The International Planned Parenthood
Federation (IPPF) is the world's largest international non-governmental organization
advocating for sexual rights, and providing quality reproductive health care including
family planning information and services. The IPPF European Network Field Office for
Central Asia opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1996. The Field Office’s purpose is to
improve the capacity of local and national governments and non-governmental organizations
to work together as partners to make a difference in individual lives and public spheres
of women, men, and those who are socially excluded, particularly young people.

Between 1996 and 1999, the IPPF Field Office implemented a multi-component project
aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health services in Central Asia primarily
through collaboration with NGOs for the longer-term purpose of developing Family Planning
Associations to serve as platforms to advocate for sexual and reproductive rights. During
the first phase of this project, a new curricula for the training of medical and health
professionals, involving The John Hopkins University Program for International Education
in Reproductive Health, was adapted and developed.. All Central Asian countries, with the
exception of Turkmenistan, have now formally adopted the revised curricular components as
national standards. As a result of this project, the training of medical and health
professionals throughout Central Asia now covers multiple contraceptive methods, including
voluntary surgical contraception and infection prevention, as well as quality of care
issues.

The major outcome of the project was the consolidation of NGO networking and alliance
building. In this process, IPPF-EN has had the opportunity to interact with all types of
NGOs based in Central Asia’s capital cities as well as rural areas, with women’s
groups, young people’s organizations, human rights based groups and health related
groups. In some countries where lead NGOs did not have a national reach, consortiums were
formed with a view to recognizing representative bodies in each country. Program
development is now centered around strategic planning, financial accountability and
managerial transparency, resource mobilization and sustainability, sexuality advocacy and
sex education, gender issues, greater youth involvement in institutional decision making,
and work with marginalized groups.

The purpose of an association, as an NGO, is to serve as a catalyst for change and lead
by example. The NGO sector and the concepts of associations and voluntarism is maturing in
this region. These NGOs will be at the forefront in countering a lack of understanding of
the role and relevance of the NGO sector with regard to sexual rights, quality
reproductive health care as well as family planning information and services. In more open
societies like those developing in Central Asia, NGOs and associations are bound to
multiply greatly. However there is serious concern about diverse membership, a national
profile, election of boards, separation of roles between staff and volunteers, and between
government service and individual functions in NGOs. Effective governance and accountable
management within NGOs is the crucial challenge this sector now faces if it is to win the
trust of the public whose interests it should represent first and foremost in the evolving
democratic process. IPPF-EN will continue to provide technical assistance both from its
Brussels and Almaty offices.

Dr. Alfiya Shamsutdinova, Program Officer, IPPF-EN Field Office for
Central Asia.