Director

English

Dear Members, Partners, Colleagues, and Friends,

We are barely a week into this brand-new year, traditionally a time for hope and optimism. Yet, in the aftermath of a difficult year, it is understandable that some of us look to 2026 with more apprehension than confidence. You may, like many of us, be asking the big questions: How will we diversify financing so that our work is never again held ransom to political will? How can regions and countries take greater ownership of their supply chains? How can we harness the power of data to ensure that women and girls in low-resource settings can continue to access the supplies they need? What does the future hold for us?

At RHSC we don’t predict the future. We build it. And we made a strong headstart in 2025. In December, you will have read our end-of-year report on RHSC’s unstinting work to help members navigate our rapidly changing reality, support regions to claim ownership of supply chains, work toward novel financing solutions, and continue to support decision-making with high-quality reproductive health (RH).

We helped keep RH supplies front and center at the International Conference on Family Planning in Bogotá, Colombia. Our side event, Clarity, Capital, and Continuity brought to light how shared efforts across data, financing, and manufacturer engagement stand to strengthen RH supply systems. We continued these conversations through plenary sessions and panel discussions focused on data, financing, and supply chains. Our ForoLAC members offered staunch support and partnership at the event, a testament to RHSC’s strong and historic presence in Latin America.

In 2026, we continued to grow in our role as data steward for the RH community, helping members harness the numbers needed to make lifesaving supply decisions. Late last year, RHSC and CHAI co-launched the 2024 Family Planning Market Report, which has been the byword on public-sector contraceptive procurement trends for 11 years now. The report offers qualitative insights into the funding outlook following the dismantling of USAID and the expected impact of these funding shifts.

U.S. funding previously supported approximately $62 million per year in family planning product procurement. Its withdrawal widens the projected 2026 procurement gap to $288 million across 48 countries (more than 65% of total procurement needs) making stockouts and shortages a serious risk.

Governments and investors face difficult choices as they seek to close widening gaps in a landscape without US government contributions and amid declining bilateral funding. Data and insight will be essential, and coordinated action will be critical to stretch every available dollar.

In response, RHSC, together with partners at Guttmacher, FP2030, and Avenir Health, developed the FP Funding and Impact Data Resource Table, a resource that aligns datasets and methodologies to help policy makers, funders, advocates translate financing gaps into real-world impacts on women and families. Users can draw on this reference to identify the right data for their advocacy needs.

There is more advocacy support in the wings. RHSC’s Financing Workstream is developing a compendium of resources on financing for RH supplies and has begun to shape advocacy messages to support more sustainable and resilient financing across the RH value chain. In addition, we have commissioned the development of a comprehensive financing tool designed to support better country decision-making around financing RH supplies. It will bring together information on global financing and co-financing mechanisms, explore pathways for increased domestic financing, track financing flows from source to disbursement, and provide practical advocacy tools to help mobilize financial resources.

This will be a year in which we invite members to be even more engaged in partnerships and collective action. We need one another now more than ever before. This year, we will offer you an intuitive, refreshed working group architecture and exciting new ways to: share your voices and agendas, find where you can participate most meaningfully, and forge powerful new partnerships. Stay closely tuned because this year will be packed with tools, platforms, and opportunities for you.

In closing, I want to thank every one of you for staying the course with us. At the heart of the RHSC network is a simple truth: trust is our collective currency. Our members give their time, insight, and leadership not because they are obliged to, but because they believe in this organization, in one another, and in the value of working together. They show up knowing they are part of a community grounded in trusted relationships, where expertise is shared openly and contributions matter. In a moment defined by rapid change, contested priorities, and real uncertainty, this trust is not abstract. It is practical, steady, and sustaining and will buoy our community, keeping us connected and clear-eyed, and it will carry us together safely through 2026 and beyond.

Yours in solidarity and resolve,
Martyn