female condoms allow women dual protection against unwanted pregnancies and sexual transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, availability so far has been minimal. Norway has now decided to join some other partners and support with NOK 4,1 million a new programme to increase the access of female condoms.

The Universal Access to Female Condoms Programme (UAFC) is a joint plan run by the three Dutch organizations Oxfam Novib, World Population Foundation and IDA Solutions, in cooperation with the Dutch authorities. Sida, Danida and Norad, as well as the Hewlett Foundation, are currently supporting the programme.

Commodities - a necessity to reach the MDGs

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be reached if existing simple and cost-effective technologies, such as condoms, remain out of the reach of the poor. With gender inequity as an important driver for the HIV epidemic, the feminization of AIDS is happening. Today 76 percent of HIV-positive youth in sub-Saharan Africa are female. Women and girls face the consequences of unprotected sex and bear the burden of unwanted pregnancies and infections.

Working for improved access to female condoms is in line with Norway's Action Plan for Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Development Cooperation. The support to the UAFC programme is an indication of Norway's emphasis on reproductive health commodity security such as condoms and on measures that are relevant both to improve people's sexual and reproductive health and to prevent HIV and AIDS.

A missed opportunity

The female condom is a simple commodity that has proven to be highly efficacious in preventing unwanted pregnancy and STIs, including HIV transmission. It is the only device offering dual protection available now that is woman-initiated. The female condom has been tested in numerous pilot projects all over the world and women have indicated that they are willing to use it.

So far too little has been done to make this commodity available. High prices, in some cases up to 30 times the price of the male condom, and very limited or irregular access have prevented the female condom from becoming an accepted reproductive health commodity. The stumbling block has been the high cost of the commodity, which can be attributed to the combined effect of an insufficient research and development (R&D), a general lack of competition in the market and limited marketing.

Womens' organizations have been lobbying to get the product within reach of female consumers, which will now happen.

The programme

The first phase of the programme is to ensure that the demand for the female condom is considerable increased in the three launch countries. To achieve that goal the female condoms need to be widely available at convenient places at all times and at an affordable price, and publicly accepted as a commodity that enables women to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. The experiences from the three launch countries will be documented and disseminated.

The programme includes R&D, large-scale female condom programming at the national level in three selected countries, and international advocacy, networking and learning. A centerpiece will be the development and promotion of new female condom models since today there is only one WHO certified model available on the market.

The programme has already started up in Nigeria. The second country out will be Cameroon and the third is yet to be chosen.