THE HAGUE, Netherlands, November 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives from seven international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receiving funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Strategic Alliances with International NGOs (SALIN) program gathered in The Hague today to share results with leading officials on their efforts to reduce maternal mortality and guarantee universal access to reproductive health services. The day-long technical briefing brought together partner organizations, researchers, public health practitioners, women's health advocates and developing country ministry officials to highlight successes, challenges and lessons learned from collaborative efforts toward Millennium Development Goal 5, which calls for a 75 percent reduction in maternal mortality and universal access to reproductive health by 2015. As this initial phase of the program draws to a close, results are promising.

Through the SALIN partnership, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shown exemplary commitment to the women of the world, allowing PSI and partners to increase access to reproductive health services in some of the most needy countries around the world, says PSI-Europe Director Nils Gade. Under this visionary financing scheme, millions of women have been provided increased access to reproductive health care.

Developed in 2006 to better address failing efforts toward MDG5, SALIN has provided funding for seven NGOs - including the Concept Foundation, the International Consortium for Medical Abortion (ICMA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the International Women's Health Coalition, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, and PSI (Population Services International) - to expand access to high quality information and comprehensive reproductive health services to better meet the needs and rights of women and girls in more than 40 countries. Collectively, partners under the SALIN program are working to improve access to safe abortion services to reduce the thousands of deaths and injuries of women caused by unsafe abortions annually, in addition to their efforts to increase access to contraception for the 215 million women who lack access, and reduce maternal mortality. Estimates indicate that efforts under the SALIN partnership have provided access to safe abortion technologies and practices where legal and appropriate and increased access to modern contraceptive methods, averting thousands of maternal mortalities and preventing more than one million unplanned pregnancies. SALIN partners work in many other ways to promote and protect sexual and reproductive rights and health across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

We welcome the joining of the SALIN partners to share the promising results from their collaborative efforts, says Lily Talapessy, Policy Coordinator for Sexual and Reproductive Health at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This reflects the vision behind our SALIN program, highlighting the role international NGOs play in providing country specific responses to maternal and sexual health needs.

About SALIN

The Strategic Alliances with International NGOs (SALIN) for 2006-2010 offers a framework for goal-oriented cooperation with international non-governmental organizations in the form of strategic alliances. Under the SALIN arrangements, seven organizations are supported by the Dutch government to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights in low income countries. The SALIN arrangement is one of the main funding mechanisms through which the Dutch government contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, which aim at reaching key development objectives by the year 2015.

About PSI

PSI (Population Services International) is a leading global health organization with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health. Working in partnership within the public and private sectors, and harnessing the power of markets, PSI provides life-saving products, clinical services and behavior change communications that empower the world's most vulnerable populations to lead healthier lives. For more information and live updates, follow PSI on twitter at http://twitter.com/PSIHealthyLives or subscribe to the PSI blog at http://healthylivesblog.blogspot.com/. http://www.psi.org

About Concept Foundation

Concept Foundation is an international NGO based in Switzerland and Thailand, working to ensure that low income women worldwide have access to reproductive health products of assured quality at the lowest possible cost. It works with governments and NGO partners to design and implement access-to-medicines programs for contraceptives and drugs for medical abortion by establishing: Public-Private Partnerships with developing country pharmaceutical companies and undertaking systematic approaches to product introduction. See http://www.conceptfoundation.org.

About ICMA

ICMA (International Consortium for Medical Abortion) is a global platform for advocacy, debate and dialogue with an interest in promoting access to medical abortion in the context of safe abortion. It has four affiliated regional networks in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America (ANMA, ASAP, EEARC and CLACAI). Their aims are to advocate for laws, policies and regulations which make the access to safe abortion possible; facilitate information sharing and networking to expand access to safe abortion; serve as a resource center for information about medical abortion; disseminate and support the development of guidelines, training curricula, information and introductory strategies for medical abortion within the context of comprehensive reproductive health services; and support capacity building for advocacy, training, introduction and provision of medical abortion services. For more information: http://www.medicalabortionconsortium.org.

About IPAS

Founded in 1973, Ipas is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to reduce maternal deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion and to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. In the belief that every woman has a basic human right to make safe reproductive choices, Ipas works to integrate woman-centered comprehensive abortion care-including safe elective abortion, post abortion care, contraception, and links to other reproductive health services-into national health systems, with emphasis on capacity-building, quality of care, and sustainability. Ipas' key strengths include a global pool of clinicians trained in safe abortion care; technical expertise in improving abortion-related services of public and private health systems and in community mobilization and engagement; and technical leadership and support in policy, research and evaluation.

About IPPF

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. IPPF is a worldwide movement of national organizations working with and for communities and individuals in over 170 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.ippf.org.

About IWHC

The International Women's Health Coalition leads global and local actions to secure every woman's right to a just and healthy life. We are creating a world where women are free from discrimination, sexual coercion and violence, and have access to health services and information. For more information, visit http://www.iwhc.org.

About MSI

Marie Stopes International is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive health (SRH) organization that uses modern business methods to achieve the social goal of preventing unintended pregnancies and unplanned births in 43 countries worldwide. Marie Stopes International delivers state-of-the-art programs in: family planning; safe abortion (including post abortion care) (http://www.mariestopes.org/Health_programmes/Safe_abortion_%5e_post_abor...); maternal child health; and HIV/STIs (http://www.mariestopes.org/Health_programmes/HIV%c2%acSTIs.aspx), including male circumcision. For more information, visit http://www.mariestopes.org/.

SOURCE: Population Services International

CONTACT: Trey Watkins, +31-(0)-641-649-998, kcwatkins@psi.org, or NilsGade, +31-(0)-621-267-177, ngade@psieurope.eu, both of Population ServicesInternational