Vietnam, 26 September 2022 – At the event “Implementing family planning for the health and happiness of each family as well as the country development” organized by the Government Office of Family Planning (GOPFP) under the Ministry of Health, Bayer Vietnam received a Certificate of Merit in recognition of the company’s contributions to various education programs on reproductive health and modern contraception for Vietnamese women. Held in celebration of World Contraception Day 2022, the event raised awareness of voluntary family planning, and underlined the importance empowering young people to learn about sexual and reproductive health as well as to talk openly about it with healthcare providers and partners.
Bayer committed to supporting reproductive health awareness among women
- At the event “Implementing family planning for the health and happiness of each family as well as the country development”, Bayer Vietnam was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Government Office of Family Planning for its contributions to various communication programs dedicated to enhancing awareness about voluntary family planning and access to reproductive health education.
- As a leader in women’s health, Bayer has committed to provide 100 million women in low-and-middle income countries access to family planning by funding multi-stakeholder aid programs and ensuring the supply of affordable modern contraceptives by 2030.
Bayer Vietnam received a Certificate of Merit from the General Department of Population and Family Planning for its contributions to raising awareness about reproductive health and family planning among Vietnamese women.
Worldwide, the number of unintended pregnancies remains constantly high. Almost half of all pregnancies that occur each year are unintended1, and during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s and girl’s sexual and reproductive health and rights have been severely affected2. At the same time, approximately 218 million women living in low-and middle-income countries have an unmet need for modern contraception3 - they want to prevent an unplanned pregnancy but are not using any form of contraception or using traditional methods that are less effective.
In addition, persisting myths and misperceptions about modern contraception are also barriers. A study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 36 countries found that two-thirds of sexually active women who wished to delay or limit childbearing stopped using contraception for fear of side effects, health concerns and underestimation of the likelihood of conception4. This led to high percentage of pregnancies being unintended.
In Vietnam, over the past six years, Bayer has been collaborating with the General Office for Population and Family Planning (GOPFP) to implement various communication programs and provide local women, notably adolescent girls, with scientifically accurate information about a range of contraceptive methods, while addressing misconceptions and encouraging them to proactively take their reproductive and sexual health into woman’s hands.
From 2016 to 2020, initiatives conducted by both parties included the "As a woman, I choose to live proactively" campaign; the online contest “Understanding contraception”; the “Let’s compose inspirational stories” contest, the mobile apps “Be proactive in life”… which helped more than 25 million women across the country receive direct advice from population officials on how to choose safe birth control methods and avoid unplanned pregnancies. Built on this momentum, the second phase of the “Family Planning Communication Program for Public Health” (2021-2025) will utilize digital platforms to promote the rights of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children as well as to improve knowledge of reproductive health for Vietnamese women in accordance with national strategies and programs.
General Director of Bayer Vietnam shared about Bayer's goal in efforts to raise awareness about active contraception at World Contraceptive Day conference 2022.
Mr. Ingo Brandenburg, General Director of Bayer Vietnam, shared: “Our aim is both to increase awareness of self-determined family planning and safeguard the availability and affordability of modern contraceptives. With a history of 160 years of innovation and as a leader in women’s health, Bayer works to develop innovative medications and new therapeutic approaches that help make a difference to women’s lives, offering a wide range of effective short- and long-acting birth control methods as well as therapies for menopause management and gynecological diseases, including endometriosis. We commit to further strengthening the collaboration with the GOPFP to help Vietnamese women take control of their own health to reach their full potential in life.”
Globally, Bayer has pledged its commitment until 2030 to providing 100 million women, especially women in low- and middle-income countries, with access to modern contraception to make informed choices by funding multi-stakeholder aid programs and ensuring the supply of affordable modern contraceptives. This is part of the comprehensive sustainability measures and commitments from 2020 onwards and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Bayer is committed to helping more than 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries by 2030 access appropriate family planning knowledge and practices.
As well as being associated with increased risk of maternal health complications, unintended pregnancies can also lead to cycles of high fertility, as well as lower educational and employment potential and poverty – challenges which can span generations.5 Self-determined family planning with unrestricted access to contraceptives and knowing how to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases are essential to build a healthier and better future for women as well as the community in general.
“In the coming time, implementing effective family planning continues to be the important goals of the GOPFP, especially improving the quality of family planning services, making access convenient and pleasant to affordable contraception methods and services for all people, especially ethnic minorities and people living in remote areas, gradually eliminating differences in access to family planning services between different geographical regions.” shared Mr. Nguyen Doan Tu, Director of GOPFP, Ministry of Health
About World Contraception Day
For 16 years, World Contraception Day (WCD) has taken place on September 26 and marks the annual highlight of the ongoing communication of the Your Life campaign. It is a well-established official awareness day that puts sexual rights and contraception in focus in more than 70 countries ‒ on political, media and public levels. The project began in Central America in 2003. Several partners joined up to launch a local event promoting the use of contraceptives. The idea quickly gained popularity, and in 2007 it was transformed into the global event it is today.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
1 Bearak, Jonthan, “Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019”, https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2214-109X%2820%2930315-62
2 United Nations Population Fund, "New UNFPA data reveals that nearly 12 million women lost access to contraception due to disruptions caused by the pandemic, leading to 1.4 million unintended pregnancies", https://www.unfpa.org/press/new-unfpa-data-reveals-nearly-12-million-women-lost-access-contraception-due-
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3 Sully EA et al., “Adding It Up: Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health 2019” New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2020, https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/adding-it-up-investing-in-sexual-reproductive-health-2019.pdf
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