1. Background (brief history)

The Kazakhstan Association on Sexual and Reproductive Health (KMPA) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that was first established in 1996 and has 13 branches and 2 regional offices in Kazakhstan.  The organization is largely dedicated to protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all youth and men and women of reproductive age and ensuring that they have full information and access to sexual health and medical services. 

 

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   2. Areas of expertise

Through its emphasis on serving marginalized groups, specifically, youth and women, in preventing unwanted pregnancies and accessing contraceptive devices and information, a large part of KMPA’s operations are dedicated to the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).   Particular strategies that KMPA uses to carry out this mission include:

• Launching advocacy initiatives and national information campaigns in which the organization disseminates handouts, publications, press releases, and articles related to various SRHR issues and human trafficking.

•  Preparing training courses and materials on SRHR areas and policies for the organization’s staff, other NGOs, and government officials.

• Developing and focusing education programs on teaching youth and disadvantaged populations about safe sex, preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), contraception, safe abortions, post-natal care, etc.

 

   3. Strengths in the ICPD

The agenda of KMPA overlaps in many ways with that of the ICPD agenda due to its focus on the sexual and reproductive health of migrants, youth, victims of human trafficking, and women and men of reproductive age.  Key services that KMPA offers to implement its own agenda, as well as, the ICPD agenda include 2:

• Creating and managing a free hotline to advise and deliver information regarding family planning, safe sex, contraceptive services, antenatal and post-natal care, etc., to teenagers and women of child-bearing age in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies and maternal and infant mortality rates.

• Arranging consultations with health professionals for marginalized populations on safe abortions and sexually transmitted infection (STIs).

• Collaborating with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other partners to organize national campaigns to raise awareness about the risks associated to the sex trade, as well as, the reproductive health options available for internally displaced persons (IDPs), migrants, and refugees, in order to reduce the prevalence of trafficking women and children and to ensure that all populations have equal access to health services. 

 

   4. Quality assurance/ previous evaluation

KMPA is a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (PPF), through which it receives funding, technical assistance, services, and supplies related to a variety of issues concerning sexual and reproductive health, including women’s rights, contraception, and HIV/AIDS.  Additionally, KMPA has been a long-term partner of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on implementing various initiatives related to SRHR issues.  KMPA has received assistance from the UNFPA in especially preventing HIV and STIs in vulnerable populations and in working to provide universal access to reproductive services to people living in rural communities .  In 2012, KMPA also received an award from Mr. Werner Haug, the UNFPA Regional Director of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) office, for its contributions towards improving the access to sexual and reproductive health in Kazakhstan.

 

   5. Experience in South-South Cooperation initiatives

KMPA has engaged in South-South cooperation through its involvement with the International Planned Parenthood Federation by participating in various international conferences, including the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), where NGOs from various nations have the opportunity to share their experiences and initiatives concerning SRHR. KMPA has also collaborated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGOs from other member countries, including Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, to create national campaigns and discuss issues related to the sexual health and access to health services of migrants, refugees, IDPs, and victims of human trafficking.