Join FP2020 by Making a Commitment

• Le gouvernement du Togo s’est engagé à accroître la couverture des services en tenant compte des structures privées et associatives dans la fourniture de services de planification familiale:
  • Continuité de la franchise sociale et de la participation des structures privées à la formation pour l’offre de service de PF, aux journées portes ouvertes
• Le gouvernement du Togo s’est engagé à organiser des services de planification familiale au bénéfice de groupes isolés et marginalisés et à améliorer l’accès des populations locales aux méthodes de planification familiale au moyen de stratégies innovantes:
  • Continuité des stratégies innovantes : Stratégie mobile, stratégie avancée, Distribution à base communautaire, Journée Portes Ouvertes
• Le gouvernement du Togo s’est engagé à intégrer les services de santé sexuelle et reproductive des adolescents et des jeunes au PMA (ensemble minimal de services) des structures de santé et à recruter et former du personnel qualifié afin de proposer des services de qualité:
  • Renforcement des infirmeries scolaires pour l’offre de service de PF (formation, équipement, dotation de produits contraceptifs),
  • Formation des prestataires des formations sanitaires sur la santé sexuelle et de reproduction des jeunes et adolescents pour une intégration de la prise en charge dans le PMA.
• Le gouvernement du Togo s’est engagé à promouvoir la planification familiale avec des outils de plaidoyer (RAPID, RAPID religieux) et à institutionnaliser la campagne nationale sur la planification familiale:
  • Continuité du plaidoyer avec le modèle RAPID (RAPID, RAPID religieux)
  • Institutionnalisation de la semaine nationale pour la promotion de la santé maternelle et infantile
• Le gouvernement du Togo s’est engagé à renforcer les prévisions et la gestion des données afin d’optimiser la chaîne d’approvisionnement et de promouvoir l’excellence de la chaîne d’approvisionnement des produits contraceptifs:
  • Continuation des ateliers pour élaborer le Tableau d’Acquisition des Contraceptifs (TAC)
  • Continuité de remplissage annuel du formulaire du Système d’Alerte Précoce (SAP)

• Le Plan PF a été finalisé en 2013 et n’a pu être diffusé pour raison d’absence de financement (il devrait être diffuser sous forme d’ateliers régionaux. Malgré tout il sert de référence pour toute planification en PF).
• La création d’une Division PF au sein de la Direction nationale santé familiale et de nutrition est en cours.
• Le code de l’enfant prend en compte de nos jours  l’âge légal du mariage à 18 ans.

• Le Gouvernement a mis en place un cadre de coordination appelé comité de pilotage et de coordination ( CPC) qui comprend les principaux acteurs. Ce cadre est présidé semestriellement par le Ministre de la santé et de l’action sociale. La réunion de cette instance est l’occasion de partager les performances du programme PF et des autres aspects de la santé reproductive et de recevoir les orientations des autorités.
• Sous ce CPC il existe le comité technique Pf qui se réunit trimestriellement pour discuter de la mise en œuvre suivant les 3 principaux domaines relatifs à l’offre, la demande et la disponibilité des produits.
• Ces 3 domaines sont animés par les sous comités ( groupe de travail) qui se réunissent mensuellement.
• Des revues trimestrielles sont tenues avec les régions et chaque année il y a un EDS continue qui fait la situation des principaux indicateurs de suivi et d’impact qui viennent confirmer les données de routine.
• Tout récemment le CPC est élargi aux autres secteurs, à la société civile et au secteur privé pour les besoins de suivi du processus d’élaboration du dossier d’investissement du GFF.
• L’alliance pour la santé de la mère et de l’enfant est lancée par le Ministre cette année. Un plan stratégique de plaidoyer existe et attend la validation politique. Des rencontres sont organisées dans toutes les régions pour mettre en place une alliance régionale avec l’accompagnement des parlementaires. Une rencontre avec le secteur santé et non santé s’est tenue au mois de juillet 2016 et s’est soldé par l’engagement de cette frange importante de société sénégalaise. Comme résultats majeurs on note la décision de mettre en place une instance de rencontre régulière avec le ministre pour solutionner avec les ressources internes une partie des gaps de financement. Le Ministère fournira une cartographie des besoins en fonction de la carte sanitaire en cours d’élaboration.

