The global development agenda is currently focusing on poverty eradication, environmental protection, equity, social inclusion and social development with the shift towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the post-2015 era. Within this larger agenda, health and healthcare related goals are part of the third, fifth, and tenth SDGs. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health services is emphasized globally, to ensure reduction in maternal mortality, improvement in the provision of family planning services, and integration of sexual and reproductive health into national and regional programs and policies.
Although several Arab countries have undertaken health system reforms, many challenges remain for the integration of SRH, FP and HIV packages within the existing PHC services especially within the considerations of the UHC agenda.
Under a cooperation agreement with UNFPA/ASRO, the MENA Health Policy Forum has undertaken an assessment exercise to develop a comprehensive overview of the situation of SRH integration within PHC in selected Arab countries, namely: Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Morocco, Palestine and Sudan.
The expert meeting will serve as a forum for policy dialogue to present the findings from country studies and the regional report, to discuss the challenges identified in this exercise and to recommend strategies to address the gaps. This discussion will consider the contextual specificities in each country and the region as a whole and, the current health system capacities and deficiencies in order to recommend strategies for reaching the targeted
