Moving beyond an ad hoc approach
After years of responding to ad-hoc requests from countries for technical assistance and supplies, UNFPA developed the Global Programme, which is a framework for assisting countries in planning for their own needs. Now, through this programme, countries can move towards more predictable, planned and sustainable country-driven approaches to securing essential supplies and ensuring their use.
See how countries are progressing towards reproductive health supply security based on indicators such as the degree of political support and the availability of resources.
As of 2009, UNFPA works with partners on the Global Programme in nine countries, which is expected to increase to 15 countries by the end of 2012.
Based on years of experience in reproductive health supplies, the programme makes use of lessons learned and establishes key activities that will help secure essential reproductive health supplies for countries.
Key activities
The Global Programme is flexible so that each country can determine its own needs, but activities often include:
- Establishing a comprehensive approach to supplies for the country, addressing issues such as demand generation, the needs of marginalized populations, and innovative financing methods.
- Creating national coordination teams, situation analyses and national strategic plans for Reproductive Health Commodity Security
- Including reproductive health supplies in the essential drug list. This is the national list of those drugs that the government has determined should be made consistently and widely available for basic health care.
- Drafting a plan for handing over direct supply management and procurement to the government
- Making sure the national budget includes a line and funding source for reproductive health supplies
- Developing a streamlined and efficient business model for supply procurement so that parallel health delivery systems are eliminated or avoided
- Increasing country capacity to forecast need for supplies by developing a single tool for projecting need
UNFPA has also been working with the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition to address systemic problems in reproductive health commodity supply chains. The Fund trained government counterparts and national consultants in more than 20 countries in 2007 on basic components of Reproductive Health Commodity Security. It total, more than 120 such capacity-building activities were completed in 2007, including trainings on logistics management systems, advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, 66 countries have completed a situation analysis, and 55 have strategic plans in place for Reproductive Health Commodity Security.
In early 2007, UNFPA began activities in five countries: Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Mongolia. By 2012, the Fund will target a total of 15 'Stream One' countries, which are countries that will receive financial support for five years. An additional 25 to 40 countries will receive specific, shorter-term programme support under funding 'Stream Two', while emergency support will be provided as required through 'Stream Three'.
Funding for Global Programme
Recognizing the key leadership and facilitating role that UNFPA plays in Reproductive Health Commodity Security at international and national levels, donors have provided support to UNFPA’s efforts. Donors to the Global Programme include, in descending order of financial contribution for 2009 (including both received and pledged):
- Netherlands
- UK
- Spain
- Canada
- Luxembourg
- Spain, Catalonia
The Global Programme, which runs from 2007-2013, has received and still requires the following amount:
NEED: $750,000,000 (over five years)
Received: $208,528,277
Pledged: $170,041,267
Still Needed: $371,430,456
(as of June 2010)
