Dear colleague,
In 2021, the world experienced a record number of climate disasters and continued to suffer a global pandemic. Additionally, a record number of people were displaced by conflict and other types of crises. While family planning services and supply chains were affected in many places, there were also encouraging signs that governments are stepping up to strengthen emergency preparedness and response (EPR) for sexual and reproductive health, including the prevention of unintended pregnancy.
At the 2017 London Summit on Family Planning, members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises (IAWG) advocated for the FP2020 partnership to do more to make sure “every woman, everywhere” and “hard-to-reach populations” included those populations who are affected by acute and protracted crises. Since then, FP2030 has worked to foster collaboration among governments, donors, and humanitarian and development actors to make the case for EPR, develop technical guidance documents, and support governments and other organizations to make new commitments with evidence-based strategies for strengthening EPR efforts.
Patience Mwale-Mgoli, Health and Advocacy Technical Lead with CARE International in Malawi and FP2030 civil society focal point, provided an example of this type of collaboration: “FP2020 helped give us a powerful platform to convene diverse civil society partners to ensure EPR was integrated into national preparedness policies and plans.”
The launch of FP2030 heralds several major advances in how the partnership functions: All countries as well as a variety of other stakeholders are now welcome to make commitments; technical support will be provided by FP2030 regional hub staff; and we are intentionally broadening our partnerships to include communities and populations that might have been left behind in previous commitments.
In accordance with FP2030’s new multiregional structure and broader focus, we are updating our EPR strategy. With input from a wide variety of stakeholders, FP2030 identified six priorities for action:
- Support EPR commitments from current and new commitment makers.
- Broker and provide EPR technical and financial assistance to commitment-making countries via regional hubs.
- Engage youth and other civil society partners to develop and implement an EPR advocacy and accountability agenda.
- Influence global and national EPR agendas: policy, finance, programs, and standards.
- Broaden the FP2030 partner base and reduce silos by fostering partnerships with climate adaptation, resilience, pandemic preparedness, and disaster risk management actors.
- Develop and integrate EPR measures into the FP2030 measurement framework and track progress on EPR commitments to foster greater accountability.
In this newsletter, we showcase some of our partners that have made FP2030 commitments that include special attention to EPR, and we share resources for those working on their own commitments to include EPR objectives and strategies. An article by Sofia Heffernan, Associate for Global Initiatives at FP2030, examines the renewed focus on EPR by the family planning community in light of climate change and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Vienna Madrid, Asia Region Associate at FP2030, shares how focal points in Myanmar are working together to ensure continued access to family planning despite ongoing crises.
FP2030 is grateful to our partners for their valuable input. We look forward to implementing the new EPR strategy in collaboration with government, multilateral, donor, civil society, and youth partners representing a variety of sectors. Thank you for your continued collaboration and support.
Sincerely,
Lorelei Goodyear
Senior Technical Advisor, Emergency Preparedness and Response, FP2030
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FP2030 Commitments Including Emergency Preparedness
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FP2030 has received dozens of finalized commitments, many of which include special attention to emergency preparedness and response (EPR) and resilience.
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UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
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UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), with the support of 2gether 4 SRHR, will implement the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) Readiness Assessment in the 23 countries of the region from January to June 2022. UNFPA recognizes that most countries in the region face multiple hazards including conflict and climate change that manifest in acute and protracted contexts. To better equip countries to respond to emergencies and provide lifesaving SRH care, emergency preparedness is essential. The MISP Readiness Assessment process will provide a unique opportunity for countries to assess and understand their current preparedness and ultimately improve emergency response for SRH in the region as countries recover and rebuild after crises. The process will involve a multistakeholder approach where UNFPA will work closely with relevant ministries, community representatives, civil society organizations, and other UN agencies. The assessment will highlight strengths and weaknesses regarding the policy landscape, coordination mechanisms, data collection, the availability of services, trained health personnel, equipment, supplies, and funds.
