The uptake of family planning campaigns in Uganda have been affected by various factors, as highlighted in this news item by NTV Uganda.

IPPF Member Associations (MAs) continually endeavor to ensure that every woman, man and young person who needs contraceptive services is able to access them as and when they need them. Through our MAs, we offer a wide range of modern family planning methods. See where we work in the Africa region here.

2016 saw the implementation of IPPFs new strategic plan and therefore was a year of transition for the Secretariat as operations were aligned to focus on the new outcomes. The strategy responds to social, political and demographic global trends. These include: the expectations and potential of the largest ever generation of young people; ongoing, significant social and economic inequalities, including discrimination against girls and women; and opposition that threatens gains in human rights. We continue to receive funding from and are grateful for the continued support of our key funders. With their support and help our unrestricted funding increased in the year to US$76.7 million from US$72.2 million. This was in spite of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union in June, which led to the weakening of sterling and Euro against the dollar and reduced our dollar income from our European donors. Restricted income increased from US$44.1 million to US$53.7 million. A significant factor in the increase was the US$10 million received from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to enable IPPF to respond to the Zika crisis in the Western Hemisphere Region. The amount of grants to Member Associations (MAs) and partner organizations was US$68.3 million. Central expenditure decreased by US$2.9 million to US$16.1 million mainly due to the weakening of sterling whereas Regional expenditure remained consistent with the prior year at US$34.0 million (a US$0.4 million decrease on 2015).

Africa’s young people are the primary vehicle for realizing the demographic dividend and the principal engine for fostering development at all levels. An African Union (AU) Assembly decision in January 2016 established the theme for 2017 as “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend Through Investments in Youth.” The Demographic Dividend in Africa Relies on Investments in the Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescents and Youth. This document extrapolates this. 

The International Conference of Parliamentary Networks on Population and Development was held in Dakar, Senegal in November 2016, with one of the outcomes being the commitment by African Parliamentarians to support the implementation of the four pillars of the African Union road map; “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth”. The road map factors in the need to transform the potential of Africa’s large youth population into a demographic dividend, and focuses on four pillars that are critical to increasing investments in youth, driving change and positioning African countries on the path towards harnessing the demographic dividend. See attachment for the committments of the Dakar Declaration.