In France, the end of the Muskoka initiative generates many uncertainties about the future investments for family planning in public aid for development. In 2016, it is essential to maintain the interest of policymakers towards these high-level issues, as we get halfway through the FP2020 initiative launched in London in 2012.
In this context, Countdown 2015 Europe partner organisation Equilibres & Populations and the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit organize the stay in Paris from the 6th to the 10th of June of a West African delegation of specialists invested on these issues in order to inform and mobilize the French stakeholders at different levels. In addition to bilateral meetings, a conference entitled “Women’s empowerment and demography: family planning, a key stake for West Africa” and organized in partnership with the Academy of Sciences will be held June 8, 2016.
According to Aurélie Gal-Régniez, executive director at Equilibres & Populations: “Efforts in family planning will articulate empowerment issues with demographic challenges. It is a necessity to improve concretely living conditions in West Africa, starting with those of women and adolescent girls.”
“France has largely supported the Muskoka initiative from 2010 to 2015. But today the country has not announced any new financial commitment”, recalls Fatimata Sy, director of the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit. “France must continue to invest in family planning in West Africa, and recreate a positive dynamic to impulse a leverage effect and attract other donor states”, she adds.
The conference will be introduced by the Academy of Sciences and Aurélie Gal-Régniez (Equipop) and divided into three sessions:
First, Jean-Pierre Guengant (IRD/Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne), Fatimata Sy (Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit), Laurent Alohofon Assogba/Aïssa Bouwaye (West African Health Organization) and Idrissa Maïga (Ministry of Public Health, Niger) will discuss the current needs related to family planning in West Africa.
Then, Bocar Daff (Ministry of Health, Senegal), Romaric Ouitona (Youth ambassador, Benin), Safiétou Diop (TBC) (Coalition of the civil society organizations for family planning, Senegal) and Elsa Burzynski (Equipop) will present the successful initiatives and the different ways of answering these needs.
Finally, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (TBC) and Beth Schlachter (FP2020) will conclude the conference speaking about the French investments in the field of family planning.
The meeting is intended for officials, journalists, NGOs, researchers, etc.
For more information or to register, please contact:
- Nicolas Rainaud nicolas.rainaud@equipop.org
- Marguerite Bannwarth marguerite.bannwarth@equipop.org
This is event is a part of Countdown 2015 Europe partner initiatives “Advance Human Rights, Invest in Family Planning”.
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