A part of the 9 country Ouagadougou Partnership, it has the highest number of modern contraceptive users in the region
The fifth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) concluded in Kigali on Thursday. Governments, advocates and youth reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring every woman and girl has access to high-quality, affordable family planning information and services.
Speakers highlighted impactful programs that have driven progress toward the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) goal of adding 120 million contraceptive users by 2020.
During the morning plenary, moderated by Beth Schlachter, Executive Director of Family Planning 2020, speakers highlighted successful country-led initiatives and discussed the future of the family planning movement as 2020 approaches. Professor Nicolas Meda, minister of health of Burkina Faso, and Quazi A.K.M. Mohiul Islam, Additional Secretary for Medical Education and Family Welfare in Bangladesh, spoke of their respective countries’ commitment to building strong health systems and expanding contraceptive access.
“(Burkina Faso is) declaring family planning free at all levels…and from January 2017 to January 2018 we moved from 24.6% mCPR [modern contraceptive prevalence rate] to 30.1% mCPR.”
“Burkina Faso is on track to self-reliance and domestic resource mobilization,” said Professor Nicolas Meda. “We are in the process of declaring family planning free at all levels…and from January 2017 to January 2018 we moved from 24.6% mCPR [modern contraceptive prevalence rate] to 30.1% mCPR.”
Burkina Faso has the highest mCPR in West Africa. The country is a regional family planning leader and birthplace of the Ouagadougou Partnership, a consortium of nine countries which set and achieved a collective goal of reaching one million women with family planning services by 2015.
The partnership has since expanded its goal, and aims to add 2.2 million more contraceptive users by 2030, illustrating the impact of country-led initiatives.
Despite advances in many countries, the FP2020 partnership is unlikely to meet its goal of reaching 120 million additional women with contraceptives by 2020.
“Along with accessibility [of contraceptives] for young people, it’s also important to increase the acceptability of contraceptive use among youth,” said Manasa Priya Vasudevan, FP2020 Youth
More than 3,700 people – including over 600 youth leaders – participated in the 2018 ICFP, making it the largest ICFP in history. The next ICFP will be held in 2020 (location to be announced).
EXCELL Award Winners:
• Country Award: Uganda and Burkina Faso
• Organization Award: Profamilia Colombia
• Team Award: Save the Children Yemen
• Individual Award: Honorable Professor Nicolas Meda, Minister of Health, Burkina Faso
