Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction- HRP

Last updated

The Human Reproduction Program -UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) is a WHO co-sponsored research programme on human reproduction. HRP is based at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. [1] Its goal is to support and coordinate research on a global scale. It is part of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) department of the WHO.

Contents

Creation of the Human Reproduction Unit

Since the first United Nations World Population Conference, held in Rome in 1954, the United Nations had a growing interest in the issue of demography and associated it with the economic difficulties of developing countries. following a request of the UN General Assembly, [2] the Secretary-General conducted an inquiry among the member-States and concluded there were indeed concerns among the developing countries about the growth of their populations. These findings were taken into account by the General Assembly in the resolution 1048 (XXXVII). [3]

As the Second World Population Conference was meeting in Belgrade in 1965, the WHO was wondering how it could contribute. [4] For the Director-General, as he said in a report demanded by the WHO Executive Council, "the importance of many medical, biological, social, cultural and economic factors in human reproduction makes it a major public health problem", [3] which justified the decision to work on the demographic question, especially via the subject of human reproduction. The report was approved by the World Health Assembly, and it was decided to study sterility, the regulation of fertility, and the health aspect of demography. [5] This mark the beginning of the Human Reproduction Unit. Its mission was to give technical advice on human reproduction aspects that were involved in public health.

Development of the Unit and creation of a global program of research

The Human Reproduction Unit continued its mission and expanded its research not to only take into account strictly the medical aspect of human reproduction, but also economic, sociological, cultural, and psychological factors. The Unit was organizing meetings of experts and began to create a centre of documentation on human reproduction. In 1970, the WHO designated the Reproductive Endocrinology Research Unit of the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm as research and training centre on human reproduction. [6]

Pleased by the progress made, the World Health Assembly requested the Director-General to consider a way to develop family planning services. [7] In 1970, the WHO launched a feasibility study about a global program of research on human reproduction. A report was thus presented in 1971 and advocated for a five ways action plan. [8] First, the designation of four Research and Training Centres, which would have to be leaders on the research on human reproduction in their respective region. Second, the collaboration with Clinical Research Centres to facilitate the clinical evaluation of new fertility regulating agents. Third, the creation of task Forces to conduct the research projects. Fourth, the creation of an international documentation centre on biomedical aspects of human reproduction (this point was not executed due to limited funding at the time). The fifth point was about secondary objectives and miscellaneous recommendations. The Human Reproduction Unit was charged with the creation and administration of the new "Expanded Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction".[ citation needed ]

Expanded Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction

The Expanded Programme was directed by an Advisory Group of 12 to 15 people designated by the Director-general. Their role was to advise the WHO on the policies, the strategies, the research priorities, and the resource affectation. [9] The technical details of the scientific projects, the control of the publications and works of the Task Forces were delegated to a Review Group, which also designated the Clinical Research Centres.In 1977, the Expanded Programme became the Special Programme.[ citation needed ]

Evolution to a Co-sponsored Special Programme

In 1986, the structure of the Programme changed. [10] The advisory Group was replaced by the Policy and Coordination Advisory Committee (PCAC), a consultative organ to the Director-General which made recommendations on issues linked to the policies, funding and general organization of the programme. It was composed of 30 members, twelve being the countries that contributed the most, twelve elected by the regional committees, three elected by the PCAC itself and the UNFPA, World Bank and IPPF as permanent members. The new structure also included the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG): [11] composed of 10 to 15 members (experts and scientists) it designated the Programme research priorities, the creation or end of a task Force, and gave an independent evaluation of all scientific and technical aspect of the Programme.

In 1988, the co-sponsorship of the Programme began: [11] the UNDP, UNFPA, World Bank and the WHO were co-sponsors of the "UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction", commonly referred to as "the HRP". This had to objective to obtain consequent and stable funding for the Programme. The PCAC became the Policy and Coordination Committee (PCC), in charge of the administration, the approval of the budget, and the general orientation of the work of the Programme and included the co-sponsors as permanent members. A Standing Committee, composed of representatives of the co-sponsors meets thrice a year, monitors the Programme situation and formulates recommendations to the PCC. As the executive agency, the WHO nominates the director of the Programme and other non-elected members of the HRP after consulting the Standing Committee. The STAG had also now to report to the Standing Committee while the Review Group is replaced by the Research Project Review Panel which had similar attributions, but includes also the control of the financial aspect of the research projects.[ citation needed ]

Finally, in 1996, the Gender Advisory Panel was created in order to keep particular attention to issues linked to gender inequities, mutilations and violence based on sex and rights based on sexual practice and orientation. [12] It became the Gender and Rights Advisory Panel in 2007.In 1998, UNICEF joined the co-sponsors.

