Appointment of the London Family Planning 2020’s Reference Group

The members of the London Family Planning Summit, Family Planning 2020's (FP2020) Reference Group has been set up to provide strategic direction and oversight of progress towards the achievement of the Family Planning Summit goal: enabling 120 million additional women in the world’s poorest countries to access voluntary family planning by 2020. It will also have oversight over FP2020 operational mechanisms including the Task Team and working groups.

The members of the Group represent both fixed and rotating seats:

• 5 Donor organizations
  • Three fixed seats: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, DFID (as conveners of the London Summit on Family Planning)
  • Two rotating seats from among donors that have made a pledge of support to the London Summit on Family Planning or FP2020 – Norway and Bloomberg Foundation
• 2 Multilateral institutions
  • 1 fixed seat: UNFPA
  • 1 rotating seat: available, but not limited to, WHO, UNICEF, UN Women, and the World Bank
• 5 Countries (rotating seats) -- Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Senegal
• 3 Civil society organizations with emphasis on a mix of geographic and functional expertise, with individuals are appointed in their own right
  • Tewodros Melesse (IPPF),
  • Jane Kiragu (African Women Leaders Network for RH and FP)
  • Poonam Muttreja (Population Foundation of India)
• 1 Host organization: One fixed seat for UN Foundation, representing the host of the FP2020 Task Team
• 2 At-Large seats: Two rotating seats for Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)

Mr Melesse, as a member of the Group,  said he was “privileged to  take on this important role and to represent civil society. This is an exciting opportunity not only to enable 120 million women realize their right to  access contraception. As the MDGs draw to a close, this presents a critical opportunity to  galvanize support, increase the pressure and ensure SRHR is represented in the next development framework as the key to  sustainable social and economic development.”