Advance Family Planning Official Update

Advance Family Planning is a global initiative comprising 20 partner organizations working to increase the financial investments and political commitment needed to ensure access to quality, voluntary family planning through evidence-based advocacy.

More and more political leaders appreciate the benefits of FP, not only for the health of women and children, but also for improving the development prospects for their countries. However no initiative can succeed without specialized advocacy efforts to gain and sustain local support. AFP partners work with government leaders and civil society to increase resources and to secure evidence-based policies favorable to universal access to family planning information, services and supplies.

At the heart of AFP’s success is its decision-maker-focused AFP SMART approach.  This approach focuses advocacy efforts on discrete policy and funding decisions critical to advancing family planning in a given setting; once achieved, these incremental changes—termed “advocacy wins”—demonstrate progress and accelerate momentum toward FP2020.

Advocacy in nine AFP focus countries and Opportunity Fund grantees has led to 117 advocacy wins (2009-2015) including:

  • 15 new budget allocations for family planning and increases in 29 existing ones at national and subnational levels in 12 countries;
  • National FP budget allocations increased by 133% and subnational allocations by 115% from 2013-2014; and
  • 47 policy improvements that expand contraceptive access and choice.

Realizing the promises of FP2020 means engaging not only high-level political leaders, but also decision-makers at all levels of government. AFP bridges that gap, convening and informing local actors to address local needs. As a result, more subnational decision-makers actively support family planning. AFP have facilitated 69 subnational advocacy efforts to gain and sustain political and financial support for family planning since 2009.  To learn more about AFP efforts, please review the May 2015 progress report: http://advancefamilyplanning.org/progress

Political: Examples of global, national and subnational progress to achieving FP2020 policy and funding commitments include:

Global

  • CPD47: Outcome document of the 47th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in April 2014 includes strong language on family planning from African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) recommendations in country and regional position papers.
  • Global Financing Facility: AFP partners are working to make sure family planning is prioritized in country investment cases for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania. Case study to be developed.

Regional

  • East Africa: AFP convened more than 80 experts in Nairobi in April 2014 to develop country-specific action plans to accelerate contraceptive choice in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. See more.

National

  • Burkina Faso: The Minister of Health signs a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2014, authorizing a task-sharing pilot project for family planning services. See more.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo: The government released official recommendations from the Third National Conference on Repositioning Family Planning held in Kinshasa in January 2015. The recommended action-oriented objectives, developed by conference participants, continue family planning progress made at the national level and, for the first time, lay groundwork for significantly strengthening efforts at the subnational level. See web story and for more background.
  • Kenya: The National Treasury budgeting guideline for 2014 includes family planning.
  • Uganda: The Ministry of Health signs a Memorandum of Understanding on January 30, 2015, to implement an alternative distribution strategy to strengthen the supply chain for private sector family planning. See more.
  • Uganda: The Government of Uganda launches a US$235 million Costed Implementation Plan 2015 – 2020 to scale up family planning on November 27. See more.

Subnational

  • Kenya: Six counties approve costed family planning strategies for their respective counties (Busia, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kitui, Siaya, and Tharaka Nithi). See case study and web story.
  • India: In January 2015, AFP partner Population Foundation of India organized and facilitated an orientation for program managers and directors of Uttar Pradesh’s 18 divisions on conducting a family planning program review. The orientation was the first step in launching quarterly review meetings aimed at strengthening the state’s family planning program. See more.
  • India: The State Innovations in Family Planning Services Agency in India committed to establishing district working groups for family planning in three districts of Uttar Pradesh (Agra, Jhansi, and Lucknow) in June 2015. See more.
  • Nigeria: In January 2015, AFP partners Pathfinder Nigeria and Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria convened government leaders, family planning experts, civil society representatives, and researchers from both national and subnational levels of six key states and the capital (Lagos, Kaduna, Kwara, Gombe, Kebbi, Oyo, and Abuja – Federal Capital Territory) to develop subnational strategies to improve contraceptive choice. See more.
  • Tanzania: In October 2014, five Higher Learning Institutions in Shinyanga signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide sexual and reproductive health information and services for their students. Case study in development.
  • Tanzania: In 2014, African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) members in Zanzibar, Tanzania, successfully advocate the Director of the Central Medical Stores to issue a directive for all family planning service providers at facilities in two districts—Unguja North and Pemba—to undergo re-training in the management of the Zanzibar Integrated Logistics Systems. Following a successful re-training, the Director scales up this re-training to 66 staff at the Ministry of Health across all 10 districts to be re-trained in November 2014. Re-training contributed to a 70% drop in family planning commodity forecasting errors. See more. Case study in development.
  • Uganda: District leaders in Gulu, Mbale, and Mubende commit to increase family planning allocations from their local revenue base following the National Conference on Family Planning. See case study and web story.
  • Uganda: Nebbi District Leaders in Uganda allocate US $4,000 for family planning for 2015. See more.