The HRP was still part of the Human Reproduction Unit, but other WHO organs were working on demography-linked subjects. Thus, in 1998, to avoid duplicate efforts, the unit merged with the Reproductive Health Division into the Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR). [13] The RHR was composed of the HRP, which was focused on research and training but without operational activities and the Programme Development in Reproductive Health (PDRH), which was tasked to translate the HRP's work into policies and operational actions. The STAG extended its attribution to also supervise the PDRH. Ultimately, following a global reform of the WHO structure in 2019, the RHR was placed under the responsibility of the UHC/Life Course Division and became the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH). [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex education</span> Instruction on human sexuality issues

Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexualityeducation or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex and birth control, sexual health, reproductive health, emotional relations and responsibilities, age of consent, and reproductive rights. Sex education that includes all of these issues is known as comprehensive sexuality education, and, especially in more puritan parts of the United States, is often opposed to abstinence-only sex education, which only focuses on sexual abstinence. Sex education may be provided as part of school programs, public health campaigns, or by parents or caregivers. In some countries it is known as "Relationships and Sexual Health Education".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Population Fund</span> United Nations organization

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leading campaigns against child marriage, gender-based violence, obstetric fistula, and female genital mutilation.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity.

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, on 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Programme of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global non-governmental organisation with the broad aims of promoting sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family planning. It was first formed in 1952 in Bombay, India, by Margaret Sanger and Lady Rama Rau at the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood with support of an expanding population with limited resources. Presently, it consists of more than 149 Member Associations working in more than 189 countries. The IPPF is highly developed and organised into six regions. The organisation is based in London, England.

The World Population Foundation (WPF) was founded in 1987 in the Netherlands by Diana and Roy W. Brown. Their purpose was to create an organisation to draw attention to the effects of high birth rates and rapid population growth on maternal and infant mortality, communities and the environment, and to raise funds for population projects and programmes, with the ultimate aim of reducing world poverty and improving the quality of life of the world's poorest people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concept Foundation</span>

The Concept Foundation is a non-profit foundation which was established by the UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/WB Special program in Reproductive Health (WHO/HRP), PATH, the World Bank in 1989 in Bangkok, Thailand, "as a mechanism through which WHO’s rights associated with an injectable contraceptive, Cyclofem, could be licensed to potential producers in developing countries". Estradiol cypionate/medroxyprogesterone acetate, is a once-a-month combined injectable contraceptive which contains 25 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate—the same ingredient in Depo Provera—and 5 mg of estradiol cypionate.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), previously the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), is a consortium of 36 United Nations funds, programmes, specialized agencies, departments and offices that play a role in development. It was created by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in order to improve the effectiveness of United Nations development activities at the country level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Foundation for World Population</span>

DSW is an international private non-profit foundation addressing Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) and population dynamics. DSW funds its project and advocacy work from private donations and the financial support of governments, foundations and other organisations. It has its headquarters in Hanover, Germany.

Evidence Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) is a network, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), which attempts to improve public health, especially in developing countries, by coordinating the efforts of policymakers and health researchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marleen Temmerman</span> Belgian gynaecologist and politician

Marleen Temmerman is a Belgian gynaecologist, professor and former Senator, currently heading the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babatunde Osotimehin</span>

Babatunde Osotimehin was a Nigerian physician, who served as Minister of Health, and in 2011 became the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, reappointed in August 2014 until his death. Osotimehin's interests were youth and gender, and he advocated for reproductive health and reproductive rights, particularly within the context of the HIV epidemic. One of his strengths was his reliance on data and evidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender Inequality Index</span> United Nations index for gender inequality

The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is an index for the measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report 20th anniversary edition by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). According to the UNDP, this index is a composite measure to quantify the loss of achievement within a country due to gender inequality. It uses three dimensions to measure opportunity cost: reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation. The new index was introduced as an experimental measure to remedy the shortcomings of the previous indicators, the Gender Development Index (GDI) and the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), both of which were introduced in the 1995 Human Development Report.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.

