UNFPA approves $400,000 for Aceh

JAKARTA: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) allocated on Tuesday US$400,000 for the re-establishment of Aceh's provincial National Family Planing Coordinating Board (BKKBN) to ensure immediate provision of reproductive health services following last December's tsunami disaster.

The fund would be used to restore daily operations of the BKKBN office and to provide supplies of contraceptives for people in Aceh, UNFPA said in a statement.

"Immediate provision of reproductive health and family planning services in Aceh is necessary, especially since reports indicate that demand for contraceptives among people living in camps has increased as they are trying to avoid unwanted pregnancies during this difficult period," said Bernard Coquelin, UNFPA's representative in Indonesia. -- JP