Ethiopia: International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP)
Event Date: 12 - 15 Nov 2013
Event Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This is the 3rd ICFP conference held by the Gates Institute. The November 2013 conference will be co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia with a multitude of international and national partners.

Since the first conference on family planning took place in 2009 in Kampala, Uganda, the issue has gained a lot of momentum. The London Summit on Family Planning took place on July 11, 2012 and 69 countries made commitments to family planning. Many countries have held their own family planning symposiums to develop strategies to achieve commitments made during the London Summit. The ICFP will provide a platform to highlight successes that have been achieved in family planning around the world as well as hurdles that still need to be addressed.

AFIDEP will take part in a series of panel discussions. These include:

Monday, Nov 11, 2013

1. Population, Health and Environment 10:45 pm – 12:15 pm

The 2013 International Population, Health and Environment conference brings together organisations working on PHE across sub-Saharan Africa. This conference will build on current momentum in the PHE community and further develop strategies for scaling up efforts to address the priorities of remote and rural communities where poor reproductive health outcomes and population growth contribute to poverty and unsustainable natural resource use. AFIDEP will be presenting a paper on integrating population and environment into national development planning: The cases of Malawi and Kenya. More information on PHE Healthy Families, Healthy Environment

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013

2.Community-Based Distribution of FP, 4:20 pm – 5:40 pm

1. How have CBD policies and programs in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAR) evolved over the past two decades?
2. What are the characteristics of CBD models in ESAR and
3. What are the relative merits and challenges of CBD models in ESAR? Notable the lack of nation-wide impact evaluation studies makes it impossible to comparatively assess the impact of the CBD programs in these countries.
*Further information can be accessed on this link Session: 1.4.04 Community-based Family Planning.

Thursday, Nov 14, 2013

3.Advocating for Family Planning, 12:00 pm – 1:20 pm

1. What types of evidence about the benefits and importance of FP have been most convincing, and to which types of audiences?
2. What is the most effective way to present this evidence? What forums, in what formats, by which types of presenters, etc.?
3. What are salient factors – such as personal factors, competing priorities, information sources, reasons for non-support, influences of different groups – that affect decisions about FP policies and budgets?
4. What have been the experiences to date of local FP advocates with evidence supporting FP? What has been useful, what is lacking?
5. What are some of the main country-specific observations about evidence-based FP advocacy in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi?
* Further information can be accessed on this link session
: 2.2.09 Advocating for Family Planning.
4.Averting a Mega-Catastrophe in the Sahel, 4:20 pm – 5:40 pm

1. Population and climate change projections for the Sahel region;
2. The plight of women in the Sahel and the burden of child marriage;
3. Implications of population, climate change, and women’s status on human health;
4. Participants will contribute to a discussion on implementing family planning solutions on scale and with a sense of urgency in the region
* Further information can be accessed on this link Session: 2.4.01 Averting a Mega-Catastrophe in the Sahel: Rapid Population Growth in a Changing Climate

5. AWLN High-Level Panel Discussion on ‘FP Access & Maternal Mortality Reduction: A Critical Health & Development Milestone for Africa’, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

African Women Leader’s Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN) is planning to host a panel discussion during ICFP Addis 2013 to bring together Policy Makers in Africa to show how maternal deaths on the continent can be reduced through access to FP/Contraceptives. Additionally, to provide practical strategies on how AWLN and other like-minded networks can support governments in Africa to accelerate to FP to reduce unmet needs/maternal deaths.
A Programme for this event is available at FP Access & Maternal Mortality Reduction

Friday, Nov 15, 2013

6.Strengthening the Family Planning Policy Environment, 12:00 pm – 1:20 pm

This panel will present policy in action by focusing on four key elements of policy development and implementation, namely, the role of political will, the use of evidence-based advocacy, the need to focus on policy implementation in addition to policy development and the need to evaluate policy implementation. The findings from the papers in this panel provide insight and approaches to strengthening the policy components of family planning programs. They address not only why policy matters but also key components of strengthening the policy environment.

* Further information can be accessed on this link Session: 3.2.02 Strengthening the Family Planning Policy Environment: The Importance of Political Will, Evidence-based Advocacy, Policy Implementation and Evaluation.

7. CEOs for EMERGING LEADERS Roundtable, Lunch roundtable

Join AFIDEPs Executive Director, Dr Eliya Zulu at his CEOs roundtable discussion. Dr Zulu’s roundtable will discuss if the Demographic Dividend is the Key to Africa’s Development? to sign-up for this roundtable please visit CEOs for Emerging Leaders Sign-up Eliya Zulu.

Saturday, Nov 16, 2013

8. Demographic Dividend, Sheraton Hotel Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 12:00 pm – 1:20 pm

This meeting plans to share country-level progress and refine strategies for using the DD framework to advocate for more resources to FP/maternal and child health nutrition and other development sectors (schooling, youth employment); build national constituencies to implement DD strategies, including the formation of a task force beaded by the planning ministry and assess feasibility of establishing a South-based DD secretariat, a DD policy initiative fund, and a DD website for research training and advocacy materials. AFIDEP will be presenting on: Framing and implementing an Africa country-level strategy: what will work and what’s needed for regional or country-level strategies. The Programme for this event can be downloaded at Demographic Dividend Meeting Programme.

*AND … Be sure to look out for the AFIDEP Poster on FP Drivers: Effective Family Planning Programs, Practice, Services & Others.

You can tweet us @AFIDEP and ICFP Addis 2013 @FPAddis2013.

For more information on the ICFP 2013 Conference please visit the ICFP Addis website.