Countdown 2015 Europe welcomes new EC funding to FP/RH in its development cooperation

The Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) has only one sole objective on FP/RH, which had remained without any committed funding since 2014. Countdown 2015 Europe has since then advocated for this objective to be served before the mid-term review of the current EU financial framework in 2017.

In 2015, C2015E advocacy had notably resulted in a written comment from the Netherlands requesting for funding to be committed already in 2016 and not only in 2017. This was made even more critical in the context of shortfalls in funding to UNFPA.

The Annual Action Plan adopted in April 2016 for the DCI ultimately commits €20 million to the UNFPA Supplies Programme for 2016, despite initial opposition from a few Members States. Representatives welcomed C2015E throughout the process, notably regarding the need to both increase and diversity funding for FP/RH. To their questions, the EC replied in a written comment that funding for FP/RH will also be committed in 2018-2020. Whether this will be only programmed in support of the UNFPA Supplies Programme or also through other mechanisms with different technical and geographical scope remains to be determined.