The Department of Health (DOH) and Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) Asia Pacific Regional Hub join hands to improve family planning programs and practices in the Philippines through the Asia-Pacific Focal Points Workshop with the theme, “Advancing Towards 2030: A Renewed Vision for Realizing Family Planning Rights and Choices through a Country-Led Model” from July 1-4, 2024, in Manila.

The four-day workshop aims to strengthen the collective efforts of the Philippines with its commitment to advancing family rights and choices. The sessions focus on high-impact practices, data measurement, emergency preparedness, gender and male engagement, advocacy, partnerships, and private-sector engagement, among others.

“FP2030’s strength lies in its unprecedented network of governments, donors, civil society, the private sector, and youth organizations. Our collective efforts have created a robust platform for knowledge exchange, peer learning, and collaborative action. This workshop exemplifies our commitment to fostering regional and country-level engagements, promoting south-south learning, and driving forward high-impact practices such as postpartum family planning, emergency preparedness, and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health,” remarked FP2030 Executive Director Samukeliso Dube.

This event brings together over 80 participants, including country Focal Points from eight FP20230 commitment-making countries in the Asia-Pacific region in addition to government representatives from seven other countries in the region, key national and regional partners, and representatives from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Packard Foundation, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Affairs Canada, and Track20.

Delegates from the Asia Pacific regions are from the Philippines, Indonesia, Lao PDR, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Kyrgyz Republic. Additionally, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, and Fiji are in different stages of securing or drafting their commitments, and some of them intend to launch their commitments in 2024.

“The collaborative efforts of the DOH and the FP2030, with the support of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) highlight the crucial role of family planning in enhancing maternal and child health outcomes and empowering communities nationwide.

This workshop fosters regional partnerships and exchanges knowledge and best practices to achieve our FP2030 goals, ensuring accessible family planning rights and choices for all towards our journey to a Bagong Pilipinas kung saan Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” expressed by Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.