Launch of Barometer 2015, the new IPPF EN report on EU contraceptive access: “Gaps are unacceptable” say MEPs
Brussels, March 24 2015
A new ‘Barometer’ report launched by IPPF EN on 24 March analyses how easily women in 16 EU countries can access modern contraceptives. The EU countries covered by the report are: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Information on participating national partners can be found in the report. BFPA is the Bulgarian partner. The Barometer reveals that overall the situation in most countries has stagnated or worsened in recent years. IPPF EN calls on decision-makers at all levels to implement a comprehensive approach to contraceptive choice in Europe as a crucial precondition to ensuring the wellbeing of women and adolescent girls. The report’s findings are based on information about the national policy landscapes provided by national experts in each of the 16 countries, using a series of policy benchmarks that are key to ensuring access to modern contraceptives. The information was collected, analysed and reviewed between May and November 2014. The Barometer highlights that women’s access to modern contraceptives varies significantly from one EU country to the next. Encouraging developments include some limited examples of improved sexuality education policies, more generous reimbursement schemes for contraceptives in France and improved medical guidelines on contraceptive service delivery in Poland and Sweden. But overall, these are overshadowed by growing obstacles to women getting the contraception they need. Access in countries such as The Netherlands that have a relatively strong track record is under threat from austerity measures and financial constraints. Meanwhile, in several countries where access is already more problematic, political and economic instability and lack of funding have prevented progress.
Growing BRICS cooperation on Population including Sexual and Reproductive Health
Brazilia, February 16 2015
Government Ministers, officials and experts responsible for population matters from the Federal Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, Republic of India, People’s Republic of China, and Republic of South Africa came together to discuss policies, collaboration, shared opportunities and challenges related to population in Brasilia this week. The First BRICS Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Population Matters and the Second BRICS Seminar of Officials and Experts on Population Matters conference was hosted by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs of the Brazilian government from 10-13 February 2015. Government ministers and experts focused on maternal mortality, ageing, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, gender and labour force participation, gender equality and the care burden. This came in the context of the twenty year review of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and negotiations on the post-2015 sustainable development framework.
Between Feb 5-8 was held the annual meeting of YSAFE, the European Youth Network of IPPF. The topic of this year’s meeting was Sustainable Development and Sexual and reproductive Health and Rights. The training was focused at helping the participants to understand what sustainable development is and how to apply it to their work as peer educators and sexual and reproductive rights advocates. This meeting was special because for the first time we had the chance to combine the event wit a month-long online education, which took place on the free online platform Schoology (https://www.schoology.com)
How to implement successfully a campaign and how to advocate and influence
Sofia, January 19-23 2014
Five-day training of Sheila Mckechnie Foundation in partnership with OAK Foundation took place in Sofia from 19 to 23 January 2015 for the organizations that are OAK grantees. Representatives of nongovernmental organizations from Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Moldova, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina took part in the intensive week of work.
With Russian support, UNFPA assists Belarus in developing new population policy
Minsk, December 29 2014
The Director of UNFPA’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Heimo Laakkonen, and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belarus, Alexander Surikov, signed an agreement on 3 December 2014 on providing assistance to the Belarusian authorities in implementing the country’s national demographic security programme.
“We aim to strengthen the authorities’ capacity to develop and implement population policies and progammes, thereby contributing to socioeconomic development and improving the quality of life in Belarus,” Laakkonen said.
Dear colleagues, partners and friends, We decided to end the working 2014 and to meet the coming 2015 with sharing this 8-minute long overview video of the Symposium on Overcoming Isolation and Deepening Social Connectedness, held in Toronto, Canada in the beginning of October 2014. In the video you can see the inspiring words of different world changers – bridging leaders and activists from all over the world that do their best to make a difference. BFPA Executive Director Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova is one of the speakers. Listen to her and Synergos Chair Peggy Dulany, Kim Samuel - Chair of Samuel Foundation, the President of Special Olympics Tim Shriver and many other interesting and remarkable people. To overcome isolation is a collective work and every one of us can make steps and be part of the Progress. Have a great new year!
Petition “Health education - in the school curriculum!”
Sofia, December 19 2014
Dear colleagues, partners and friends, The link http://www.peticiq.com/102956 leads to a petition for introducing health education as an integral part of the school curriculum. Health, in the context of the complete physical, mental and social welfare of a person, and not just lack of a disease or a disability, is a responsibility not only of the family, but of society, part of which is the school. The school is responsible not only for safeguarding the health of children and young people, but also for establishing a system of knowledge, abilities and a positive attitude towards a healthy lifestyle within each student. The petition forеsees adding a new socio-cultural discipline in order to address the personal, social, ecological and civil development and healthy lifestyle of the students and comprises health, civil and social education. Education itself is interconnected with health and both together have a direct influence on an individual's social status. By getting information and skills in the area of health education young people are given an equal chance to achieve more in their future development. This is not a BFPA petition, but as an organization that is FOR health education for young people we support it! Please read the full text and support the petition with your name and signature, as we did. Follow the link and type your name and e-mail address - there is an option for your name to remain private. Then confirm from your e-mail by following the link that will be sent to you. Once again: http://www.peticiq.com/102956
The Bulgarian Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health (BFPA) presented the results of a nationally representative survey conducted by KANTAR. The study took place in August 2022, among a sample of 836 people from the adult population and analyzed the measures that would positively affect the birth rate.
On November 11, 2022, the final conference of the ARIE project was held in Sofia. The project is supported by the Erasmus+ Sport program, led by the long-standing Italian partner of BFPA ANLAIDS – Lombardia. The rest of the participating organizations are from Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. The activities are aimed at people living with HIV (PLHIV), the goal of the project is to develop and introduce a fitness program and an activity protocol for people living with HIV. In Bulgaria the project was coordinated by Boyan Mladenov from the BFPA team. Among the participants of the conference were health specialists, professors from medical universities, NGO partners, representatives of the target group. From the Bulgarian side the most outstanding was the presentation of Prof. Radka Argirova “HIV,Covid and Monkeypox - what more we have to know” The project aims to promote physical activity in the form of personalized guidelines among people between the ages of 18 and 50 who are living with HIV and who are on treatment, offering an innovative fitness protocol to engage them in moderate physical activity. This is the first project in Europe specifically targeting people living with HIV and fitness to promote a healthy lifestyle and add fitness protocols to HIV therapy.
In the last months of 2022 the partners of the YVYC project, together with experts and young people, developed recommendations for regional policy recommendations for improvement of health and social systems and SRHR services for young people after the Covid 19 pandemic. The recommendations are targeting decision-makers at international and national institutions. They were presented in the European Parliament on October 26, 2022 by young advocates and experts, with the support of MEP Fred Matic. Three BFPA representatives - Victoria Nikolova, Venelin Stoychev and Pavlina Filipova participated in the EP meeting.
Brussels, March 24 2015
Brazilia, February 16 2015
Brussels, February 5-8 2015 
Sofia, January 19-23 2014 
Minsk, December 29 2014
Sofia, December 23 2014 
Sofia, December 19 2014
