Faith and culture in health care: Using collaborative relationships to address critical concerns -- A Roundtable Discussion

Background
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV and AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.  In 2002, UNFPA launched an initiative to systematically mainstream culturally sensitive approaches into its programming efforts. This demands a greater emphasis on working with communities and local agents of change – engaging in dialogue, listening, sharing knowledge and insights, and jointly planning the way to move ahead. Additionally, UNFPA has invested in implementing a unique three-pronged programming methodology: combining gender equality, cultural sensitivity and a human rights based approach. Our guiding thought is that culture matters, and that faith and religion are a vital part of the culture of most people throughout the world.  Therefore, even as we emphasize universal human rights, it is crucial for us to engage, in a thoughtful and culturally sensitive manner, those faith based groups from within the developing world who have a long and established history of social service delivery and are amongst the most powerful shapers of behaviours and attitudes in some parts of the world.

Programs
UNFPA has a legacy of partnering with faith-based organizations (FBOs) in population and development. A global mapping conducted during 2006 and 2007 identified over 75 different UNFPA partnerships with Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu groups. UNFPA is committed to continue enhancing its partnerships with FBOs in several areas including: reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and population and development issues. At this time, UNFPA is taking stock of the groups with whom we have partnered, and determining the areas in which our partners have the strongest capacities, and working with them in our respective areas of strength. UNFPA is, also committed to building bridges between the FBO world and the “secular development world”, combining their voices in dialogue. In this way, we can consolidate our partnerships and build a solid base upon which we can address issues related to population and development throughout the developing world.