{"id":121908,"date":"2026-04-11T11:41:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health"},"modified":"2026-04-11T11:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:57:47","slug":"unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","title":{"rendered":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent menstrual health challenges in Uganda, warning that limited access to affordable products continues to undermine girls\u2019 education and national development.<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening of the Uganda Menstrual Health Symposium in Kampala, UNFPA Deputy Representative Daniel Alemu said nearly one in five adolescent girls in Uganda misses school due to menstruation and period poverty, underscoring the scale of the crisis.<\/p>\n

The two-day symposium, held under the theme \u201cDriving Standards and Policy Reform for Affordable Menstrual Products,\u201d has brought together government officials, regulators, civil society organisations, private sector actors, and development partners to forge a coordinated response to gaps in menstrual health.<\/p>\n

Alemu stressed that the challenge extends beyond access to sanitary products, pointing to systemic barriers such as inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not isolated service delivery issues, but structural constraints that undermine the rights and potential of young women,\u201d Alemu said.<\/p>\n

He warned that continued inaction could slow Uganda\u2019s progress toward long-term development goals, including those outlined in the Uganda Vision 2040, by weakening human capital development.<\/p>\n

A central message from the symposium, he noted, is the need to move away from fragmented interventions toward a comprehensive, system-wide approach that integrates standards, regulation, financing, and service delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout alignment across policy, markets, and regulation, inequalities in access and affordability will persist,\u201d Alemu added.<\/p>\n

The agency also highlighted Uganda\u2019s increasing participation in shaping global standards for menstrual health products, particularly through engagement in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 338.<\/p>\n

Through the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), the country has established national frameworks to contribute to international standard-setting and has already submitted technical input on proposed global safety and quality benchmarks ahead of an upcoming meeting in Ghana.<\/p>\n

Alemu commended UNBS for positioning Uganda as an active contributor in global discussions, rather than a passive adopter of standards.<\/p>\n

However, he cautioned that standards alone will not resolve the challenges unless supported by enabling policies and fiscal reforms.<\/p>\n

While Uganda has introduced measures such as zero-rating menstrual products, Alemu said a gap remains between policy commitments and actual affordability at the household level.<\/p>\n

Stakeholders at the symposium raised concerns over persistent cost pressures within the menstrual health market, despite government incentives for local production.<\/p>\n

They noted that while there are no direct taxes on sanitary pad production, high import costs on raw materials\u2014particularly fabric used in reusable pads\u2014continue to drive up prices.<\/p>\n

These costs are passed on to consumers, leaving many households unable to afford essential products. Reusable sanitary pads, for instance, cost an average of Shs35,000, placing them out of reach for many families.<\/p>\n

Alemu pointed to inefficiencies in the supply chain, particularly affecting micro, small, and medium enterprises involved in production and distribution, which continue to face regulatory and tax-related burdens.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmerging tax pressures risk undermining gains in affordability. We must align fiscal policy with public health and equity objectives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

UNFPA also flagged regulatory bottlenecks across importation, manufacturing, and distribution systems as key contributors to high costs and inconsistent availability of menstrual products.<\/p>\n

To address these challenges, the agency said it is working with private sector players and industry associations to streamline processes and improve market efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to establish a predictable, transparent, and efficient regulatory environment that incentivises quality, supports local industry, and expands equitable access,\u201d Alemu said.<\/p>\n

Experts at the symposium also emphasised the importance of Uganda\u2019s participation in global technical discussions to shape standards that reflect local realities.<\/p>\n

Sophia Grinvalds, a Menstrual Health Markets Specialist at the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, said Uganda is increasingly influencing how quality, safety, and consistency are defined globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if countries didn\u2019t just adopt standards but helped create them? Uganda is leaning into that possibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her remarks point to a broader shift by Ugandan institutions toward actively shaping global frameworks in public health sectors such as menstrual hygiene.<\/p>\n

Despite progress in policy and standards, sector players warned that affordability remains a major barrier to access, particularly for low-income households, with implications for education outcomes and public health.<\/p>\n

They argued that without targeted interventions to reduce input costs and strengthen local manufacturing, policy gains may not translate into real improvements for the majority of Ugandans.<\/p>\n

Alemu urged stakeholders to use the symposium to deliver concrete outcomes, including clear policy priorities, stronger engagement in global standard-setting, and actionable solutions to fiscal and regulatory constraints.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must move from dialogue to implementation, from commitments to accountability, and from pilot initiatives to scale,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that Uganda has the potential to position itself as a regional leader in building an inclusive, standards-driven menstrual health market that guarantees quality, affordability, and dignity for all women and girls.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent menstrual health challenges in Uganda, warning that limited access to affordable products continues to undermine girls\u2019 education and national development. Speaking at the opening of the Uganda Menstrual Health Symposium in Kampala, UNFPA Deputy Representative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":121906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-121908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nUNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\"},\"wordCount\":817,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\",\"name\":\"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health - Uganda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/\",\"name\":\"Uganda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health - Uganda","description":"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health","og_description":"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","og_site_name":"Uganda","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health","datePublished":"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health"},"wordCount":817,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg","keywords":["uganda"],"articleSection":["all news","community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health","name":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health - Uganda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-11T11:41:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-11T11:57:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called for urgent policy and regulatory reforms to tackle persistent m ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896039.943144.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/unfpa-calls-for-policy-reforms-on-menstrual-health#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UNFPA Calls for Policy Reforms on Menstrual Health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/","name":"Uganda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121913,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121908\/revisions\/121913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}