(13 March 2018) – Since 2016, faith actors across the world have made impressive progress in promoting family planning, through advocacy, awareness creation and service delivery. In preparation of the fifth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) scheduled for November 12-15, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, Faith to Action Network and Christian Connections for International Health have organized a webinar to take stock of these developments, share lessons learnt and plan ahead.

A recording of this webinar can be accessed below.

Bicbic Chua, Executive Director, Catholics for Reproductive Health, emphasized that any advocacy success rests on a good understanding and knowledge of religious leaders’ attitudes and positions. Approaching a religious leader works best through a trusted inside messenger. Together with the religious leader, the advocate needs to unpack the terminology of sexual and reproductive health and rights and reach consensus on what is meant. “This is done best in connection with relevant religious texts”, Amhed Ragab, MD, Professor of Reproductive Health, International Islamic Centre for Population Studies and Research, Al Azhar University added. From there, common ground needs to be found. Since 2016, common ground has shifted significantly in many parts of the world, and faith actors require a platform to share lessons, think and strategize. Peter Munene, Chief Executive Officer, Faith to Action Network, shared his plans to convene the faith community during ICFP2018. A small group of faith actors will meet ahead of the main conference to jointly develop advocacy strategies for the coming years, while the main conference will allow to share experiences with broader stakeholders. To that end, a mapping of faith actors’ advocacy achievements since 2016 was shared by Mona Bormet, MPH, CHES, Program Director for Christian Connections for International Health and is available below.

Mapping of faith actors’ advocacy for family planning

Maintaining Momentum: Webinar on ICFP 2018 Faith Community Involvement