APHRC /Africa Population and Health Research Center SRHR 2024-2027

This contribution started in December 2024 and is a continuation of phase 1 of Challenging the Politics of Social Exclusion Project. Thus, since the results this far are limited, the results below are partly from CPSE 1.0 (in 2024) as well as those activities that in phase 2 will build on the elements that the project has continued building on from phase 1. In 2024, various organizations working in the SRHR space at national, sub-regional and regional levels engaged APHRC as a knowledge partner by inviting the Center to share evidence in various forums or to contribute to research agenda-setting processes. These include CSO Consultation on SRHR Advocacy (organised by UNFPA), High Level Dialogue on Population Dynamics and Demographic Dividend (organised by All Africa Conference of Churches), the 6th GIMAC Strategic Engagement meeting with the AU, RECs, and other partners in Accra on integrating CSE in schools in Africa. Key for all these events was for APHRC to share evidence based on their research. In 2024, members of the CPSE team served on 14 national, regional, and global technical working groups that focus on SRHR. They provide technical support to the various bodies in formulating evidence-informed recommendations for policies and programs. These include Global Partnership Forum on CSE, Kenya Ministry of Healths Division of Adolescent and School Health Technical Working Group (APHRC supported the drafting of indicators for measuring adolescent health), the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health and nutrition (STAGE) etc. In 2024, APHRC contributed to the development of several policy and legislative documents. For ex: In Sierra Leone, APHRC contributed to the discussions on the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Bill through capacity strengthening of CSOs in policy engagement and advocacy. APHRC also provided evidence through knowledge-sharing across several platforms, including virtual ones. By early 2025, the bill had undergone two readings in Parliament and was under committee review. Sierra Leones President called on the country's parliament not to be timid but do the right thing and pass the Safe Motherhood Bill 2024. In Liberia, the team contributed to the review of the draft Public Health Law, which is expected to be one of the most progressive abortion laws in Africa if passed. As of early 2025, the bill passed the House of Representatives and was under Senate consideration. APHRC provided capacity strengthening to CSOs for evidence-based advocacy. Following earlier writing workshops for researchers from Statistics Sierra Leone, the University of Liberia, and CHAI Liberia, participants submitted three manuscripts on abortion that either already have been accepted, or in the process of being accepted, by international scientific journals. On enhancing media engagement and advocacy for effective communication and representation of sensitive SRHR issues, APHRC trained media personnel, particularly SRHR journalists and editors in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda and Sierra Leone on the parameters of accurate SRHR reporting to influence public opinions and persuade policymakers to adopt SRHR policies using evidence. These engagements led to enhanced capacities of media practitioners on media advocacy as well as influencing decision makers and governments on SRHR matters. In addition, the team consistently strengthened CSOs' capacities in media advocacy and engagement, especially on the use of media to effectively raise the public and policymakers' awareness of access to SRHR services. These engagements have led to strengthened collaboration between the media and CSOs, resulting in improved reporting and communication of SRHR issues. In 2024, APHRC continued to share the evidence from the 12 studies undertaken through face-to-face and virtual forums, for ex. by participating in the 9th African Population Health Conference held in Lilongwe, Malawi, and organizing a series of webinars from September to November on their research findings to CSOs, government stakeholders and academia.

Overall goal The overall goal is to contribute to the enhanced domestication and implementation of relevant national, subregional, regional and global laws and policies (including frameworks, instruments, protocols, treaties, and commitments) on universal access to comprehensive SRHR services and the social inclusion of LGBTQI groups. Objectives 1) To generate and synthesize quality evidence to inform policies and programs related to the three contentious issues: i) access to safe and legal abortion and postabortion care (ii) adolescent SRHR and (iii) the (in)exclusion of LGBTQI groups. 2) To translate and strategically share evidence to inform policies and programs that seek to enhance access to safe and legal abortion and postabortion care, improve adolescent SRHR services, and enhance the social inclusion of LGBTQI people across SSA. 3) To strengthen the capacity of APHRC staff, partners, and policy actors to generate, translate and use evidence on contentious SRHR issues. 4) To cultivate and nurture partnerships with critical policy actors to enable the demand for the generation and uptake of evidence to inform SRHR policies and programs.