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• The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo validated the strategic plan in the month of February 2014, and an operational action plan has been developed with concrete results to be reached in 2014. The 2015-2016 operational budget plan with tangible results is in progress. Access the strategic plan here.

• In 2009, the country adopted the law on child protection, the national policy "Genre" ["Gender"] and the national strategic plan for the fight against gender-related violence. Moreover, the family code has been revised in 2012. The Government funded the construction of 1,000 new schools across the country since 2013 and this project is already effective, simultaneously, the process of integration of family planning in the national education curriculum is underway. Finally, the Government has made elementary education free of charge. All of these initiatives promote female teenagers and fight against early marriages.

• In 2013, the Government of the DRC issued the first round of $300,000 for the acquisition of contraceptives, through FEDECAME (Federation of Central Procurement in Essential Medicines). In 2014, the Government has issued the first round of $1 million of $2 million promised for the acquisition of contraceptives. In comparison to 2013, the Government has doubled the financial resources allotted to family planning, which is consistent with the commitment to "progressively increase its contribution."

For the first time, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) National Assembly voted unanimously in favor of a budget request for the “purchase of contraceptives” to be included in the Ministry of Health’s annual budget. The national commitment was approved during the September – December 2015 parliamentary session, resulting in an allocation of USD 3.5 million.

Advance Family Planning (AFP) local partner Tulane International led an advocacy session in early August 2015, which played an important role in achieving this win. Civil society joined, as well as the Ministries of Public Health, Budget, and Finance, who provided critical insight into how the budget is created. The group worked together to develop steps to reach the ambitious allocation.

Read more about this progress update here.

• The SR [Reproductive Health] Bill has been started with the involvement of all participants. This bill, which includes the access and use of contraceptives by everyone who needs them, is in the phase of discussions in the Parliament.