Resources

This article was written in September 2017. Since then, thanks to the work of NGOs including our member HERA, Macedonia’s government has committed to providing long-term funding for all HIV programmes for marginalised people. Although HIV prevalence is low in Macedonia, with only 151 people registered as living with HIV, these small numbers mask a complex picture, and one that is rapidly changing. In 2016, there were 40 new HIV diagnoses, the majority of them among men who have sex with men.  Macedonia is not alone in facing a rise in HIV cases. In many parts of Central and Eastern Europe, the rate of new infections is growing. Between 2010 and 2015, the region saw a 50 per cent rise in new HIV infections annually. Another looming problem that threatens to send Macedonian HIV rates spiralling upwards is a funding crisis precipitated by donor cutbacks and political uncertainty. Between 2004 and 2016, Macedonian HIV programmes received almost $25 million from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Much of this money was channelled into HIV prevention, funding NGOs that target those deemed most vulnerable to infection – sex workers, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men and prisoners. But in 2016 this funding was phased out and NGOs on the frontline are left hoping that the new government will deliver fully on a recent commitment to step in with similar levels of funding in 2018. In the chasm left by the country’s public healthcare system, Macedonia’s sexual health and rights NGOs work tirelessly to plug the gap, often on a shoestring and in an increasingly uncertain funding landscape. HERA, IPPF's member in Macedonia, is a leading NGO providing free HIV testing services, sexual health support and advocacy. It works closely with smaller organisations around the country to ensure support for young people, sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men. These NGOs are many people’s first port of call for HIV tests and other vital health care.  

Our member SRH Serbia (the Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) decided to challenge gender stereotypes in Serbian society through the act of theatre-based workshops, in partnership with IPAK Center. In a country where social issues like gender are rarely a serious part of public debate, boys and girls taking part literally walk in one another's shoes to help challenge and dismantle 'gender roles'. As SRH Serbia's Dragana Stojanović says, "gender roles are merely roles that we are playing all our lives, and this is why playing them on the stage makes perfect sense." The project was funded by IPPF's Innovation Fund.

In 2016, IPPF EN continued to support our members and partners in Europe and Central Asia in the fight to make sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) a reality for all. Our focus was, as always, on helping women and young people who are neglected by governments, or attacked by regressive forces that seek to control the bodies and lives of others. This annual report presents some of the highlights of our work. These include championing women’s rights at a time when reproductive bullying is on the rise, helping to ensure that governments deliver on SRHR and gender equality, including in the Global South, and paving the way for increasing numbers of young people to develop crucial life skills through sex and relationships education. In the world’s only region with rising levels of HIV infections, we worked to ensure that the most vulnerable young people don’t slip through the cracks as donors pull out and governments fail to step up, and we helped ensure that life-saving sexual and reproductive health care is not overlooked in humanitarian emergencies, where women and girls are always at greatest risk.    

The Youth-in-Power Youth Strategy is a powerful tool for young activists working on empowering their peers and advocating on behalf of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people in Europe and Central Asia. IPPF EN's youth network YSAFE joined forces with regional youth network partners YouAct, Y-PEER and ASTRA Youth, as well as the PETRI-Sofia research institute, to gather young people's knowledge, experience, needs, ideas and visions and bring them together in this up-to-date and comprehensive strategy. The recommendations cover topics ranging from comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services to youth participation in decision-making processes.      

2016 saw the implementation of IPPFs new strategic plan and therefore was a year of transition for the Secretariat as operations were aligned to focus on the new outcomes. The strategy responds to social, political and demographic global trends. These include: the expectations and potential of the largest ever generation of young people; ongoing, significant social and economic inequalities, including discrimination against girls and women; and opposition that threatens gains in human rights. We continue to receive funding from and are grateful for the continued support of our key funders. With their support and help our unrestricted funding increased in the year to US$76.7 million from US$72.2 million. This was in spite of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union in June, which led to the weakening of sterling and Euro against the dollar and reduced our dollar income from our European donors. Restricted income increased from US$44.1 million to US$53.7 million. A significant factor in the increase was the US$10 million received from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to enable IPPF to respond to the Zika crisis in the Western Hemisphere Region. The amount of grants to Member Associations (MAs) and partner organizations was US$68.3 million. Central expenditure decreased by US$2.9 million to US$16.1 million mainly due to the weakening of sterling whereas Regional expenditure remained consistent with the prior year at US$34.0 million (a US$0.4 million decrease on 2015).

Liana was told she wasn't able to give birth but thanks to IPPF EN member association, the Reproductive Health Alliance Kyrgyzstan (RHAK), Liana had a healthy baby boy. IPPF EN and RHAK work to empower women and support their reproductive choices.