Wellington, 13th May 2011
(NB. The UN International Day of Families is 15th May)

The theme of this year’s UN International Day of Families, “Confronting family poverty and social exclusion” highlights the importance of family planning programmes for the reduction of poverty in the Pacific according to the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development (NZPPD).

“Reproductive self-determination, is not only a basic human right, but allows people to escape poverty by choosing to plan their families according to their financial situation” says NZPPD Chair Dr Jackie Blue. “Family planning enables people to save money and increase their income by having time and energy to engage in subsistence, income-generating and educational activities.”

“Pacific women have expressed a desire to have fewer children and a desire to space their children, and yet support for family planning programmes has diminished and does not meet demand. Where women do have access to family planning you inevitably see better conditions for women and an improvement in the lives of their families.”

Family planning is a cost effective health and development initiative with every dollar spent on family planning able to save up to $31 in health-care, water, education, housing and other costs.[1]

NZPPD calls for Pacific governments to prioritise family planning and calls on the New Zealand Aid Programme to increase their support for family planning programmes in the Pacific, recognising the broader development goals this supports.

ENDS

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