A training seminar on "Building partnership for better family planning services and accessible contraceptives" was held in Lviv city, organized by UNFPA Office in Ukraine in partnership with USAID program "Healthy Women of Ukraine” under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

The event was attended by medical professionals and social workers, representatives of Lviv Oblast State Administration, responsible for policy development, funding and implementation of regional programs on reproductive health, as well as the private sector and civil society representatives.

The event was opened by Lviv Oblast State Administration, Deputy Director of Health Ms. Iryna Mykytchak, who stated that the reproductive health protection, public family planning services accessibility, particularly in the rural areas, sufficient contraceptives’ supply and public information campaigns on the methods of the unwanted pregnancy prevention are among the priority activity areas for the Department.

During the seminar, the participants discussed the approaches to building up a broader understanding and public consensus in Ukraine about key socio- economic benefits of modern family planning for improvement of the women and children health.

The participants agreed that better coordination is needed between different structural divisions of the State Administration and with other health service providers of the region in the family planning and reproductive health sphere with the wide involvement of mass media and NGOs especially to the information campaigns development and implementation, creating the foundations for safe sexual behavior, improving the quality of consultation services to persons who are preparing to, are already married or live in couples.

During the event, the special attention was paid to the issue of adolescent pregnancy and motherhood, the theme of SWOP Report 2013. The participants discussed the approaches that should be taken to decrease the amount of pregnancies among teenagers in Ukraine.

Teenage pregnancy, early childbirth and maternal responsibilities create a burden for a young girls whose personalities are yet shaping and increase risks of negative outcomes for the health, economic conditions, future social adaptation, education and job prospects and other aspects of the lives both for a young mother and her child.