Support the development of regional networks

The social context, laws, policies and practices related to abortion vary considerably across world regions, as does the availability of either or both medical abortion drugs; hence, information needs and advocacy strategies need to be contextualized.

1. Support the work of:

• Latin American Consortium against Unsafe Abortion, launched in Lima, May 2006 ICMA has further encouraged the formation of regional networks – a group of participants at the Johannesberg conference from the Latin American and Caribbean region got together to form a regional network, which they named “Consorcio Latinoamericano y del Caribe contra el Aborto Inseguro” (CLACAI), or Latin American and Caribbean Consortium against Unsafe Abortion. The network, modelled on ICMA and having similar aims, will reflect the unique situation in that region, where abortion is almost universally restricted in law, but clandestine use of misoprostol-alone for medical abortion is widespread. The first meeting of CLACAI, held in May 2006 in Lima, was attended by 49 participants from 13 countries. The regional consortium established five working groups on research, advocacy, clinical services, information, education and communication and strategies to maintain access to abortifacient drugs, as well as a three-member Coordinating Committee. ICMA was represented at the meeting, and is following up through dialogue with the regional consortium on joint fundraising and activities. The Latin American Consortium, has agreed to work as a regional network in partnership with the ICMA Steering Committee. ICMA in turn plans to help to raise funds to support the development of a regional website, to adapt and print materials in Spanish and Portuguese, and to support their representation in regional and international conferences.
  ICMA will additionally facilitate regional training and advocacy campaigns if requested, and arrange for technical and modest financial support for other activities of the regional network where possible. Among the first activities being contemplated is the development of a CLACAI website to serve as a virtual space for members to share information.

• Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP), launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 2008. The main goal of ASAP is to promote, protect and advance women’s sexual and reproductive rights and health in Asia by reducing unsafe abortion and its complications and where it is legal, by promoting access to comprehensive safe abortion services.

• Eastern European Alliance for Reproductive Choice (EEARC), launched in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 2008. The main goal of EEARC is to protect women’s reproductive health by ensuring their reproductive rights and reproductive choice, including the access to safe abortion

• African Network on Medical Abortion (ANMA), launched in  Johannesburg, South Africa, March 2009. Initial goals of the ICMA Africa Network are to facilitate the provision of safe and effective medical abortion by registering the drugs in more countries and developing the capacity of local partners to educate others about medical abortion, and introduce medical abortion both in countries where abortion is not legal, and in countries where it is legal but not well implemented and creating an overview of the Africa Region to identify existing networks and coalitions.

ICMA encourage its members to develop similar regional networks in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, with the aim of giving comparable support to them. As part of its support for the development of regional networks, ICMA will help with organizing regional conferences, provide guidance on carrying out strategic assessments of national abortion services and other forms of country-level study related to medical abortion, and point to resources for information dissemination and advocacy.