Today, the Countdown 2030 Europe Consortium launched its newest tracking report, which analyses the most recent trends in SRH/FP policies and funding support by European donor countries.
The report shows that, despite an overall slight decrease in funding to population assistance and UNFPA in 2016 compared to the previous year, funding maintained or even increased in a substantial number of European donor countries (i.e. Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland). Further, 2017 saw promising new policy documents and funding commitments. In Denmark, a new Development and Humanitarian strategy places SRHR at the centre of its work. Norway’s development policy commits to prioritizing SRHR within health and gender equality. In Switzerland, a new Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Strategy was published by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs – the first time SRHR has been included with such a strong commitment at that level. And finally, a key achievement of 2017 was the recognition of SRH/FP as an important area of investment in the new European Consensus for Development, the main policy paper defining a shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation for the European Union, and the political basis for the planning of the next EU budget.
The past year has also seen SRH/FP feature prominently in a range of global fora, bringing with it a sense of momentum for change. This went hand in hand with new funding commitments in the context of the SheDecides initiative and at the FP Summit, by seven of the C2030E countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Going forward, Countdown 2030 Europe will advocate for increased transparency and accountability, to fully track and monitor newly pledged funds.
To read the full report: European Donor Support to Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning: Trends Analysis 2016-17
