The Ministry of Health and Population, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate and UNFPA commemorated World Contraception Day on September 26, in the presence of Dr. Hussein Khairy, Head of the Medical Syndicate, Dr. Kawthar Mahmoud, Head of the Nursing Syndicate, Germaine Haddad, UNFPA Assistant Representative, Dr. Hossam Abbas, Head of the Family Planning Sector at the Ministry of Health and Population and Dr. Gamal Sorour, Director of Al-Azhar’s International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research.

The event aimed at engaging government officials, policy makers, civil society, private sector and other stakeholders to reflect on the national family planning program in light of the results of the recently launched Egyptian Family Health Survey 2021.

The event also brought together Dr Amr Hassan, founder of Misr Foundation, along with members of parliament, civil society and private sector.

The event included panel discussions on the importance of evidence-based interventions in the national family planning program and the importance of public-private partnership to strengthen family planning service provision.

On her part, Haddad said that World Contraception Day comes on the heels of the announcement of the results of the Egyptian Family Health Survey 2021, which offers a database and insight into trends and attitudes, on which interventions can be tailored and designed.

She referred to the increase in the rate of contraception use, saying it is indicative of the increase in awareness among people in reproductive age, especially women, around family planning and reproductive health.

Dr. Khairy added that family planning does not mean birth control, but rather allocating the family's resources and using the number of family members to its advantage, because there can be strength in number.

World Contraception Day is commemorated on September 26, to bring focus to the rights of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children.