From October 31st to November 3rd, FP2030 held its first set of meetings designed to bring together all kinds of stakeholders to scale up postpartum and post-abortion family planning. Every day, 800 women die in childbirth, and the majority of these deaths are preventable. Hosted in Kathmandu by the government of Nepal and FP2030, the meeting was attended by 150 participants, including 15 country delegations.
The meeting focused on five objectives, including reviewing the status of postpartum family planning and post-abortion family planning in each country. This was done through country data, barrier analysis, and analysis of High Impact Practices (HIPs). Underlying all of this was a desire for and focus on data and measurement to guide the work on postpartum and post-abortion family planning.
Another major focus of the meeting was a learning exchange between countries. Country delegates were able to share their insights, best practices, and questions. The set up, which was arranged for engaging with other countries, allowed for creative problem solving and all to be actively involved.
Each country was asked to identify strategic priorities and action steps they could take to accelerate rights-based postpartum family planning and post-abortion family planning. The priorities identified included demand creation, health financing, youth and first-time parents, among more. Many countries expressed a desire to focus on adolescents and youth, especially working on breaking down the social norm barriers that keep adolescents from seeking care. Moving forward, FP2030 is committed to helping these countries advance the work done in Kathmandu and succeed in these priority areas.
As well as the country delegations, there were a variety of partners and donors attending the workshop. At a round table, donors pledged strong commitments to support the work discussed at the workshop and beyond. Partners from various organizations were able to learn from and inform the work being discussed.
FP2030 regional hubs will continue connecting with, learning from, and supporting the work of these countries. Over 90% of all maternal and newborn deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries. There is progress to be made, but the energy and ideas presented at this meeting are just a sliver of the great work being done.
