Advocacy and Policy Dialogue

In consultation with implementing partners UNFPA has recently developed an Advocacy Strategy for the year 2007-2011. The following are the issues advocacy under the three programme components, namely the Population and Development, Reproductive Health, and Gender components:

Population and Development Component

• Creation of an enabling environment for the implementation of Ethiopia population policy
• Promulgation of Legislation on registration of vital events (births, deaths, marriages, and divorce etc.)
• Support production of data that is relevant, timely, well-packaged and user-friendly to make policy-orientated analysis and informed decisions for good governance at different levels
• Establishing Integrated Management Information Systems (IMIS) to support policy analysis to achieve MDGs

Reproductive Health Component

• Adopting & implementing the Regional road map for accelerated Reduction of Maternal and Newborn mortality throughout the country as per Maputo Plan of Action and National RH Strategy.
• Revitalize and/Establish midwifery schools at regions Scale up Reproductive Health Commodity Security
• Greater commitment of national and regional political, religious and cultural leaders for Family Planning as a priority issue to contribute to poverty reduction
• Support for the implementation the Adolescent & Youth RH Health Strategy in relation to the African Youth Charter
• Greater commitment of political leaders & decision-makers to take effective and accelerated (scaled-up) HIV prevention actions directed at young people and sex workers particularly focusing on rural areas and on females using both new and traditional entry points
• Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS systematically and comprehensively integrated into humanitarian planning and response

Gender component

Commitment of leaders including justice system decision-makers for systematic enforcement of favourable laws for women's rights specifically, including:

• Early Marriage;
• Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C; Domestic Violence and Rape)
• Commitment of the Council of Ministers to allocate resources to the national gender machineries to implement the National Action Plan for Gender Equality and Women's Change and Development Package.
• Commitment of political leaders and development partners/donors to allocate financial and human resources for scaling up model projects/initiatives.
• Creation of accountability mechanisms/systems for gender mainstreaming in all sectoral ministries led by the Council of Ministers.
• Adoption of family code by 4 regions-Somali, Harari, Afar and Gambella