Financial: Examples of global, national and subnational progress to achieving FP2020 policy and funding commitments include:

National

  • Tanzania: The government allocates 2 billion Tanzanian shillings (Tsh) (US $1.15 million) for family planning for FY2014-2015 from its own funds, an increase of 100% (US $577,000) from FY2013-2014. See case study.
  • Uganda: The government increases funding for family planning from US $3.3 million in FY2012-2013 to US $6 million in FY2013-2014.
  • Benin (Opportunity Fund): In August 2014, the Ministry of Health allocates 100 million CFA (US $193,000) for contraceptives in the 2015 budget, more than doubling the 2014 budget.
  • Mauritania (Opportunity Fund): Government approves the first-ever budget allocation for reproductive health supplies, including contraceptives, of 15 million Mauritanian Ouguiya (US $50,715) for the 2014 health budget in May 2014.
  • Zambia (Opportunity Fund): Government approves its first-ever budget allocation in January 2014 for reproductive health supplies, including contraceptives, allocating 12 million Zambian kwacha (US $1.9 million) for the 2014 health budget. The reproductive health supplies budget allocation was released and the procurement finalized by December 2014. In January 2015, the Government increases its 2014 fiscal year allocation for reproductive health supplies by 5%. See more.

Subnational

  • Burkina Faso: The Commune of Bobo Dioulasso adopts first-ever budget allocation of 1,000,000 FCFA (US $ 2,000) for family planning services on March 10, 2015 to be included in its Municipal Development Plan 2014-2015. See more.
  • Burkina Faso: In 2014, the Mayor of Kindi commune allocates 250,000 West African franc (CFA) (US $500) for family planning in his communal development plan (CDP) and calls on all Association of Municipalities of Burkina Faso (AMBF) mayors to include family planning in their CDPs. Sixteen mayors of AMBF sign a written commitment on October 29, 2014, to include family planning in their CDPs. See more.
  • Indonesia: Subnational advocacy efforts in five focus districts led to increases in family planning allocations of $621,000 (2014) above the previous year. District budgets increased in Bandung by 51% to 11.7 billion IDR (US $994,000); Bogor by 62% to 25 billion IDR (US $2.13 million); Karanganyar by 37% to 901 million IDR (US $77,000); Karawang by 36% to 8.5 billion IDR (US $724,000). See case study.
  • Senegal: North Pikine Mayor Amadou Diarra signs a commitment letter on January 5, 2015, to invest 10 million FCFA (US $18,305) of the 2015 budget to purchase family planning products for the commune’s two health posts. See more.
  • Senegal: In 2014, mayors for Djidah Thiaroye Kao and Mbao each allocated 1 million CFA (approx. US $1,927) to two health posts for family planning in Pikine Health District for the first time. See case study.
  • Tanzania: In 2014, Biharamulo District approved its first ever-budget allocation for family planning, allocating 30.1 million Tsh (US $17,500) of its own funds for the FY2014-2015 budget. Chato District approved its first-ever budget allocation for family planning, allocating 5.6 million Tsh (US $3,300) of its own funds for the FY2014-2015 budget. Ngara District increased its yearly family planning budget allocation by 7% to 14.7 million Tsh (US $8,500).