Sofia Gruskin is a scholar and advocate in the field of health and human rights whose contributions range from global policy to the grassroots level. For more than 25 years her work has been instrumental in developing the conceptual, methodological, and empirical links between health and human rights, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, child and adolescent health, gender-based violence, non-communicable disease, and health systems. Currently, Gruskin is a professor at the Keck School of Medicine and Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California. Gruskin also directs the USC Institute for Global Health as well as its Program on Global Health & Human Rights and leads the USC Law & Global Health Collaboration with fellow professors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estradiol cypionate/medroxyprogesterone acetate</span> Pharmaceutical combination

Estradiol cypionate/medroxyprogesterone acetate (EC/MPA), sold under the brand name Cyclofem among others, is a form of combined injectable birth control. It contains estradiol cypionate (EC), an estrogen, and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a progestin. It is recommended for short-term use and is given once a month by injection into a muscle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict</span> Office of the United Nations Secretariat

The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) is an office of the United Nations Secretariat tasked with serving the United Nations' spokesperson and political advocate on conflict-related sexual violence, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC). The Special Representative holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the UN and chairs the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. The mandate of the SRSG-SVC was established by Security Council Resolution 1888, introduced by Hillary Clinton, and the first Special Representative, Margot Wallström, took office in 2010. The current Special Representative is Pramila Patten of Mauritius, who was appointed by UN Secretary General António Guterres in 2017. The work of the SRSG-SVC is supported by the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict, co-led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPO), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), also established under Security Council Resolution 1888.

The Human Reproduction Program -UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) is a WHO co-sponsored research programme on human reproduction. HRP is based at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Its goal is to support and coordinate research on a global scale. It is part of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) department of the WHO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diene Keita</span> United Nations official (born 1964)

Diene Keita is a former Minister for Cooperation and Africa Integration for Guinea. In June 2020, she was appointed deputy executive director for programmes, United Nations Population Fund, by Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. She has held leadership roles in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), serving in several countries which includes; United States of America, Niger, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Haiti, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.

References

  1. ↑ "sexual and reproductive health and research-SHR" . Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Population growth and economic development". United Nations. March 9, 1963.
  3. 1 2 "Decisions of the United Nations, specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency affecting WHO's activities (programme matters): programme activities in the health aspects of world population which might be developed by WHO: report by the Director-General". March 9, 1965. hdl:10665/136768.
  4. ↑ "Decisions of the United Nations affecting WHO's activities: resolution 1048 (XXXVII) of the Economic and Social Council". March 9, 1965. hdl:10665/88958.
  5. ↑ "Programme activities in the health aspects of world population which might be developed by WHO". March 9, 1965. hdl:10665/89329.
  6. ↑ Gomes Candau, Marcolino (March 9, 1971). The work of WHO, 1970: annual report of the Director-General to the World Health Assembly and to the United Nations. hdl: 10665/85828 . ISBN   92-4-160188-4.
  7. ↑ "Health aspects of population dynamics". March 9, 1969. hdl:10665/91257.
  8. ↑ Organization, World Health (1971). "World Health Organization: Expanded Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction: Report of a Feasibility Project, May 1971; HR/71.4 (1971) part 1" (PDF). hdl:10665/361192.
  9. ↑ Organization, World Health (March 9, 1971). "Expanded Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction: report of a feasibility project: supplementary information". hdl:10665/361193.
  10. ↑ "World Health Organization: EM/RC33/13 - Nomination of a member state to the Policy and Coordination advisory committee (PCAC) of the Special programme of research, development, and research training in human reproduction (HRP), July 1986" (PDF). 1986. hdl:10665/120636.
  11. 1 2 "Recent Developments in Human Reproduction Research – Progress report by the Director-General" (PDF). 1987. hdl:10665/162389.
  12. ↑ Khosla, Rajat; Amin, Avni; Allotey, Pascale; Barroso, Carmen; George, Asha; Hardon, Anita; Askew, Ian (January 1, 2019). ""Righting the wrongs": addressing human rights and gender equality through research since Cairo". Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. 27 (1): 329–332. doi:10.1080/26410397.2019.1676529. PMC   7887975 . PMID   31746277.
  13. ↑ Mbizvo, Michael T.; d'Arcangues, Catherine; Van Look, Paul FA; Benagiano, Giuseppe (2012). "40 years of innovation in sexual and reproductive health". The Lancet. 380 (9843): 705–706. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61025-3. PMID   22920740. S2CID   205966657.
  14. ↑ "Special Programmes: UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP): Policy and Coordination Committee (PCC) – Report on attendance at PCC in 2020 and nomination of a Member in place of Bhutan whose term expires on 31 December 2020". March 9, 2020. hdl:10665/333620.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.