Access for All- The Secretariat of the RHSC Annual Report 2010

Publication date: 2010

Access for all The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Secretariat supports the Coalition in its work to ensure that all people in low- and middle-income countries can access and use affordable, high-quality reproductive health supplies. 1 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Working together for better reproductive health The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition is a global partnership dedicated to making essential reproductive health products available in low- and middle-income countries. Comprised of more than 130 agencies that help provide contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies, the Coalition is committed to ensuring people in the developing world can choose, access, and use methods and supplies to safeguard their reproductive health. As the Coalition’s administrative and operative arm, the Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition works to ensure that our partnership functions smoothly and achieves its goals. We provide administrative support, such as planning meetings, managing correspondence, communicating policy and executive decisions, and managing grants. We also work to keep the need for reproductive health supplies on the global development agenda and to expand the Coalition’s membership. We develop tools to measure progress Co ve r, PA TH /E ve ly n H oc ks te in ; a t l eft , R ic ha rd L or d. The Coalition Secretariat is managed by PATH, an international, nonprofit organization that improves the health of people around the world. The Secretariat’s work is made possible due to the generous financial support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the many other organizations whose contributions, large and small, have been identified in this report. To all these institutions, the Coalition extends its sincere gratitude. 2 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 toward the Coalition’s goals, and consult on systems and policies that define how the Coalition operates. Just as importantly, we are the Coalition’s public face. The Secretariat responds to requests for information about our members and partners as well as the Coalition itself. We play a key role in enhancing the Coalition’s institutional effectiveness through engaging our growing membership, expanding the involvement of developing countries, and maximizing collaboration among partners and stakeholders. Our 2010 annual report covers a period of intense activity and tremendous change for the Coalition and the Secretariat. Last year, we diversified our funding Aid in time: PleDGe GUArANTee For HeAlTH As 2010 drew to a close, the Government of Zambia faced the start of the annual rainy season with rapidly dwindling stocks of insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria. even more ominously, the government lacked the means to replenish that stock. Funds committed by the World Bank were not due for release until February 2011, meaning the new nets would most likely not be available until well after the peak rainy season. To resolve this dilemma, the Government of Zambia turned to the Pledge Guarantee for Health, an innovative financing mechanism developed under the auspices of the reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and managed by the UN Foundation. The Pledge Guarantee for Health is designed to help recipients turn unrealized aid commitments into short-term, low-cost commercial credit for the purchase of reproductive health commodities. By serving as a proof of concept, this initial deal — though not involving a reproductive health commodity — allowed the UN Foundation to demonstrate the feasibility of the new tool. It allowed the Zambian government to secure $4.8 million to purchase bed nets before the peak rainy season and, in so doing, avert up to 100,000 cases of malaria and save about $250,000 in treatment costs and lost productivity. Secretariat-supported initiatives, such as the CARhs Group, help to address impending stockouts of supplies in developing countries. © 20 05 D on H in ric hs en , C ou rt es y of P ho to sh ar e 3 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 with strong financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, the United Nations Population Fund, and the US Agency for International Development. We supported the launch of two financing and procurement mechanisms — the Pledge Guarantee for Health and AccessRH — which the Coalition had been striving to establish for nearly five years. For the first time, we hosted our membership meeting in a developing country, and following the meeting, we launched the HANDtoHAND Campaign, a major new advocacy initiative. In the pages that follow, we invite you to learn about these accomplishments and other high points of our year, organized according to each of the Secretariat’s four objectives: • Ensuring efficiency and smooth operation. • Giving structure to the Coalition’s work. • Expanding membership and impact. • Sustaining added value. Ensuring efficiency and smooth operation The goals of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition are ambitious, and our membership is diverse, widely For better procurement: AccessrH It was an aspiration for nearly five years and a work in progress for more than three. Now, it’s a reality. In 2010, UNFPA’s Procurement Services Branch launched AccessrH, an innovative procurement mechanism aimed at improving customer access to affordable, high-quality contraceptives with favorable delivery terms. The product of collaborative design and financing by Coalition members, AccessrH secured support from multiple donors, built its staff, and established a core revolving stock fund. In December 2010, AccessrH placed its first order for 23.8 million condoms. 