On 18 December 2009, the Macedonian Minister of Health Bujar Osmani, the Netherlands Ambassador Simone Filippini and the UNFPA Country Director Mr. Francois Farah opened the first counselling centre for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Skopje. The centre is part of the broader project on sexual and reproductive health and rights which is being implemented by the Ministry of Health and UNFPA, and financed by the Netherlands Embassy in Skopje.

Minister Osmani said that the opening of the centre is part of the overall strategy of the Ministry that pertains to sexual and reproductive health. “It will provide an easier access to, especially to the young population with respect to the needed information for protection and advancing of the reproductive health. Ten more counseling centres of this kind will be opened around the country, and the young people will be able to freely discuss their problems and issues with respect to reproductive health and build their life styles on this issue.” Stressed the Minister.

Ambassador Filippini congratulated the Macedonian ministry of Health with this initiative. She stressed that the number of teenage pregnancies in countries that have repressive policies as to sexuality related issues and youth tends to be high. Research has shown that there is a positive connection between adequate information to young people as to sexuality related issues, including contraceptive use, low rates of teenage pregnancy and of sexually transmittable diseases (STD). In short: well informed youngsters are much better capable to take responsible decisions. She also mentioned that the issues regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are among the foreign policy priorities of the Netherlands. SRHR is closely related to gender equality and the rights of girls and women to take their own decisions regarding sex and pregnancy. “Well informed young people make good decisions. If you don’t take children and young adults seriously, how could you expect them to behave seriously?! This is something we have learned in the Netherlands, and the results are excellent. We have sexual education in our schools, open attitudes and discussions, and the results are very positive. We have the lowest rate of teenage pregnancies in the world and, high percentages of contraceptive use and low rates of STD prevalence. And unlike what outsiders often tend to think, Dutch parents do certainly not promote early sex, but they have open relationships with their teenage kids and mostly advise them to take a cautious approach,” ambassador Filippini added. 

The Netherlands has granted EUR 230,000 for the project on sexual and reproductive rights, which also includes assistance to the creation of the national strategy on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Useful links:

 http://www.unfpa.org/public/
 http://www.hivos.nl/dut/community/partner/10000257
 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_teens.html


Links to media coverage:

 www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?VestID=117680
moh.gov.mk/index.php?news=757
www.netpress.com.mk/vest.asp?id=65640... - 21 uur geleden
 www.idividi.com.mk/vesti/makedonija/569205/index.html
 www.mia.com.mk/default.aspx?mId=35...1