Trends in bilateral, government-to-government, funding for development aid and sexual and reproductive health have been shifting over the past few years. Several European countries prioritize funding multilateral organizations and initiatives or private sector support, whereas other governments increased their investment in bilateral aid.
The analysis of the bilateral cooperation of C2030E countries showed a general need for greater coherence between what are often strong, national-level donor commitments towards SRH/FP, evidenced by e.g. dedicated gender, health or SRH/FP policies and international pledges, and the low prioritization of these issues when it comes to bilateral funding strategies and envelopes at country level, as well as annual reporting and measuring results. Further, more can be done by donor countries to invest in in-house expertise, e.g. through offering specific SRH/FP trainings for their diplomats or other employees.
Countdown 2030 Europe collected a series of good practices from a number of European donor countries in advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Family Planning (FP) in their bilateral cooperation. Some European governments dedicated more resources than others to ensure that their policy priorities and international pledges on SRH/FP are well reflected in bilateral programmes. Examples from Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK stand out.
This paper highlights a number of these good practices, results achieved so far, and recommendations for further improvement.
Photo: IPPF_Hannah-Maule-ffinch_Poland