4 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 dispersed, and expanding rapidly. The Secretariat works to keep all of our members focused on the Coalition’s priorities. In 2010, we: • Organized the Coalition’s annual membership meeting, held in Kampala, Uganda. We also held meetings of the Coalition’s Executive Committee, and convened a task force to help shape our anniversary commemoration of the pivotal Meeting the Challenge conference, which a decade ago gave rise to the global movement for reproductive health commodities security. • Maintained our website, www.rhsupplies.org. During 2010, we launched sections devoted to the HANDtoHAND Campaign and to profiles of countries, which provide extensive details on supplies of reproductive health commodities. These new initiatives and other outreach efforts have led to a substantial increase in visits to the Coalition’s website. • Supported the Coalition’s three Working Groups, the Latin American/Caribbean Forum, and the Caucus on New and Underutilized Reproductive Health Technologies by arranging 25 teleconferences, editing 11 workplans, preparing and publishing 32 sets of minutes, and organizing 8 international meetings. mAnAging crises: THe CArhs No activity better captures the Coalition’s ability to add value to the work of its members than the CArhs (Coordinated Assistance for rH Supplies) Group. The CArhs brings together the world’s key commodity suppliers to address the short-term supply crises that periodically befall countries. Through electronic data-sharing and decision-making, members identify existing or potential supply shortages or overstocks, assess their causes, develop solutions, and where possible, apply them. Between october 2009 and September 2010, the CArhs addressed 184 separate supply crises — the highest number of cases since the group was established in 2005. In 73 cases, members identified critical information that either shed light on the problem at hand or obviated the need for further action. And in 65 percent of the 40 instances in which stock levels had dropped below minimal requirements, the CArhs successfully averted a full stockout, either by issuing or expediting new shipments, or by providing policy advice. In 2010, such remedial efforts drove the procurement of more than $8.7 million in reproductive health commodities. 5 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Voices From the Field: oUr ANNUAl MeeTING More than 130 participants from around the world assembled in Kampala, Uganda, for the 11th General Membership Meeting of the reproductive Health Supplies Coalition. Hosted by the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the Africa regional office of Partners in Population and Development, the annual meeting was the Coalition’s first to be held outside europe or North America. In opening remarks, Uganda’s State Minister for Health James Kakooza praised the Coalition’s work and detailed steps underway to strengthen reproductive health commodity security in Uganda. These include the launch of a new five-year strategic plan on commodity security as well as the allocation of substantial government funding for reproductive health supplies. This year, the agenda focused heavily on voices from the field. Participants presented case studies from Bangladesh, ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Tanzania, and Uganda. Three new movies were launched, including the documentary Empty Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives. Copies of the documentary were later distributed at the CNN African Journalist of the Year award ceremony. • Published our monthly newsletter, SupplyInsider. The newsletter, available in both English and Spanish, reaches more than 400 readers worldwide. We also published informational fact sheets on the Coalition, Pledge Guarantee for Health, AccessRH, and the Professional Development of Supply Chain Managers workstream. • Awarded five grants under the Coalition’s Innovation Fund. The awards support new ideas to advance global reproductive health supply security. To ensure the Innovation Fund continues to be of maximum benefit, we are reviewing its impact and exploring ways to safeguard its long-term sustainability. Members of the Coalition’s Executive Committee assemble twice a year at meetings arranged by the Secretariat and hosted by an Executive Committee member organization. Cé ci le P et it- Ro be rt 6 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Giving structure to the Coalition’s work The Secretariat strives to ensure that the Coalition’s strategic plan and other policies always guide its work. In 2010, we: • Refreshed the Coalition’s monitoring and evaluation framework. The Secretariat initiated a systematic effort to update the indicators it uses to measure the Coalition’s progress in achieving its goals. We are also working with members to help identify a new set of focus countries that can serve as barometers of change attributable to the Coalition’s work. • Revitalized Coalition efforts to assure access to new and underused reproductive health technologies. Specifically, we focused last year on efforts toward achieving Millennium Development Goal 5, which calls for improving maternal health. • Initiated a three-year review of the Coalition’s strategic plan. We aim to refresh the plan’s original goals and objectives, and ensure they remain aligned with the Coalition’s current activities, interests, and priorities. the cAse For contrAceptiVes: INNovATIoN FUND The women gaze straight ahead, their eyes tired. “If women could get contraceptives at health centers,” one begins. “Their lives and their children’s lives would be better,” another finishes her thought. “We should make a public outcry.” The scenes are from Population Action International’s advocacy video, Empty Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives. The award-winning video was made with a grant from the Coalition’s Innovation Fund, which is managed by the Secretariat. In a series of clear and convincing interviews with women, the film drives home the importance of