Women's Day 2012 - 8 March

Advocating for Girls Health World-Wide - FIGO supports
International Women's Day (8 March 2012)

International Womens Day (IWD) - a global day celebrating the economic, political and
social achievements of women past, present and future - is celebrated on 8 March each
year. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) reaffirms its support
for its valuable objectives.
FIGO - the only global organisation bringing together 124 gynecological and obstetrical
societies - recognises that good health plays a critically important part in enabling women to
excel throughout their lives in all areas and it strives to secure and promote the very best
services in maternal, newborn and reproductive health, while improving the practice of
gynecology and obstetrics.
The IWD 2012 theme - CONNECTING GIRLS, INSPIRING FUTURES - encompasses the
importance of the right to a thriving young adulthood, a time in a womans life when good
health takes on fresh importance. FIGOs work with women right across the life cycle, from
girlhood through to womanhood, is based on one overall clear vision - that women of the
world achieve the highest possible standards of physical, mental, reproductive and sexual
health and well-being throughout their lives. It pursues its mission through advocacy,
programmatic activities, capacity strengthening of member associations and education and
training.
FIGOs dedication to womens health is illustrated by strong commitments to:
Encouraging all efforts for raising the status of women and for advancing their role in
all issues related to womens health.
Promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights and services through education,
research and advocacy, as well as through the provision of accessible, efficient,
affordable, sustainable and comprehensive reproductive health services.
Emphasising the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals by
2015 - FIGO is committed to accelerating its efforts and activities to reach MDG
targets, especially in the area of safe motherhood and newborn health.
Continually upgrading the practice of gynecology and obstetrics through research,
education and training, and by maintaining the highest levels of professionalism and
scientific and ethical standards.
Improving communication with and between member associations and building the
capacities of those from low-resource countries through strengthening leadership,
management, good practice and the promotion of policy dialogues.
Strengthening capacities to enable societies to play a pivotal role in the development

and implementation of sustainable programmes aimed at the improvement of care
available to women and newborns, especially for poor and under-served populations.
Recognising the importance of collaborative efforts for advancing womens health
and rights - FIGO is committed to strengthening partnerships with other international
professional organisations, UN agencies, and the public/private sector to achieve its
objectives.
The distinctive phase of young adulthood presents particular challenges for the global health
community, including FIGO, and several of its initiatives focus on areas that are integral to,
or can profoundly impact on, girls overall health and their safe transition into adulthood: eg
the importance of good quality Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and the
scourges of obstetric fistula and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH)
Adolescents aged 10-19 years account for 23 per cent of the overall burden of
disease (disability-adjusted life years) due to pregnancy and childbirth
Young women between the ages of 15-19 are particularly vulnerable to HIV because
of gender inequalities, sexual violence, early marriage, intergenerational relationships
and more limited access to education
Young women consistently report less contraceptive usage than men, due to unequal
power in negotiating safer sex or restrictions on access to services
FIGO is committed to promoting healthy practices during adolescence and taking steps to
better protect young people from health risks. This is critical to the future of countries health
and social infrastructures, and the prevention of health problems in adulthood. It is currently
working towards strengthening the capacity of its member associations to support ASRH
interventions at the national level via a serious of global regional workshops attended by key
global health professionals.
Fistula
An obstetric fistula is a hole between a woman's birth passage and one or more of
her internal organs. Most fistula sufferers are young women - many still in their teens
- and are likely to live with their condition for upwards of 25 years. There are at least
two million women currently living with fistula throughout the developing world
FIGO has produced a special Global Competency-Based Fistula Surgery Training Manual
aimed at fistula surgeons, which will enable them to help deliver quality care and expertise to
the many women who suffer from this affliction. Currently FIGO is establishing training
centres in many African countries for the prevention and treatment of fistula.
Female Genital Mutilation
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) refers to several different harmful

practices involving the cutting of the female genitals. It is estimated that about three
million girls, the majority under 15 years of age, undergo the procedure every year
FIGOs 1994 Montreal General Assembly Resolution on FGM encourages FIGOs societies
to urge national governments to sign up to international human rights agreements
condemning the practice and to support the work of national authorities, NGOs and
intergovernmental organisations. The FIGO Committee for the Ethical Aspects of Human
Reproduction and Womens Health has two guidelines opposing FGM, the most recent
concerning medicalisation (London, 2006).
On this International Womens Day 2012, FIGO calls on the global health community,
including NGOs and professional associations, to redouble their efforts to help women whatever their age and status - achieve optimum physical, mental, reproductive and sexual
health, so that they can live confident and productive lives in the years to come.
Sources/resources:
http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/maternal/adolescent_pregnancy/en/ind
ex.html
http://unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/factsheets/media_fact_sheet_youngpeople.pdf
http://www.unfpa.org/rh/planning/mediakit/docs/new_docs/sheet5-english.pdf
http://www.fistulafoundation.org/whatisfistula/faqs.html
http://www.unfpa.org/gender/practices3.html
http://www.figo.org/projects/adolescent_sexual_and_reproductive_health_initiative
http://www.figo.org/projects/fistula_initiative
http://www.figo.org/news/figo-reaffirms-commitment-international-day-zero-tolerance-femalegenital-mutilation-6-february
http://internationalwomensday.com/

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Advocating for Girls Health World-Wide - FIGO supports

International Women's Day (8 March 2012)

Strengthening capacities to enable societies to play a pivotal role in the development

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) refers to several different harmful

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