Dakar, Senegal – June 08 , 2021 – The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (OCPU) has launched a new initiative to better harness the power of Civil Societies across the region in playing a strategic role to achieve the ambitious goal of reaching 13 million modern contraceptive users in the 9 Ouagadougou Partnership member countries by 2030. For the last 10 years, Civil Society Coalitions have contributed in meeting past objectives of adding 3.8 million additional modern contraceptive users between 2011 and 2020. Based on lessons learned and results from stakeholders’ surveys, the new OP Civil Society approach will build on the previous achievements and current goals to design a new strategy focused on inclusiveness, diversity, and clear efficacy metrics.
“Civil society plays an essential role in achieving the objectives of the Ouagadougou Partnership as it has demonstrated its support and commitment over the past 10 years” said Marie Ba, OPCU Director
Given the Partnership’s new strategy and vision for 2030, civil society’s engagement and impact are all the more important to the Partnership and its Coordination Unit in order to support this key stakeholder in its diversity, as well as highlight its contribution in achieving the objective that binds us”. Marie Ba, OPCU Director
The Civil Society for Family Planning (CS4FP) project led by Intrahealth International, with funding from the Hewlett Foundation and the Netherlands’ Government, has played a key role in structuring national and regional Civil Society Coalitions and building their capacity to advocate for family planning in the region. With the end of that project after 10 years, the OP will continue to support existing and future civil society organizations to further the vision and mission of the Partnership.
“In addition to the monitoring of the commitments made by their Governments, the Civil Society Coalitions have become key actors and stakeholders in the Countries’ Costed Implementation Plans, including the monitoring of their implementation and the development of new plans said Moctar Diallo, CS4FP+ Director.
“The regional coalition thanks CS4FP, IntraHealth International and, the OPCU for the multifaceted support” said Mamoutou Diabaté, President of the Regional CSC.
Pape Gaye, Former President and CEO of IntraHealth International, with demonstrated commitment and leadership in the OP region and internationally, will lead the elaboration of a new OP Civil Society Engagement Strategy including the approach to engage family planning-focused civil society organizations in the nine OP countries. The process will include consultations of current and new stakeholders to better understand civil society’s vision in its plurality and new ideas to achieve better results.
“To better establish its strategy for 2021-2030 period, and consolidate its position as the focal point of the FP movement in the French-speaking region of West Africa, the Ouagadougou Partnership is working hard for a total and effective civil society commitment,” said Pape Gaye, Former President and CEO of IntraHealth International.
« The OP and its coordination Unit believe that CSOs are one of the means by which the region will achieve its reproductive health goals: civil society organizations are both the best advocates and implementers of reproductive health services, and the OP sees part of its role as helping these organizations and guiding governments and donors to the best solutions,” said Marie Ba. “To this end, the OPCU aims to effectively and sustainably raise the voices of CSOs to the highest levels of decision-making in family planning.
Thiaba Sembene, the newly hired OPCU Civil Society Coordinator will work closely with Mr. Gaye, and lead the strategy implementation in years to come.
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 the nine governments of the Francophone countries of West Africa, 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.
Since its creation, the OP has contributed to adding more than 3.8 million additional modern family planning methods users in the 9 member countries. Its current goal is to reach 13 million modern methods users by 2030, thus doubling the current 6.5 million number.
The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (UCPO), based in Dakar, Senegal, facilitates communication between countries and current and potential donors, helps monitor progress against OP objectives, fosters exchanges on family planning best practices between OP countries and shares information between stakeholders of the Partnership and wider audiences.
Contact :
Aminata Diallo, Programs Coordinator : adiouf@partenariatouaga.org
Murielle Anatohon, Program Manager/EtriLabs : amuirelle@etrilabs.com