An essential aspect of the activities of the IPPF European Network (IPPF EN), whose Regional Office is located in Brussels (Belgium), is awareness-raising and political advocacy work towards the institutions of the European Union (EU), i.e., the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
This includes, among other things, reacting to documents and proposals of the European Commission, contributing to reports of the European Parliament and writing to representatives of Member States in Brussels.
IPPF EN is an observer in the Civil Society Forum on HIV ran by DG Sanco and is a member of the Health Policy Forum also organized by DG Sanco.
This work is also carried out through the strong networks of NGOs of which IPPF EN is a member, such as the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), the Platform of European Social NGOs, and the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development (CONCORD)
IPPF EN has participative status with the Council of Europe and special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
IPPF EN, both through its member MAs and the Regional Office, collaborates with the United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and WHO Europe.
Social cohesion and democracy
IPPF EN is concerned by new emerging issues related to the demographic change but also by the persistent pressure from certain groups in society to restrict human rights and other civil liberties.
The Regional Office continues to invest in new ideas, new actors and strategies to support the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of all. This includes investment in horizontal issues such as the development of civil society, democracy, good governance and human rights.
The Council of Europe
IPPF EN is committed to the promotion of democracy and capacity building of civil society organizations across the European region and has used every opportunity to provide technical assistance within the programmes of the Conference of International NGOs of the Council of Europe.
The Regional Office holds the chair of the Social Cohesion and Eradication of Poverty Committee and has contributed extensively to the work of the network of experts on NGO legislation in Europe.
A major success in 2008 was the Regional Office’s work on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) report on access to safe and legal abortion in Europe. PACE gathers parliamentarians from 47 national parliaments. We worked intensively with the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) and other actors to ensure the adoption of a historic resolution aiming to decriminalize abortion in Europe.
The European Commission
The Regional Office reinforced its cooperation with the European Commission Directorate for Health (DG SANCO), working closely with civil servants of the European Commission and experts of the national ministries on the draft of an EC strategy to promote the sexual health of young people.
Increasing Civil Society Participation and Accountability
In September 2008, IPPF EN embarked on a new 5-year project entitled: “Joining Forces for Voice and Accountability”. This innovative advocacy project will be implemented jointly by IPPF Western Hemisphere Region (WHR) and IPPF European Network in 13 countries in Latin America and Central Asia/Eastern Europe. The project goal is to increase the accountability of governments for their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) commitments, including the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of universal access to reproductive health by 2015.
A project inception meeting with the seven Member Associations of Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan involved in the project took place in Brussels. This inception workshop was followed by a 3-day advocacy capacity building workshop which included five additional Member Associations (Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Romania) that are involved in another Regional initiative entitled “Together for a stronger voice in Advocacy”.
EU Development Cooperation
The Regional Office leads Countdown 2015 Europe, a consortium of 18 partners in a 3-year project aiming to increase European funding for reproductive health supplies. Midway through the project, the consortium had managed to put RHS supplies firmly on the advocacy agenda in Europe and to increase the commitment of donors. Funding specifically allocated to RH supplies has increased by at least 350 million EUR since the beginning of the project.