In July 2016, the Government of Zimbabwe shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

The government reports performing the following activities in support of its policy and political commitment:

• The government of Zimbabwe reports significant improvement toward its commitment in removing the user fees for family planning services. In most of the health facilities only a consultation fee is being charged and the services being provided free of charge. This has contributed to the reduction in cost of accessing FP services in the country. In few health facilities a minimal charge on FP commodities is being charged to cover operational costs. Advocacy meetings and campaigns with decision makers were conducted during the year, specifically targeting parliamentarians, and family planning champions were used to reinforce the message to the intended audience. These activities have contributed toward the reduction of costs associated with accessing FP services.
• The government remains committed to providing services that meet the needs of teenagers in the country. One of the key activities carried out this year was the Teenage Pregnancy Study to determine factors contributing to teenage pregnancies and service availability .The study is now in its final stage and the results are expected soon. The government also renovated Youth Centers and has started offering clinical services to the adolescents’ youths of the country.
• To ensure that the needs of adolescents are addressed at policy and strategy formulation levels, an adolescent youth has been appointed as board member on the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council. During 2015-2016, the government targeted youths in tertiary institutions and provided them with information and ASRH services, tended to help young people make informed decisions about their health. Furthermore, ASRH committees were formed at district levels to coordinate activities and ensuring that the adolescents have been targeted in all programs.
• As a way of increasing knowledge on FP service among disadvantaged women, the government rolled out a massive sensitization campaigns targeting key informants and community leadership. Advocacy meetings were held with traditional leadership to spearhead and promote the use of FP service in the countries. Such meetings were conducted with traditional chiefs in selected provinces to encourage disadvantaged women access available services .The parliamentarians were also targeted as they have access and influence on the marginalized communities. An advocacy meeting with parliamentarians was held on Dec. 16, 2015. The purpose of the advocacy meeting was to generate awareness and educate policy makers and opinion leaders on FP/RH issues.
• The government of Zimbabwe also carried out different activities to promote awareness and use of FP services in the country. The activities included printing information, education, and communication materials on FP and reproductive health (posters, pamphlets and fliers) under the Marvelon 28 pill mass media campaign, FC2 Female Condom Education and Promotion program, ASRH/IPPF, Global Female Condom Day, and World Contraceptive day celebrations were also used for promoting awareness. Short videos on family planning were screened on national television with the aim of promoting the use of FP services for all women in the country.
• During the development of the country’s costed implementation plan and FP strategy it was emphasized that developmental partners play a critical role in complementing government efforts in providing quality FP services for the country. Stakeholders, such as NGOs, are part of the National Family Planning Forum and have participated in different technical working groups, including the M&E, Marketing and Communications, and Demand Creation groups. Strengthening public-private partnerships, including civil society organizations in the provision of community-based and outreach services, were also seen in the CIP development process as civic organizations actively participated during the entire process in shaping the strategic direction of the country. The government has also renewed Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with national and community-based NGOs and has given civic organizations an increased mandate to offer FP services in the country with the aim of targeting community levels.

The Government of Zimbabwe has engaged in the following activities to developing a research agenda on family planning and to strengthening overall monitoring and evaluation efforts, including operations research in family planning:

