Kyiv, 23 April 2013 – Government and civil society representatives from twelve Eastern European and South Asian countries gathered in Kyiv this week for a meeting convened by the UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, together with PATH, a global health organization, to discuss a road map for the introduction of a “total market approach” to ensure universal access to modern contraceptives and other reproductive health commodities in the region.

The total market approach, or TMA, looks at what the public sector, commercial suppliers and non-governmental organizations can do to ensure a reliable supply of reproductive health commodities. It takes into account that not all population groups are able or willing to pay the full market price for such commodities, and foresees subsidies or free supplies for those who cannot afford them especially among most vulnerable populations.

“Introduction of the total market approach – a modern tool which can help with sustainability of access to contraception and also eliminate barriers that hamper access to family planning in the country, seems as a very timely and highly demanded intervention for the region,” said Nuzhat Ehsan, UNFPA Representative for Ukraine, Country Director for Belarus.

She stressed that the total market approach, based on partnership and shared responsibility between the public and private sector, means that Government should play a stewardship role to create an appropriate environment to work together for all actors of family planning market: private (commercial sector), social marketing organizations, international and national NGOs, development partners, donors, health insurance companies and governmental (public) organizations by establishing the coordinating body. At the same time an ultimate role of the Government remains to take the responsibility to fill the gap for that segment of most vulnerable population which is not covered by other market actors.

The rate of modern contraceptive use is relatively low in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The region has a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 54% for women in age group 15-49. This rate clearly lags behind Asia and the Pacific (62%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (67%).

Governments have not invested sufficiently in affordable and accessible contraceptives to date. At the same time, foreign development funding is scarce, given that the region is mostly composed of middle income countries.

The three-day meeting is attended by some 56 representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. This is the second of a series of similar events to be organized across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The

The meeting is expected to lead to the development and implementation of action plans to introduce the total market approach at the national level in Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries.