Advocacy
DSW’s advocacy efforts concentrate on stressing the need for improved health information, services and supplies, coupled with sufficient, stable health financing from both the government and its development partners.
Contributing to a Global Effort for Better Health Outcomes
- Photo: JLogan, CC licence BY-SA 3.0
As a highly internationalised sector, efforts to improve health and population assistance policies must be taken not only in Brussels but also abroad — in international fora, EU Member States and in developing countries. DSW’s International Affairs Team serves an important liaison and coordinating role for DSW’s global activities to this end, strengthening cooperation with both Brussels-based and Southern NGOs towards improving EU and global policies.
DSW’s liaison office in Brussels, Belgium, plays a crucial role in advising DSW and other civil society organisations on policy and funding developments related to the European institutions, EU-level consortia, international organisations and foundations. Through our Healthy Action and AHEAD projects, we work intensively with our partners in developing countries increase civil society capacity to advocate effectively towards national governments and donor institutions regarding Official Development Assistance (ODA), aid allocations, and to effectively mobilise those resources on behalf of vulnerable and marginalised populations.
While improving the supply of funding for organisations that are working to improve lives, important work must also be done to improve demand for effective and needed resources. DSW’s Euroleverage project, and our successful Guide to European Population Assistance Funding and Tips and Tricks, are all aimed towards improving NGOs’ and CSOs’ understanding of which EU funds can be used for reproductive health and family planning projects, and how best to access funds. DSW and its regional partners deliver capacity building for NGOs, through tailored training workshops on project design as well as ongoing technical assistance on demand.
In cooperation with European and international organisations through networks like EuroNGOs and Countdown 2015 Europe, we work to promote the better channeling of funds to improve global health and population outcomes. Sharing topical and current information on the activities and emerging policies of the European Institutions—through our bi-weekly newsletter nEUws and our Fast Facts sheets—DSW contributes towards a global community of dedicated organisations working to improve population issues, SRH, AIDS and other global health problems.
Euromapping
Euromapping provides clear, comparable and reliable data on the current state of global ODA, health ODA and population flows that remain critical to realizing Millenium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6. Euromapping provides an overview of comparative contributions as well as detailed information about each OECD DAC donor's performance over time. Its goal is to research, analyse, consolidate and present comparative information about European ODA and SRH commitments, funding flows and qualitative considerations specifically calibrated to meet the needs of advocates and decision-makers.
AfGH Policy Briefs
Action for Global Health (AfGH), a network of European health and development organisations, consequently decided to commission DSW to undertake six combined fact-finding and advocacy visits to developing countries in 2010 in order to assess the impact of current aid structures and aid effectiveness principles on health-spending in those countries. The overall objective of these fact-finding visits is to bring evidence and experience from developing countries to support European advocacy for global health, by producing country-specific policy briefings and disseminating them to key decision- makers and organisations in Europe and in developing countries.
What about Reproductive Health?
The guidebook “What about Reproductive Health?” is designed to help EC delegations to easily integrate reproductive health into their existing portfolios including general budget support and sector development programmes, but also to assist with financing proposals and agreements, calls for proposals, tenders and other documents. It is an easy to use reference and offers recommendations within existing policy and programme frameworks.
Euroleverage
Euroleverage is a unique initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation designed to bridge the gap between the world’s largest donors and the organisations that provide reproductive health information, services and supplies. The project runs from 2009-2012 and is implemented by DSW and its partners in 13 countries across the globe. It includes advocacy activities targeting decision-makers both in Europe and in developing countries, in order to increase European funding for RH/FP programmes. Simultaneously, Euroleverage also empowers NGOs to gain access to European funds through training and technical assistance in resource mobilisation.
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