ensuring access to and the use of affordable, high- quality reproductive health commodities. Empty Handed is a valuable advocacy tool for promoting increased commitment to reproductive health supplies. Coalition members use it frequently. It’s been lauded at high-level events in several countries, and is a hit on the web. You can see it at www.empty-handed.org. 7 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 meeting needs: THe HANDtoHAND CAMPAIGN In the developing world, millions of women are taking their reproductive health into their own hands. Yet today, more than 215 million women who wish to protect themselves from unintended and potentially unsafe pregnancy are not using modern contraception. That’s why the reproductive Health Supplies Coalition established the HANDtoHAND Campaign. The new venture has an ambitious goal: reducing unmet need for family planning by 100 million additional users of modern contraception by 2015. reaching this goal will meet the family planning needs of 80 percent of women in low- and middle-income countries. It will mean 96 million fewer unintended pregnancies, 54 million fewer abortions, 110,000 fewer mothers dying in pregnancy and childbirth, and 1.4 million fewer infant deaths. The reproductive Health Supplies Coalition is leading the effort by urging stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to commit resources and support to reach this goal. At the September United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York, AusAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, and the US Agency for International Development adopted the 100 million metric as a cornerstone of their newly launched International Alliance for reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health. Expanding membership and impact Our work includes engaging Coalition members to provide the relevant, on-the-ground information needed to achieve our goals. To encourage a broad range of perspectives, we reach out to representatives in developing countries. In the past year, we: • Reinforced the Coalition’s efforts to encompass a broader range of reproductive health products. These include maternal health supplies and new and underused reproductive health technologies. • Engaged our growing membership. In 2010, the Coalition grew by 27 members, 15 of them from low- or middle-income countries. In 2010, the Secretariat initiated discussions with seven countries regarding their potential membership: Australia, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, and Tanzania. • Reached out to new regional partners. The Secretariat formed a Spanish-language regional network, the Latin American/Caribbean Forum on Reproductive Health Commodity Security (LAC Forum). The Forum provides a regional platform for discussions on commodity security among Coalition members and other stakeholders from across Latin America. 8 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 • Involved developing countries more directly in the Coalition’s work. The new website country profiles, the LAC Forum, and our discussions with potential members worldwide are examples of the Secretariat’s work in this area. Sustaining added value The Secretariat pursues three approaches to ensure its sustainability and that of the Coalition: securing funding for operations, adding to the value of membership, and ensuring wider recognition of the value of membership. In 2010, we: • Leveraged stakeholder contributions. For the fourth year in a row, donor support for Coalition programmes (excluding Secretariat operations and the Innovation Fund) increased — from approximately $1.3 million in 2007 to $10.6 million in 2010. Even more significantly, 2010 contributions exceeded the cost of Secretariat operations ($1.9 million) by more than five times. • Launched the HANDtoHAND Campaign. The HANDtoHAND advocacy effort is designed to maximize the Coalition’s outreach and rally support for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. us d ol la rs (i n m ill io ns ) 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 $1 .9 m $7 .9 m resources leveraged Secretariat expenses Donor support for Coalition programmes $1 .3 m $1 .1 m $1 .3 m $5 .3 m $1 0. 6m $1 .5 m 9 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 our pArtners: BUIlDING SUPPorT For THe CoAlITIoN In December 2010, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) published a framework for its work in reproductive, maternal, and newborn health. In it, DFID featured its support for the Coalition: “The UK will continue to support the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC). Support to the Coalition will be to enhance coordination and cost effectiveness, in order to deliver the international commitment to enable 100 million new users of modern contraception by 2015. This will meet the needs of 80% of women in low income countries and will mean 96 million fewer unintended pregnancies; 54 million fewer abortions; 110,000 fewer mothers dying in pregnancy and childbirth; and 1.4 million fewer infant deaths…” The full text of “Choices for women: planned pregnancies, safe births, and healthy newborns” is available at www.dfid.gov.uk/rmnh. • Secured support of bilateral partners. The Secretariat works toward building the support of partners in many ways, and its success is clearly recognized. For example, the UK Department for International Development published a guide to its work with partners that underscores the importance of reproductive health supplies and its partnership with the Coalition. • Enhanced global recognition of the Coalition and its work. The US Agency for International Development and the Health Policy Initiative recognized the Secretariat’s work in establishing the Coalition’s LAC Forum at a June regional meeting in the Dominican Republic. As a result of the meeting, the governments of Bolivia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru formally acknowledged the Forum as an important resource in achieving reproductive health commodity security in the region. 