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At the end of 2021, Mali launched its commitment to FP2030. The government's commitment to ensuring health systems and the “continuity of SR/FP and JARS services in emergency situations" was evident in its commitment language — prioritizing “strengthening the supply chain for contraceptive products in emergency areas” as well as promoting high-impact practices. Mali’s commitment showcased and advocated for “decision-makers to make access to health services, including RH/FP, a priority in times of crisis.” We are thrilled that Mali has made a commitment to FP2030 and that civil society actors, young people, and the government are prioritizing FP preparedness and resilience in crisis settings.
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While FP2020 focused on 69 countries that rarely included the Latin America or Caribbean regions, FP2030 welcomes commitments from any country. FP2030 has received nongovernmental actor commitments from several organizations in the LAC region, including one from Fòs Feminista. The Fòs Feminista commitment says “humanitarian preparedness and response has been a strategic priority for Fòs Feminista” and that the organization is “working to address the social and political determinants of vulnerability to prevent the disproportionate negative impact of public health emergencies on women, girls and gender-diverse populations.”
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Emergency preparedness more critical now than ever
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The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the effects of ongoing crises including climate change, natural disasters, war, and famine. It's more critical than ever before that crisis response include special attention to sexual reproductive health and rights. Read more.
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Despite pandemic and humanitarian crises, a family planning success story in Myanmar
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Over the past two years, the tenuous human rights environment in Myanmar has greatly deteriorated, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened inequalities and tensions between cultural groups. Providing access to sexual and reproductive health in this environment is a challenge, but two longtime FP2030 partners have made progress. Read more.
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FP2030 is hosting its first regional focal point workshop this week, again held virtually. We are excited to see many familiar faces and have the opportunity for many of our country partners to meet Dr. Samu Dube, FP2030’s executive director.
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The Sustaining Technical and Analytic Resources (STAR) is looking for a Senior Gender Advisor to be placed at the UN foundation working to provide strategic and technical advice to FP2030 Support Network on strategies for transforming gender norms and advancing gender equality across FP2030 commitment-making countries. Learn more about the role and how to apply here.
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Are you currently writing your FP2030 commitment? Don't miss the Incorporating Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience in Commitments guidance. It includes a checklist that stakeholders can use to craft new FP2030 commitments by governments and nongovernmental actors.
This Community Capacity Needs Assessment from Women's Refugee Commission shares how community-driven action plans can inform and complement government-focused activities, such as contingency planning, emergency preparedness, and resilience-building. CCNA involves four levels of stakeholders in the community: policymakers, health providers, community health workers, and community members.
The Facilitator’s Kit from Women's Refugee Commission is a three-day training that aims to build capacity at the community level to prepare for and respond to risks and inequities faced by women, girls, and marginalized and underserved subpopulations in emergencies. There is an optional additional half-day module on pandemic/epidemic preparedness.
Inside the FP Story podcast is a series that explores the details of family planning programming. Season Two: Implementation Experiences is brought to you by Knowledge SUCCESS and the World Health Organization (WHO)/IBP Network. The six episodes in this series explore issues around implementing family planning programs and offer practical examples – and specific guidance for others – on implementing high-impact practices in family planning and using the latest tools and guidance from WHO.
Social and behavior change (SBC) advocacy in family planning: Two short animations and accompanying briefs with compelling examples show that investment in SBC is critical to meeting global- and country-level family planning goals. These materials highlight evidence from Nigeria, Rwanda, Indonesia, Zambia, and several OP countries that demonstrates: SBC improves family planning outcomes, SBC complements service delivery, and SBC generates a high return on investment.
ICYMI: FP2030 has released its first Measurement Report. You can read the full report online, and if you missed our most recent "Deep Dive" webinar, you can still watch the recording on our YouTube in English, French, and Spanish.
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No Progress Without Quality: Country-Led Strategies to Improve Health and Family Planning Outcomes
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The Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative and USAID’s MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership
February 1, 9 am ET
Registration
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Advancing Human Rights in Family Planning: The Agenda for the Next Decade
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UNFPA, FP2030, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and What Works Association
February 8, 8 am ET
Registration
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WHO Classification of self-care interventions
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