Deliver the future for better health and nutrition outcomes amid overlapping crises!

The Global Financing Facility’s Civil Society and Youth Constituency Calls for an Extra USD 800 Million Investment to Deliver the Future for Women, Children, and Adolescents’ Health and Nutrition.

The world continues to face multiple overlapping challenges that threaten progress in health and nutrition for women, children, and adolescents. Communities in the Global Financing Facility (GFF) partner countries were highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, among other unprecedented hardships and changing contexts, which caused disruptions in the entire ecosystem, including rolling back gains. This impact heightens when health systems are not strong enough to respond to such shocks.

We can now change this trajectory and further advance women, children, and adolescents’ health and nutrition, especially in countries facing equity and equality challenges regarding access to services. The game changer is investing in more robust, resilient, and equitable health systems.

The GFF’s models of pooling additional funding for women, children, and adolescents from the World Bank, other global health actors, and domestic resources have proven to transform lives: Every US$1 of GFF grant financing brings in an additional US$7 in World Bank funds for country health investments, US$6.3 from other partners, and US$9.3 from domestic resources.

Engagement with and support of civil society has also been central to the GFF’s multi-stakeholder approach. The GFF is a global health partnership that recognizes that civil society and youth are crucial to promoting equity and integrating the voices and needs of women, children, and adolescents. The GFF supports the critical work of civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) through, among other initiatives, the GFF NGO Host program to implement advocacy and accountability activities focused on evidence-building, coalition building and strengthening, and advocacy for improved country engagement on sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition.

The work achieved thus far in collaboration with CSOs and Youth-Led organizations has been remarkable across GFF countries.  From establishing inclusive accountability frameworks to the hands-on training of community health workers and securing more budgets for adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health services, progress is tangible. These accomplishments underscore the power of collaboration and targeted investment. However, to sustain and expand these gains, addressing RMNCAH+N gaps due to the changing context and further investing in sustainable and resilient health systems is urgently needed.

Strengthening Civil Society and Youth Engagement in the GFF delivers.

Examples of key highlights and achievements:

At the global level, 51 civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) have received USD 2.7 million in grants to strengthen advocacy and accountability for country engagement on SRMNCAH-N.

In the Central African Republic, ANJFAS trained 20 volunteer observers, and mobilized community leaders, and health officials to monitor 37 urban health centers providing RMNCAH-N services and identifying gaps in qualified personnel and resources in Bangui, Bimbo and Begoua.

In Malawi, HREP Malawi, mobilized civil society and youth partners to shape the implementation plan for the recently adopted GFF Investment Case and establish inclusive accountability and monitoring frameworks that track progress for RMNCAH+N funding outcomes and impact.

In Mozambique, OCTBGSS collected and analyzed data from the previous GFF investment case (2017-2022) to strengthen the next GFF investment case and ensure adequate funding and appropriate policies for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH).

In Senegal, ANJ-SR/PF successfully brokered the inclusion of youth representatives in municipal health development committees, and secured funding municipal commitments for youth and adolescent health and nutrition programs in their 2023 budgets.

In Uganda, Faith For Family Health initiative (3FHi) trained a diverse cadre of women, children, and adolescents’ health and nutrition champions at country and district levels, including more than 200 traditional, cultural, and interfaith religious leaders who work to build broad-based support for investment in RMNCAH-N services. 3FHi additionally developed advocacy and accountability tools, resources, and frameworks for budget tracking, CSO engagement and coordination, and adolescent pregnancy prevention and mitigation.

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The GFF’s Deliver the Future resource mobilization campaign aims to mobilize an extra USD 800 million investment for the GFF to catalyze a total of USD 20.5 billion of financing, aligned behind prioritized and country-led national health plans. This investment will accelerate progress for countries to expand access to lifesaving services by 2030, reaching more than 70 million additional women, children, and adolescents.

Investing in now the GFF is needed more than ever to:

1. Counter stalled progress and mitigate the impact of the global crises and shocks jeopardizing the lives, rights, and opportunities of women, children, and adolescents.

2. Expand affordable and equitable access to primary health care for women, children, and adolescents.

3. Build more resilient health systems and accelerate the delivery of cost-effective, high-impact interventions that drive better health and nutrition outcomes for all.

4. Enhance gender equality and put countries, societies, and communities on a path toward sustainable development and prosperity.

We, Civil Society and Youth representatives, commend and appreciate investments and efforts made by GFF partner countries’ governments, development partners, and global health initiatives for supporting the health and nutrition of women, children, and adolescents. We urge the international community to invest an extra USD 800 million in the GFF by the end of 2023 to strengthen health systems, transform lives, and deliver the future.

Click here to join the Global Civil Society Coordinating Group for the GFF (CSCG) in signing this #DeliverTheFuture Call to Action and adding your name to the list of below signatories.

1. Myria Koutsoumpa, Wemos, the Netherlands, GFF Investors Group Civil Society Representative
2. Maziko Matemba, HREP Malawi, GFF Investors Group Civil Society Representative
3. Jackie Katana, Faith For Family Health initiative (3FHi), Uganda, GFF Investors Group Civil Society Alternate Representative
4. Oyeyemi Pitan, Gem Hub Initiative, Nigeria GFF Investors Group Civil Society Alternate Representative
5. Mariama Abdou Gado, JA/SRPF, Niger, GFF Investors Group Youth Representative
6. Kenneth Prudencio, ASAPSU, Cote d’Ivoire, GFF Investors Group Youth Alternate Representative, Global Youth Platform Co-Chair
7. Amos Mwale, CRHE, Zambia. Former GFF Investors Group Civil Society Representative
8. Aminata Thioye, ANJ-SR/PF, Senegal, Former GFF Investors Group Youth Representative
9. Tasnia Ahmed, SERAC Bangladesh, CSCG Steering Committee Member
10. Howard Akimala, HENNET, Kenya, CSCG Steering Committee Member
11. Susannah E Canfield Hurd, Global Health Visions, USA, CSCG Steering Committee Member
12. Christina Chilimba, RMNCAH-N Youth, Malawi, CSCG Capacity Building and Country Engagement Working Group Co-Chair
13. Arafat Kabugo, NYHN, Uganda, CSCG Steering Committee Member, Global Youth Platform Co-Chair
14. Abebe Kebede, CORHA, Ethiopia, CSCG Steering Committee Member
15. Leonora Mbithi, AMREF, Kenya, CSCG Health Financing Working Group Co-Chair
16. Tjedu Moyo, Lunia Center for Youths, Zimbabwe, CSCG Steering Committee Member
17. Siamola Murundo, Organization of African Youth, Kenya, CSCG Steering Committee Member
18. Xochitl Sanchez, ACTION Global Health Advocacy Partnership, USA, CSCG Accountability Working Group Co-Chair
19. Christina Wegs, PAI, USA, CSCG Steering Committee Member
20. Nidda Yusuf, Save the Children UK, United Kingdom. CSCG Health Financing Working Group Co-Chair
21. Gerardo Lara, PAI, USA, GFF NGO Host
22. Vincent Villeneuve, PAI, France, CSCG Coordination Unit
23. Kitty Arie, RESULTS UK, United Kingdom
24. Sylvia Ayon, KANCO, Kenya
25. Robina Biteyi, White Rhibbon Alliance, Uganda
26. Peter Bujari, Health Promotion Tanzania
27. Louis Da Gama, Princess of Africa Foundation, Portugal
28. Christina Dendys, RESULTS, Canada
29. Ramatoulaye Diallo, CEFOREP, Senegal
30. Atta ul Haq, Youth Association for Development, Pakistan
31. Fachrial Kautsar, CISDI, Indonesia
32. Juma Khan Nasir Khairzada, SAF, Afghanistan
33. Oanh Khuat, Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI), Vietnam
34. Flavia Kyomukama, Action Group for Health Human Rights and HIV and AIDS (AGHA), Uganda
35. Addou Aziz Linjouom, Solidarité pour le Développement et les Initiatives de Santé publique (SOLDIS), Cameroon
36. Simon Bine Mambo, YARH-DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo
37. Samuel Masanga, Faith For Family Health initiative (3FHi), Uganda
38. Faiz Mohammad, Relief Humanitarian Development Organization, Afghanistan
39. Nathan Mugalu Balirwana, Family Salvation Foundation, Uganda
40. Abdullah Shenwari, Transcultural Psyhcosocial Organization, Afghansitan
41. Mark Wamalwa, Relief International, Afghanistan

Ready to get started? Click here to download the Call to Action in *.pdf and share it with your networks.

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