April 2011 in Review Preparations for Access for All are well underway and a provisional agenda and factsheet are now available on the meeting webpage. The meeting will be divided into multiple pillars, each reviewing a separate theme. Pillar I looks back on the work of the previous decade and assesses the challenges to be addressed in the next ten years. Pillar II highlights country ownership through local partnerships, and Pillar III discusses country ownership within the context of an increasingly globalized world. Pillar IV will conclude the meeting, focusing on recommendations and a Call to Action.
An exciting lineup of speakers has been confirmed for the meeting, including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, and Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, who will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers will include former Dutch parliamentarian and current Senior Director of Social Development in the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bram van Ojik; Ms. Terrie Curran, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Women's Health at Merck; and many others.
For the latest information and key updates on the meeting, turn to the newly launched Facebook page and Twitter account, in addition to the webpage.
Membership meeting update
Addis Ababa deadlines approaching!
Please click here to preregister online. Contact Francis Fix with any questions.
Access to some events is by invitation. Please visit the meeting webpage for all of the latest information, including details on events, agendas, registration, hotels, and logistics. Coalition on the scene WomanCare Global joins HANDtoHAND Campaign This month, WomanCare Global became the latest partner in the HANDtoHAND Campaign, a Coalition-led initiative aimed at rallying support for the UN Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women and Children’s Health. Since 2010, Coalition members have committed financial, programme, and policy support to reduce unmet need for modern family planning by 100 million additional users by 2015. In their letter to the Executive Committee, Chief Operating Officer Saundra Pelletier committed WomanCare Global to providing access to high-quality, innovative, and affordable reproductive health products; expanding the availability of these products in both private and public sectors, with particular focus on under-served markets; and strengthening commercialization capabilities leading to greater efficiency in reproductive health product distribution. International Conference on Family Planning—request for input The Coalition is looking to host a side event on RH commodity security at the 2011 International Conference on Family Planning to be held in November in Dakar, Senegal. This side event will showcase new developments in the field and highlights from this June’s Access for All meeting on RHCS. Those wishing to help shape or participate in this side event are encouraged to contact Coalition Director John Skibiak. Maternal Health Supplies takes another step forward On April 28–29, thirty stakeholders from the reproductive and maternal health communities gathered at Population Action International (PAI) to identify strategies to confront the lack of access to many maternal health (MH) supplies. Representatives of the Coalition Secretariat, UNFPA, World Bank, WHO, UN Foundation, and others agreed on the need to generate the resources, political will, and policies required to improve access. They also committed themselves to advocate with governments, the private sector, and civil society. Full meeting notes are posted on the Maternal Health Supplies Community of Practice, a new website hosted by the Maternal Health Task Force. More information on this meeting and MH supplies will be presented at the Coalition’s membership meeting in Addis in June. Please contact Jess Bernstein of PAI for more information. Coalition welcomes six new members This month, the Coalition welcomed six new members, bringing our total membership to 139.
Highlights from the Working Groups Resource Mobilization and Awareness Working Group (RMA WG) Neil Datta steps down as co-Leader: Neil Datta has written to the Coalition's Executive Committee and RMA WG, informing them of his decision to step down as Working Group Co-Leader. He expressed his appreciation for the support of both over the past two and a half years, and he especially thanked Sandra Jordan, who will carry on as the RMA WG Leader. In an email to RMA WG members, Coalition Director John Skibiak congratulated Neil for his leadership and work, highlighting the many WG achievements during his tenure: broader engagement with European partners; the availability of Coalition materials in French; the success of the video Empty Handed; and all of the advocacy surrounding Canada's hosting of the G8, to name but a few. For further information, please contact Lou Compernolle at the Secretariat. Systems Strengthening Working Group (SSWG) AccessRH slashes lead times: The condom orders shipped to Mongolia and Lebanon from AccessRH stock were delivered with reduced lead times of over two months. Three additional AccessRH orders are in transit, and seven are awaiting shipment. For more information, contact Karina Donnelly. LAC Forum LAC Forum to meet in Panama: Members of the LAC Forum are finalizing plans for their next face-to-face meeting, which will take place in Panama City from 20–22 July. This gathering will bring together 60 partners from the Latin America and Caribbean region to establish working groups and workplans, and to identify strategies for engaging governments and other sectors of the RH community. The agenda is now available online. For further information, please contact Gloria Castany from the Secretariat.
LAC Working Group on Professionalization of Supply Chain Managers: Working Group members met to determine progress on an assessment of workforce needs and capacity in Nicaragua. This study will document supply chain workforce capacity, review professionalization efforts undertaken to date, and identify areas for capacity building. The results will be presented at the People that Deliver conference in June. For further information, please contact Nora Quesada. Upcoming Events
For more details on the above and other events, see the events calendar on the Coalition website.
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