Meeting of the Regional Advisory Panel on Research and Training in Reproductive Health in the European Region, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29–30 October 2009

The Advisory Panel’s task was to review progress made in the last two years in reproductive health research and training, discuss current priorities and the way forward.

The situation

•  Despite overall improvements in the Region, in some countries over 20% of maternal deaths are the result of unsafe abortions.

• The problem of unwanted pregnancy in adolescents and young people remains unsolved in many countries.

• The risk of dying from cervical cancer, which is preventable by screening and early detection, is 10 times higher in central than in western Europe.
• Migrant populations often have poor access to reproductive health services.
• Reliable data are lacking, particularly on young people’s reproductive heath and on gender-based violence.

There are concerns about the provision and quality of reproductive health services in primary care. Ensuring the implementation of the existing reproductive health strategies, policies and action plans is a challenge.

Further assistance to countries is needed, particularly capacity building among national policy-makers and programme managers. The Member States in the Region have committed themselves to achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015, which will involve strengthening and extending partnerships and conducting robust research to underpin effective evidence-based polices.

The Advisory Panel considered these issues, and laid down some directions for the future.