West Africa FP Conference

Population, Development, and Family Planning: The Urgency to Act
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
February 8-10, 2011

Nearly two years ago, the governments of France (French Agency for Development-AFD) and the United States (U.S. Agency for International Development-USAID), along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, came together to co-fund the "Francophone West Africa Conference-Population, Development, and Family Planning: Urgency to Act." The objectives of the conference were to: 

1. Reaffirm the commitment of Francophone West African governments and donors to increasing access to quality FP/RH information and services
2. Exchange national, regional, and global experiences; effective practices; and tools to improve access to and the quality of FP/RH programs
3. Foster national partnerships through country-delegation collaboration
4. Recommend country-specific actions for the way forward

In September 2010, USAID requested technical assistance from RESPOND to:

• Provide leadership to shape the technical content and the session structure of the conference agenda
• Identify, guide, and fund the expenses of 20 presenters and facilitators (via a subaward to Equilibres et Populations, the organization primarily tasked with conference logistics
• Prepare technical guidance for the preparatory work of country delegations and for breakout group work during the conference
• Provide technical assistance during the conference
• Provide guidance for and review of a final conference report, under the direction of AFD

Highlights from the conference, as well as notable outcomes and next steps can be found in this summary report.

Select presentations from the conference are available below:

Why Invest in Family Planning? 
Family Planning as a Critical Development Strategy, Dr. Johanna Lucinda Austin-Benjamin, WAHO/Burkina Faso
Taking Stock: Regional Trends of Family Planning, Dr. Seipati Mothebesoane-Anoh, WHO/AFRO.

The afternoon plenary session Country Perspectives featured a regional overview and seven country presentations: Benin, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo, which synthesized each country's demographic situation as well as its progress and challenges in FP and social and economic development. These country presentations were based on reports prepared by country experts with technical support from Jean‐Pierre Guengant, consultant for the French government.

Building a Foundation for Success: Holistic Programming and Creating an Enabling Environment

• A Holistic Program Vision, Dr. Isaiah Ndong, EngenderHealth
• Addressing Cultural Barriers, Myths, and Misconceptions, Mrs. Fanta Manchini Diarra, Mali
• Anthropological Perspectives, Dr. Fatoumata Ouattara, Institute of Research and Development, Burkina Faso
• Improving Access to Family Planning by Developing Service Capacity Through Demedicalizing, Decentralizing, and Democratizing, Dr. Bocar Mamadou Daff, Senegal Ministry of Health, and Dr. Elise Diendere, Burkina Faso Ministry of Health