Ensuring Access to Safe and Legal Abortion: Evidence and Experience
Unsafe abortion is one of the leadling causes of maternal mortality. Each year, 21.6 million women experience an unsafe abortion worldwide; 18.5 million of these occur in developing countries.
In relationship to the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) General Membership Meeting in Oslo 5-9 October, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) is organising a seminar on the access to safe and legal abortion.
Various partners and organisations will be sharing the progress and lessons learned with a broader Norwegian audience and RHSC members. Target groups are Norwegian researchers, members of civil society and graduate-level students in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Norwegian government officials and technical staff.
This meeting is a side event organized by Norad under the 16th General Membership Meeting of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition that will take place in Oslo 5-9 October 2015.
Registration through "påmelding" on this page.
Program
08:15 Coffee
08.30 Welcome by Lene Lothe/Head of the Global Health Section in Norad
08:35 Opening remarks by Fredrik Arthur; Ambassador for Women's Rights and Equality, MFA
08:50-10:15 Morning session I: Mapping the Issues and Global Response
- Introduction to the morning session – Moderator Berit Austveg
Including introduction of the agenda for the day and audioclip from MSI - Overview of the Global Data by Guttmacher Institute - Gilda Sedgh, Principal Research Scientist, Guttmacher Institute
- Presentation by Population Council - Ian Askew, Director, Reproductive Health Services and John Townsend, Vice President, Population Council. Topic: “Evidence on emerging issues in programming for safe abortion services”
- Presentation by International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) – Jessie Clyde, Programme officer (advocacy UN/local)
Q&A – moderator Berit Austveg
10:30-12:00 Session II: Strengthening the health sector; commodities and the results of civil society engagement
- Introduction to the session by Berit Austveg
- Expanding Women’s Access to Safe Abortion Care – WHO – Caron Kim - presenting elements of the WHO Safe Abortion Guidance and the new guidelines on task-shifting
- Presentation by Concept Foundation - Helena van Hertzen: Experience in introducing abortion services in restrictive settings.
- Presentation by Ipas - Tibebu Alemayehu, Senior Health Systems Advisor for Africa, Ipas
- Presentation by IPPF - Manuelle Hurwitz and Annet Kyarimpa Special Projects Coordinator RHU Uganda (IPPF field)
Q&A – moderator Berit Austveg
12:00-12:45 Light Lunch (simple boxed lunches – sandwiches and drinks)
12:45:13:30 Session II continues with focus on the results of civil society engagement.
- Berit Austveg as moderator.
- Presentation by MSI – Ulla Muller, regional Director, Mary Stopes International
- Presentation by Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) - Maite Matos Ichaso, Senior Programme officer SAAF and Radha Paudel, Action Works Nepal (SAAF grantee)
Q&A – moderated by Berit Austveg
13:45-14:45 Session III: Access to Safe and Legal abortion in the SDGs
- Safe Abortion and the Sustainable Development Goals - a panel discussion with:
- Renee Van De Weerdt/UNFPA
- Johanne Sundby/Professor, University of Oslo
- John Worley/AmplifyChange
- Ann Lennard/Ipas
- Fredrik Arthur/MFA
Questions and Discussion lead by moderator Lars Grønseth, Senior Adviser, Department for Global Health, Education and Research, Norad
14:45-15:30 Session IV: historical reflections and final remarks
- Reflections on the history of safe and legal abortion in Norway and Norway’s international role. With Berit Austveg and Ingrid Vik
- Closing remarks – Lene Lothe/ Head of the Global Health Section in Norad