• During 2015-2016, the country has developed the CIP on Family planning. One of the activities in the CIP is the strengthening of the M&E unit of the ZNFPC and having a harmonized FP M&E system. Activities towards the development of a national research agenda on FP were put in place and subsequently costed. This was a major step in promoting operations research and the use of evidence in decision making in the country. A research agenda will be finalized by the end of 2016 after all the inputs from stakeholders. Plans were made to strengthen the M&E technical working group and improvements on the data collection tools with the development of the national FP register being piloted in some provinces. Key activities conducted to strengthen the M&E of FP in the country were:
  • Finalization of the ASRH M&E framework with a set of core indictors to track;
  • Development of the national family planning register; and
  • Strengthening of the M&E technical working group to effectively monitor FP activities.
• The recruitment of Track20 M&E officer seconded to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to track country progress of 17 FP2020 Core Indicators and identify possible areas of improvements and indicator projections for 2020.
• The first family planning Consensus Building workshop for the country was conducted with the support from Track20 to discuss country progress towards FP2020 commitments.
• Other studies conducted throughout the year included the one titled “The Role of Family Planning: Addressing the Determinants of Unmet Need in HIV-Positive Women in Matabeleland South and Mashonaland Central Provinces” with support from UNICEF. This was aimed at determining the factors contributing to the high unmet need of FP services among the HIV positive women within the reproductive health age group. During the year, the Government conducted an IUCD qualitative study. This was aimed at assessing the determinants of the low uptake of IUCD in Zimbabwe paying particular attention to both the supply and demand sides of service delivery. The finalization and dissemination of the study results are expected by end of 2016. There was also representation in the planning and implementation of the National Adolescent Fertility Study. During the 2015-2016 time period, Zimbabwe was privileged to host the International Conference on STIs and AIDS in Africa (ICASA) and an abstract on the Role of FP in PMTCT was accepted for poster presentation. On another note, out of the 3 abstracts which were submitted to International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2 were accepted for presentation in Indonesia.

The International Center for Research on Women provided the following updates on progress in achieving its FP2020 commitments:

Identifying and advocating for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs

ICRW’s Asia Regional office has engaged closely with the Government of India, bringing a variety of evidence to inform national reproductive health and family planning policies there.  For example, ICRW worked closely with the government to inform its National Adolescent Health Strategy, which positioned family planning and sexual and reproductive health issues within the context of a broader, more comprehensive approach to adolescent health and wellbeing. 

Additionally, ICRW carried out a landmark study on the quality of family planning program in the state of Bihar in 2014-15. The results have demonstrated several important gaps in the delivery of sterilization and IUD services in the public health system as well as the private sector. The findings, which have been shared with the government, are a reminder of how important it is to situate family planning programs squarely within a women’s rights and empowerment perspective. The results of the study have been presented and discussed in meetings with Bihar and also national governments and Gates Foundation partners in Bihar. We expect this new evidence will helping framing of national reproductive health/family planning policy. Other reports and articles from our India-focused work include:

• Calhoun, L. M., Speizer, I. S., Rimal, R. N., Sripad, P., Chatterjee, N., Achyut, P. et al. (2013). Provider imposed restrictions to clients' access to family planning in urban Uttar Pradesh, India: a mixed methods study. Biomed Central.
• Speizer, I., Nanda, P., Achyut, P., Pillai, G., & Guilkey, D. (2012). Family Planning Use among Urban Poor Women from Six Cities of Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Urban Health, 1-20.
• Speizer, I. S., Lance, P., Verma, R., & Benson, A. (2015). Descriptive study of the role of household type and household composition on women's reproductive health outcomes in urban Uttar Pradesh, India. Reprod Health, 12,

Leverage new evidence to inform the framing of national reproductive health/family planning policy, development assistance programs and corporate social responsibility programs

ICRW has made a concerted effort to ensure that U.S. development assistance programs, including particularly those of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reflect comprehensive, gender-responsive, youth-friendly approaches to sexual and reproductive health. ICRW has shared with USAID a variety of reports and provided targeted strategic advice to inform policies and programs that most appropriately reflect the needs of the women, youth and men they are intended to serve.

ICRW also contributed to the development of scorecards for policymakers and donors, specifically: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Education. Briefing card for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Finally, we are working closely with the Nike Foundation to ensure that SRHR issues remain prominent in their funding and public platforms around adolescent girls.