Summary Day 1
Learning from the past and strategizing for the future
At the 20th International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development on October 27 and 28, 2022, over 100 experts looked back and ahead on building resilience to crises for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The virtual conference focussed on an exchange on experiences, best practices, and creative solutions. The aim was to identify what builds resilience for addressing SRHR in times of crises, by learning from the past and strategizing for the future.
The first day of the conference was divided into two sessions to offer participation in the morning and in the afternoon, taking into account the different time zones around the globe. The high-level welcome messages by Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze and Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the keynote of Clive Mutunga, Senior Research and Policy Analyst, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), set the scene for both sessions. Both the morning and afternoon sessions comprised a variety of opportunities to engage with other participants as well as three working groups where experts exchanged ideas and identified interventions to ensure continuity of SRHR services and maintain an enabling environment for SRHR.
Building a Toolbox for Resilience for SRHR
Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze welcomed participants to the International Dialogue, which she described as a platform for experts to share their lessons learned from the last three years of the Covid-19 pandemic and to exchange on ‘how we as international partners can contribute to making health systems more resilient and [can ensure] that sexual and reproductive health services are available even in times of crises.’ Through the discussions during the sessions, she hoped that the desired outcome of the conference, a toolbox for resilience and sexual and reproductive rights, could be filled with life.
Three Ingredients for Resilience
Dr Natalia Kanem homed in on resilience and SRHR in her welcome remarks, suggesting that a variety of factors fostered resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic, including innovative approaches to maintaining SRHR services. However, three factors were particularly fundamental in contributing to resilience: data generation and analysis, robust universal health coverage and primary health care approaches that integrate high quality sexual and reproductive health services for all as well as strong collaboration among partners. The agility and innovation demonstrated during the pandemic must be preserved while also maintaining steadfast commitments to SRHR. Kanem encouraged participants to ‘learn from the past, share new ideas from the present, and chart a path towards a more equal, healthy, and sustainable future.’
SRHR Experts are Champions of Resilience
Following the welcome messages by Svenja Schulze and Dr Natalia Kanem, Clive Mutunga (AFIDEP) set the scene for the further discussions with his lively keynote speech. He focused particularly on the role of the attending experts in ensuring cross-sectoral planning, policy, and programme action for SRHR. According to Clive Mutunga, the attending experts were champions as they can ensure that SRHR becomes a main pillar of resilience. By making the case for SRHR, health programs can become more resilient. Through knowledge sharing, experts can work to ensure that cross-sectoral programming works. Here, the experienced practitioner was confident that the International Dialogue would move the needle from policy to programme action.