Join FP2020 by Making a Commitment

The government of Afghanistan commits to developing a family planning national costed implementation plan (2017-2020); strengthening community-level family planning services through the training of community health workers; and providing sufficient stock of contraceptives. Afghanistan also pledges to expand access to long-acting and reversible methods as well as training at least one male and one female health worker in each health facility in conducting family planning counseling and the appropriate administration of contraceptive methods. In addition, the government will strengthen community mobilization and increase advocacy about family planning among religious and community leaders, civil society, and youth as well as develop information, education, and communication and behavior change communication campaigns to address barriers to accessing family planning and reproductive health services. Afghanistan will also strengthen coordination, commitment, and collaboration between the public and private sector to improve reproductive health and family planning services, training, supplies, equipment, and commodities. In addition, the government will roll out a youth health line to five major cities to provide counseling and information to youth on reproductive health and family planning. The government will also include implants on the Ministry of Public Health’s essential medicines.

The government of Afghanistan pledges to increase the portion of the national budget dedicated to health and specifically the budget allotted to the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health program. It also pledges to advocate for the increasing the government’s allocation to health and nutrition services from 4.2 percent in 2012 to 10 percent by 2020. The government also commits to allocating 25 percent of the health budget specific to reproductive health and for creating a specific budget line in the Ministry of Public Health’s annual budget for the promotion of family planning and procurement of contraceptives.

The government of Afghanistan—as outlined in the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health—commits to adhering to the agreements made in the Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health Strategy (2017-2020) and the Kabul Declaration for Maternal and Child Health (2015). Through collaboration with the Family Planning 2020 Country Coordination Committee, the government pledges to increase access to reproductive health services by 2020. It also commits to ensure commodity security and increase method mix in Afghanistan, with a focus on long-acting and reversible methods and postpartum family planning. The Ministry of Public Health will finalize and operationalize the RHSC Strategic Action Plan. The government also pledges to ensure accountability through review of performance—led by the Ministry of Public Health—of the reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health program using RMNCH quarterly scorecards.

The government of Afghanistan commits to:

• Reducing unmet need for family planning by 10 percent by 2020; and
• Increasing the modern contraceptive prevalence rate to 30 percent by 2020.