November 1st through 6th, the AmplifyChange team headed to Bogotá, Colombia, to join 4,000 attendees supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP). Over six days, the team met grantee partners, donors, partners in the SRHR community, and new allies, engaging in rich discussions focusing on supporting SRHR advocates. We attended sessions highlighting key issues from across the spectrum of SRHR and coordinated and participated in pre-conferences and plenaries.
Returning to the office, we brought back many new ideas for our future work. Below, read through some of our conference highlights.
The Global Safe Abortion Dialogue pre-conference
AmplifyChange, along with MSI Reproductive Choices, SheDecides, and Impact for Health, led the coordination of the Global Safe Abortion Dialogue (GSAD) official ICFP pre-conference. With funding support from Foundation for a Just Society International, Packard Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, the two day pre-conference on November 1st and 2nd brought together over 100 representatives from civil society organisations, regional networks, international organisations, research bodies, donors, and UN agencies to share reflections on the current state of the abortion rights movement and how to move forward with a shared agenda for change.
The two-day session was a crucial moment for collaboration, connection, and conversation. As the first abortion-focused pre-conference at ICFP, it signalled the importance of maintaining momentum and movement strengthening in an ever-restrictive environment for reproductive justice. The GSAD community look forward to building on the outcomes agreed at the pre-conference towards a future where abortion care and access become a reality for all who need it.
Lunch & Learn Spark Session: AmplifyChange Grantee Partner Meeting
Many organisations supported by AmplifyChange attended ICFP, so we took the opportunity to meet and connect with as many grantee partners as possible. In addition, we hosted an informal lunch session to bring them together to build connections and conversation. Grantee partners took the opportunity to network, learning about each other’s work and priorities and identifying areas of crossover. The session sparked discussions of potential collaborations across focus areas, location, and approach.
In addition to the grantee partner meet up, we were thrilled to visit many of our partners’ poster presentations and presentations during live sessions throughout the week. Many highlighted the impact of their work funded by AmplifyChange. Organisations showcased the spectrum of strategies used by advocates to improve SRHR in their contexts, underscoring that advocacy can take on a range of approaches to achieve the same goal.
Youth Plenary: Addressing Funding Gaps in AYSRHR
AmplifyChange were proud to be invited to speak on the final Youth plenary of the conference, focused on how to better support adolescent and youth SRHR initiatives. Grethe Petersen, AmplifyChange CEO, joined representatives from IPPF Americas & the Caribbean, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, Ola Joven, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) to highlight ways that donors can meet the needs of organisations to fund youth-driven SRHR priorities in a time of increased restrictions. Grethe underscored AmplifyChange’s dedication to supporting youth-led organisations and our approach to flexible, multi-year funding including for organisational strengthening and supporting movements.
Earlier in the week, AmplifyChange also contributed further to the conversation on youth funding during a side event led by Rutgers and ARROW, emphasising again that young people are the experts to address and solve issues facing their communities. Donors should continue to recognise the importance of youth-led SRHR work in their funding decisions.
Looking Ahead
Across the week, we had the pleasure of attending events and sessions exploring topics from across our portfolio, including abortion rights and access, gender-based violence, access to SRHR for marginalised communities, and comprehensive sexuality education. New research and shared strategies for effective advocacy shone a light on the core priorities that AmplifyChange supports through our grant-making. Cross-cutting themes, such as the impact of climate change on SRHR, gave us the opportunity to reflect on how AmplifyChange can better support organisations working to address ever-changing environments for SRHR advocacy. Most importantly, the sessions emphasised the importance of solidarity. Through working together, we can build resilient and sustainable SRHR movements.
As we come back together in the aftermath of the conference, one thing is clear: the conversations, connections, and learning at ICFP reminded us why we do what we do and why we will continue to support movements for change to improve SRHR for all.
