Guttmacher Global Policy Project 2021-22

The contribution is new since fall 2021 and initial results have not yet been reported. A digital check-in meeting was held in April 2022 to get an update on progress and challenges. Summary notes have been shared with relevant colleagues and can be found in dox. Summary of updates based on the two objectives of the grant: Objective 1: Global and regional level bring the GLC definition Sub-contracts are in place with all of the CSO/regional partners Met several times with UNFPA to identify areas of collaboration: ASRHR incl CSE, Safe Abortion and PAC, How best to work at integrating SRH into national UHC strategies, action plans and budgets. In conversation with PMNCH to see how to best support their work, interest in the recently published estimates on abortion and unintended pregnancies. CLACAI: Utilizing the GLC and essential package to push for prioritization of SRHR in covid response and recovery. Adding it up estimates in the respective countries leveraging data from regional and country profiles and framing it within the GLC definition. Strategy sessions with CLACAI and local CSOs around the planning on the convening and presenting on the new abortion estimates during the meeting (together with Ipas). IPPF Africa Regional Office: Relatively new partner, worked with them with the GLC release strengthening through this work. Good and productive start. Objective two: Country-level primarily in collaboration with IPPF Africa Regional Office Malawi and Kenya (amendment of the current penal code process is underway incl self-managed abortion) Kenya key partners include IPPF, RH Network of Kenya, CRR Mexico: working with a young feminist organization worked with since 2018 on the uptake of GLC. National and state level population council. New technical guidelines for safe abortion care, decriminalized abortion. Developing advocacy materials, working with coalitions at country and regional levels and working with the government (legal and social decriminalization of abortion access). Abortion estimates and how the evidence base can be useful in advocacy. Nepal: CREPA respond to gaps in CAC advocating for access, specifically for vulnerable groups. Engaging with all three levels of government. A new publication describing the collaboration with CLACAI was published in July 2024: "Advocacy Case Study: A First for Latin America and the World Regional Network of Decision-Makers in Sexual and Reproductive Health" The case study can be accessed on the Guttmacher website.

Guttmacher Institute (GI) has been a solid and trusted partner of Sida. The last agreement between Sida and GI ended in 2018 and was highly successful resulting in the Guttmacher Lancet Commission (GLC) and its expanded SRHR-definition and identification of a comprehensive package of services and interventions, which has become widely recognised and appreciated. The main intention and objectives of this contribution is to continue the work that was started with the GLC, i.e. advocating for a comprehensive approach to SRHR. However, with a specific focus on 'neglected areas' of SRHR such as safe abortion, infertility/ fertility, reproductive cancers and GBV. Advocacy will target global processes including declarations and statements at the UN, but also advocacy at the regional and national level for the adoption of the GLC definition and intervention package into national plans and strategies, particularly in the framework of UHC. The contribution supports the institute's work on Global Advocacy with the primary focus on furthering the advocacy work of the GLC and to more efficiently translate research findings into advocacy and policy at global, regional and national levels in close partnership with organizations active in the respective countries and regions. The Sida contribution to Guttmacher is therefore called the Global Policy Project and has the following project goal, outcomes and objectives: Consistent with the GLC, this projects ultimate goal is broad and inclusive and based in human rights principles. Through this project GI will seek to advance the Commissions vision of a world in which all people are able to achieve sexual and reproductive health and realize their sexual and reproductive rights. GI will do so by advocating for the GLC's comprehensive and inclusive vision for SRHR that recognizes the human rights of all individuals, including those from vulnerable or stigmatized populations and communities, as well as by promoting progressive inclusion of the GLCs holistic vision for SRHR in UHC. Objective 1: Advocate globally for the adoption of the GLC comprehensive definition of SRHR and essential package of interventions by producing evidence-based advocacy materials and providing technical support and expertise to Member States and multilateral institutions; and Objective 2: Promote progressive inclusion of the GLC essential package of interventions with particular attention to UHC planning, adoption and implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America focusing on selected chronically neglected interventions. Across both objectives, GI will work with global and regional organizations and several focus countries to seize policy opportunities for the advancement of SRHR. To inform this work, GI will use evidence from a range of sources including findings and recommendations in the Commissions report, Guttmacher-published research, as well as other relevant evidence such as WHO guidelines and standards, related studies in peer-reviewed journals and data published by global and regional agencies. The project will also serve as an opportunity to identify research gaps and bring them to the attention of others at the GI and in the field more broadly. Furthermore, the country case studies (under Objective 2) that will be completed in collaboration with country partners will provide a mechanism for learnings among partners across countries and regions: they will offer summaries of experiences covering the joint work towards policy change, including what evidence was found to be influential and in what circumstances, what did not appear to work and reasons why not; what approaches for communicating evidence and for obtaining attention and action of relevant policymakers worked well and which did not, and the particular circumstances and reasons. Collectively, these resources gathered and generated in collaboration with GI's partners in LMICs will result in a wealth of knowledge for the wider SRHR community and a critical opportunity for South-South learning and cooperation. The Program is fully in line with the Strategy for Swedens Global Development Cooperation in Sustainable Social Development 20182022. The Program especially relates to the strategic goal 'Increased Access to SRHR, including freedom from GBV' with a dedicated focus on often neglected areas of the SRHR definition such as safe abortion care, prevention and treatment of GBV, infertility/ fertility and reproductive cancers. It also relates to the strategic goals of 'Strengthened and Sustainable Systems of Good Quality for Health' through its work on SRHR in UHC, and Strenghtened Capacity for Living Healthy Lives through its focus on advocacy related to reproductive cancers and infertility/ fertility. In line with priorities as set out in the operationalisation GI focus on normative policy development and advocacy within the area of SRHR, honing on in abortion, gender based violence, fertility/ infertility and reproductive cancers. These are areas, except for abortion, that have been identified as weak in the portfolio, and therefore offers a unique added value to the existing contributions. Furthermore it complements the current efforts on safe abortion care and Sida's work on Achieving Universal Health Coverage for all, which of course must include SRHR.