10 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Strengthening access through partnerships No single entity, acting alone, can grab the world’s attention, address obstacles that impede efficient supply chains, or fund the provision of reproductive health supplies in all countries in need of assistance. The Secretariat brings together Coalition members to tackle these issues, build partnerships, and foster collaboration to ensure that all people in low- and middle-income countries can get and use supplies that help ensure their reproductive health. in ugAndA: CoUrAGe To ADvANCe CoNTrACePTIve SeCUrITY A committed group of Ugandan women parliamentarians made history in 2010 by keeping reproductive health at the center of a $130 million World Bank loan. Their strategy was simple: hold up approval of the loan until it included provisions for reproductive health funding. This resulted in an additional $30 million dedicated to reproductive health over five years, including $20.35 million for commodities, a 29-fold increase over the 2009 budget. The parliamentarians’ work ensures that key NGos will have access to reproductive health commodities via Uganda’s National Medical Stores. This success was the result of a sustained advocacy movement rooted in the reproductive Health Supplies Advocacy Network, a regional civil society partnership formed in 2008 with support from Coalition member reproductive Health Uganda, an IPPF Member Association, and Project rMA, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that until 2010 was housed within the Coalition’s resource Mobilization Awareness Working Group. Project rMA has come to a close, but its spirit endures in the success of Uganda’s courageous parliamentarians. reproductive Health Uganda and its partners continue to advocate for reproductive health commodity security. The group is now a partner in the Advance Family Planning project—also a Coalition member. The Secretariat is playing a key role in leading a campaign to put modern methods of contraception in the hands of 100 million new women users by 2015. N at ha n G ol on 11 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Financial summary January 1–December 31, 2010 Sources of funds Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $600,000 United Nations Population Fund $500,000 US Agency for International Development $400,000 UK Department for International Development $400,000 total income $1,900,000 Uses of funds Secretariat operations $1,900,000 total expenses $1,900,000 Innovation Fund value of grants awarded in 2009 $1,133,252 value of grants awarded in 2010 $638,163 ToTal value of Working group aWarDS To DaTe resource Mobilization Working Group $518,891 Systems Strengthening Working Group $717,957 Market Development Approaches Working Group $534,567 Figures are presented in US dollars. 31.58% 26.32% 21.05% 21.05% 100.00% 0% 100% 12 The Secretariat of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalitiona n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 0 Stakeholder contributions Projects and events initiated by the Coalition often lead to extra resources invested by various institutions, sometimes in cash, sometimes in kind. For the fourth year in a row, donor support for Coalition-related programmes (excluding Secretariat operations and the Innovation Fund) increased, from approximately $1.3 million in 2007 to $10.66 million in 2010. The bulk of stakeholder contributions during 2010 were associated with the creation of the AccessrH revolving fund for procurement of supplies ($10 million). In addition, the Professional Development of Supply Chain Managers workstream (of the Systems Strengthening Working Group) enjoyed both in-kind and cash contributions of more than $260,000. A summary of contributions is provided in the table below. ConTribuTion AccessrH $10,250,000 CArhs $84,000 MDA Working Group AQAS initiative $25,000 2010 Membership Meeting $44,000 Support to Secretariat staff $2,000 Systems Strengthening Working Group: Professional Development of Supply Chain Managers $260,000 total $10,665,000 stakeholders Centro de Investigaciones y estudios de la Salud, UNAN, Nicaragua CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative) Concept Foundation Family Health International Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria International Planned Parenthood Federation KfW German Development Bank Marie Stopes International Population Action International reproductive Health Interchange Stop TB Partnership Supply Chain Management Systems United Nations Population Fund United Nations Children’s Fund US Agency for International Development USAID|DelIver USAID/Ghana USAID/Tanzania WHo/Project optimize World Bank IP PF /P et er C at on 2 00 9 By responding to requests for technical information on supply chain management, the Secretariat supports efforts to get supplies off the shelves and into the hands of those who need them. The reproductive Health Supplies Coalition is a global partnership of public, private, and nongovernmental organizations dedicated to ensuring that all people in low- and middle-income countries can access and use affordable, high-quality supplies to ensure better reproductive health. The Coalition brings together diverse agencies and groups with critical roles in providing contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies. These include multilateral and bilateral organizations, private foundations, governments, civil society, and private-sector representatives. The Coalition’s Secretariat, managed by PATH, works to ensure that the organization functions smoothly and achieves its goals. secretariat of the reproductive health supplies coalition rue Marie-Thérèse 21 1000 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 210.0220 Fax: +32 (0)2 219.3363 secretariat@rhsupplies.org www.rhsupplies.org

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