Reproductive Health Supplies News

Terri Bartlett, Carolyn Gibb Vogel, Suzanne Ehlers and PAI consultant Mercedes Mas de Xaxas participated in the semi-annual meeting of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, hosted by the International Planned Parenthood federation (IPPF) in London April 27-28, 2007. In the days leading up to the RHSC meeting, PAI and RHSC advocacy partners met to plan and advance ongoing advocacy initiatives designed to continue to raise global awareness of supply shortfalls and funding needs, and to build capacity at the country level to bring such messages to country governments and non-governmental audiences.

Major accomplishments of the spring 2007 RHSC meeting were review of the RHSC five-year Strategic Plan and editing of the Strategic Work Plan. Other highlights included country presentations (from Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Jordan, Nicaragua and Tanzania) and discussions on new funding mechanisms, in-country coordination committees and a mini workshop on WHO’s progress on a contraceptive manufacturer prequalification initiative.

The Resource Mobilization and Awareness (RMA) Working Group is one of three active working groups of the RHSC. Led by PAI, the working group is finalizing an advocacy toolkit to provide materials and information to coalition members for their own advocacy on the supply issue. The toolkit and its resource databank include materials such as PowerPoint presentations, policy briefs, and country studies that are relevant for a variety of advocacy purposes.

PAI is very enthusiastic about one of its newest projects — Project RMA, a portfolio of supplies advocacy work implemented in collaboration with IPPF and the German Foundation for World Population (DSW), as well as in consultation with other RMA Working Group members such as Partners in Population and Development, USAID and UNFPA. The portfolio represents a substantial portion of the RMA Working Group’s three-year workplan. Current highlights of Project RMA’s work include:

• Burkina Faso and Uganda have been identified as focus countries for in-country advocacy. They were selected based on need and readiness for supply advocacy, existence of civil society networks and convergence of other complementary work on the supply issue undertaken by other RHSC members and working groups. There will eventually be up to six focus countries in total.

• A series of country studies is underway that will form the evidence base for the three-year Project RMA. The studies will include a discussion and review of progress on the reproductive health supply issue since a landmark 2001 meeting in Istanbul, an assessment of the strength and involvement of civil society in advocacy in the countries and an overview of supply funding and policy.

• Project RMA will be expanding its global advocacy reach by providing small grants and assistance to select regional NGO networks or coalitions. The adoption of the supply issue by these networks has the potential to greatly expand impact by reaching many civil society groups and helping them incorporate the RH supply issue into their portfolio of work. Five networks have already been identified and have received grants.

Please watch for updates on the RHSC, Project RMA and the RMA Working Group following the next RHSC meeting in October in PAInsider and on the RHSC Website.