Press Release
Zimbabwe commemorates World Contraception Day with milestone achievement
Harare, Zimbabwe, 26 September, 2023 – Zimbabwe has become one of the first countries in the East and Southern Africa Region to qualify for Match Funding through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Supplies Partnership after procuring contraceptives worth $1,5 million United States Dollars from domestic resources. This is a key achievement for the country’s efforts to support access to quality assured reproductive health and quality family planning commodities.
The UNFPA Supplies Partnership 2021–2030 represents a new decade of commitment to advancing family planning and maternal health and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Launched in 2007 by UNFPA, the UN Sexual, Reproductive Health Agency, this flagship programme seeks to contribute to ending unmet need for family planning and preventable maternal mortality by increasing equitable access to high quality modern contraceptives and life-saving maternal health medicines. This has been possible through such partnerships and commitment displayed by the Government of Zimbabwe.
Today, as Zimbabwe commemorates World Contraception Day, UNFPA commends the Government of Zimbabwe for its commitment to the provision of contraceptives. World Contraception Day is commemorated each year on 26 September. Launched in 2007, the day was set aside to help raise awareness of contraception and to enable young people and women of reproductive age make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
In Zimbabwe UNFPA has been supporting the family planning programme since the early 1980s through partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, including its parastatal, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC). As a result of Government’s long-standing commitment to the provision of contraceptives, Zimbabwe has earned great recognition in Africa as one of the countries with the highest modern contraceptive prevalence rate at 68 per cent as of 2021.
“Our partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe in the provision of contraceptives goes back a very long way and we are extremely proud of the journey we have undertaken together,” said UNFPA Country Representative Ms. Miranda Tabifor.
“UNFPA extends its hearty congratulations to Zimbabwe for being one the few countries to be awarded additional financing for reproductive health and family planning commodities through the UNFPA Supplies Match Fund. Our continued partnership and efforts will ensure that we achieve the unmet need for family planning agenda.”
Although Zimbabwe has made huge progress in the provision of Family Planning for women and girls, more efforts are required to ensure improved access for those in the remotest parts of the country. There is still unmet need among women and girls of reproductive age, the majority of them in rural, remote and hard-to-reach settings and often young and the most vulnerable including persons with disabilities. Unmet need for family planning among married couples is 10% in urban areas and 11% in rural areas while unmet need for young people is 12.6% national.
Globally, use of contraceptives is averting 2.7 million infant deaths; 215,000 maternal deaths; 187 million unintended pregnancies and 105 million abortions each year.
“Family Planning saves lives and is a cost-effective accelerator of improved health outcomes,” said ZNFPC Acting Executive Director Mr Ben Chikati.
“In Zimbabwe, modelling undertaken by MOHCC and ZNFPC, confirms the benefits of family planning locally. For every additional US$1 invested in family planning, there is an additional US$2 to US$4 savings in health costs. We are very proud of the achievements we have made as a country in the area of family planning provision and grateful for the support of our partners.”
According to analysis by the FP2030, in the last 5 years (between 2018 and 2022) the use of contraceptives has averted nearly 3,6 million unintended pregnancies, almost a million (918,000) unsafe abortions and 12,700 maternal deaths in Zimbabwe.
UNFPA’s family planning programming, which provides all round support to the national FP programme, including the procurement of the contraceptives for the country, is being implemented under UNFPA’s flagship programme, the ‘UNFPA Supplies’ and the ‘Health Resilience Fund” previously known as the Health Development Fund which receives financial support from partners.
For more information and media queries please contact
ZNFPC Director Technical Services
Mr Farai Machinga (0772101057) znfpcdiroperations@gmail.com
Bertha Shoko, Communication Specialist - UNFPA: Tel: 263 772 782 299 or email: shoko@unfpa.org
