Policy Briefs


Policy brief on Reproductive Health Financing for Uganda: Commitment to Action

To ensure that increased budget commitments for reproductive health (RH) commodities in Uganda are sustainable and that funds are disbursed and fully expended, parliamentarians can play an important role in (1) providing oversight to ensure that current allocations for financial year (FY) 2013/14 amounting to UGX 8 billion on Vote 116 are maintained, (2) ensuring that allocated funds from the World Bank RH Systems Strengthening Project amounting to US$3.6 million are released and spent in FY2013/14, and (3) tracking allocations to ensure the 100 percent expenditure of funds.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: Reproductive Health Financing

Policy brief on Family Planning in Ethiopia

The Partners in Population and Development global alliance, through its Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), uses South-to-South dialogue as an effective mechanism to hold leaders and countries accountable for stated international and regional commitments related to health. Through the Health Policy Project, PPD ARO is sharing expertise, best practices, effective models, and high-level policy dialogue surrounding population and health issues with African policy makers and partners at the national and regional levels. Specifically, to raise awareness among parliamentary health committees on the linkages between improving family planning/reproductive health and achieving national development goals, PPD ARO is developing and disseminating policy briefs on family planning in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda.At the request of and in partnership with Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), PPD ARO developed a policy brief for initial dissemination at the Women Parliamentarians Meeting: Enhancing Leadership for Family Planning and Reproductive Health in Kampala, Uganda, August 27–28, 2012. The brief highlights the important role of family planning in achieving maternal health and other development goals, as well as presents policy recommendations for increasing family planning use. FMOH stakeholders contributed to the recommendations, which focus on increasing financing for family planning commodities, especially long-acting methods (permanent and non-permanent). Expanded dissemination to policymakers across Ethiopia will help foster more champions of family planning as the country builds momentum for further progress.
Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/FP in Ethiopia.pdf

The Demographic Dividend and Development

Photo Credit: © 2010 Nichole ZlatunichThe demographic dividend is economic growth resulting from a change in the age structure of a country’s population. A demographic dividend arises when a falling birth rate changes the age distribution of a population; this means that fewer investments are needed to meet the needs of the youngest age groups and that there are relatively more adults in the population of the productive labour force. This creates an opportunity for more rapid economic growth and human development for a country as more resources are available for investment in economic development and family welfare.

The demographic transition, or the point when birth and death rates change from a high level to a low level, therefore is a critical moment of development opportunity for families and countries. If countries plan for and make the necessary investments in young people during the demographic transition, they can create a virtuous cycle of increasing education, human capital and economic productivity.

This is the path out of poverty that the Asian Tigers and later many Latin American countries took. Studies have shown that no country has developed socioeconomically without a parallel decline in birth rates.

This policy brief also covers information on how to support a demographic dividend in Africa and resources to consult for further information.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/demo-e.pdf

Download the full document in French as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/demo-f.pdf

 

Meeting the Abuja Promise by African Governments to Commit 15% of Total National Budgets to Health

Heads of State in Africa met from 26-27 April 2001 at a special summit to address the exceptional challenges of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases. At this meeting, the governments committed to allocating at least 15% of their total annual government budgets to the health sector. They also called upon donor countries to meet their commitment of devoting 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) as official development assistance and cancel African external debt in order to allow increased investment in the social sector.

This policy brief details the progress that has been made, how to support implementation, as well as resources where additional information can be found.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/abuja-e.pdf

Download the full document in French as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/abuja-f.pdf

 

The Maputo Plan of Action

Photo Credit: © 2000 Liz Gilbert/David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Courtesy of PhotoshareThe Maputo Plan of Action (Maputo PoA) for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights is Africa’s policy framework for universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. The Maputo Plan of Action is the concrete outcome of a special session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health, who met in Maputo, Mozambique in September 2006. Ministers of health and delegates from 48 African countries unanimously agreed poor sexual and reproductive health is a leading killer in Africa.

The Maputo Plan of Action focuses on the family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) priorities for Africa in the context of achieving both the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goal of the Maputo Plan of Action is “universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa by 2015.”

This policy brief details the progress that has been made, how to support implementation, as well as resources where additional information can be found.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/maputo-e.pdf

Download the full document in French as a pdf: http://ppdafrica.org/docs/policy/maputo-f.pdf

 

Reproductive Health in the Millennium Development Goals

At the United Nation’s Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders agreed on a declaration that resulted in eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which together form a policy framework for reducing extreme poverty by 2015 while increasing education, gender equality, health and environmental sustainability.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are essential to the achievement of the MDGs, and are included as a target under MDG 5.

This policy brief details the progress that has been made, how to support implementation, as well as resources where additional information can be found.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/RH-MDGs.pdf

Download the full document in French as a pdf: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/RH-MDGsf.pdf

 

The Accra Agenda for Action on Aid Effectiveness

From September 2-4, 2008, donor countries, recipient countries, and civil society organizations met for a High Level Forum (HLF3) in Accra, Ghana to assess progress on the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and to agree to an “agenda for action.” The Accra High Level Forum ended with the adoption of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) through which the international community reaffirmed its commitment to achieve progress in the implementation of the Paris Declaration and intensify efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This policy brief details the progress that has been made, how to support implementation, as well as resources where additional information can be found.

Download the full document in English as a pdf: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accra.pdf

Download the full document in French as a pdf: http://www.ppdafrica.org/docs/accraf.pdf

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