Dakar, May 16, 2017 – A high level delegation representing the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) Donors will visit Niger (May 22-24, 2017), Burkina Faso (May 25-29, 2017) and Benin (May 31-June 2, 2017). This visit labelled the “OP Donors’ Caravan” will allow the partnership composed of governments, donors and civil society to take an in-depth look at the progress and successes as well as problems and bottlenecks faced by these three countries. The caravan will also provide an opportunity to support technical teams working in-country to implement Costed Action Plans and to advocate for the fulfillment of commitments made by governments.
The Ouagadougou Partnership is a group formed in 2011 by 9 Francophone West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo) and their technical and financial partners with the aim to reposition family planning in the region.
At the request of member countries, it was decided to extend donor and countries’ interaction beyond the OP annual meeting. To fulfill that request, the core donors’ group visited Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in 2015 and Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Togo in 2016.
During this 2017 joint visit, donors will hear from the three countries about experiences, actions taken, and adjustments and progress made in response to recommendations and outcomes stemming from the first year of the 2016–2020 OP acceleration phase. During its acceleration phase, the Ouagadougou Partnership aims to add 2,2 million new modern contraceptive methods users by 2020. Donors will also advocate for greater consideration and support for family planning in government multi-sector strategies and policies. Finally, the visit will help strengthen relationships and collaboration between in-country actors, including OP focal points and donors, to improve alignment of funding with countries’ priorities.
The expected outcomes for this year’s caravan include a clear understanding of status of and next steps to implement recommendations from the 2015 OP ministerial meeting, the development of action plans for countries and donors to adjust their work following the 2016 OP annual meeting, and renewed commitments by governments and donors to pledges made when joining the OP and FP2020.
Donors participating to this year’s caravan include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The World Bank, USAID, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Government of Canada, The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Agence Française de Développement, and the West African Health Organization. Over 50 organizations or individuals will participate in caravan activities and meetings throughout the three countries visited.
About the Ouagadougou Partnership
The Ouagadougou Partnership was launched at the Regional Conference on Population, Development and Family Planning held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in February 2011 by 9 Francophone West African countries, together with financial and technical partners, with the aim to accelerate progress of the use of family planning services in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
The Ouagadougou Partnership is based on two principles. It focuses on better donor coordination to maximize country support and also national and regional collaboration and cooperation to address the high unmet need for family planning.
The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (UCPO), based in Dakar, Senegal, facilitates communication between countries and current and potential donors, advocates for resource mobilization towards the member countries, helps monitor progress against OP objectives, and shares information between stakeholders of the Partnership and other audiences.
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Rodrigue Ngouana, Country Liaison Manager
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Email: rngouana@intrahealth.org