For too long, efforts to reduce maternal mortality stalled, in part because the facts underlying the problem --and the best strategies to address it --were poorly understood. This report documents UNFPA's efforts to address maternal mortality using a strategic and practical evidence-based approach in a region where data has been scarce,and where too many women have died. Increasing access to emergency obstetric care is central to this approach.

From 1998 - 2002 the European Commission, UNFPA and European and local NGOs came together under the Initiative for Reproductive Health in Asia (RHI) to improve the RH of vulnerable populations in 7 countries in South and Southeast Asia. This publication presents the activities, experiences and lessons learned over the course of the first phase of this innovative programme.

Partnering with men is emerging as an important strategy for improving reproductive health. This new publication offers guidance on effective and gender-sensitive ways to engage men in the reproductive and sexual health of themselves and their partners. It includes examples of successful strategies and programming as well as lessons learned. A checklist summarizing key points makes this programme advisory note an especially useful tool for both designing and evaluating projects.

The papers in this report are based on an edited selection of presentations made at two meetings on population censuses. The first was the UNFPA/PARIS21 International Expert Group Meeting on Mechanisms for Ensuring Continuity of 10-Year Population Censuses: Strategies for Reducing Census Costs held in Pretoria on 26-29 November 2001 and the second meeting was a UNFPA In-House Capacity Building Workshop on Population Censuses: New Directions and Cost Saving Strategies held in Princeton, New Jersey on 21-23 October 2002.