Dear colleagues,

Diana Silimperi, Caroline Quijada and I were invited to attend the USAID annual Office of Population Retreat.  Presenting was Robert Clay (Deputy Administrator Office of Global Health ), Ellen Starbird, (Office Director PRH), and a range of Office of Population staff.  The meeting focused not only on family planning, but on the link between FP, MCH, and HIV/AIDS.  Presenters also stressed the renewed Global Health focus on gender and youth.   During the meeting the new focus areas for the Office of Population were presented:  Method Choice, Supply Chain Systems, Total Market Approaches, Family Planning Workforce and Social and Behavior Change Communications.  Staff were instructed to include these new focus areas in upcoming workplans.   The main highlights of the meeting (which are included in the attached slides) are as follows:

1.        FP is getting a boost through a range of new initiatives where FP contributes significantly  including “A Promise Renewed (APS), FP20/20,, AIDS-Free Generation (AFG) and a new USAID initiative titled “Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths (EPCMD)”  These initiatives are encouraging partnerships across donors and host country governments to improve the lives of women and children.

2.       Gender equality and female empowerment and Youth are receiving increased focus (building on policies issued 2012)  New staff focusing on gender will be placed in both the global offices and missions.   

3.       PRH will continue to encourage the use of high impact practices (HIPS).  Completed briefs include:  Policy, Supply Chain, Health Communications, Community Health Workers, Social Marketing and Post abortion FP.  Promising Practices for which there are briefs are:  Drug shops and pharmacies, mhealth and FP and immunization.  It should be noted that Abt has been actively involved in drafting a range of these briefs and is an endorser of them.

4.       The office had been placing emphasis on LARC/PMs, but following an assessment conducted this past summer, they are recognizing the need to frame LARC/PM more clearly in the context of access to a broad method mix.  Therefore while LARC/PM’s continue to be a priority, they will only be so within the context of method choice.

5.       There is a renewed emphasis on post-partum FP (95% of women who are 0-12 months post-partum want to avoid another pregnancy in the next 24 months but only 30% are using contraception).

6.       The Office has set a goal with an end date of 2035 of universal access to sexual and RH with 75% of demand satisfied.  Metrics for measurement included on p39 of attached presentation.

7.       To achieve this goal the office will focus on five priority areas:  Method Choice, Social and Behavior change Communications, Strengthening the Family Planning Workforce, Supply Systems, Total Market Approaches.

Please let any of us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Susan Mitchell