This piece was originally posted on allafrica.com
Washington, DC — 2012 has been a breakthrough year for reproductive health. On 22 May, 2012, the Honourable Joy Phumaphi, former Minister of Health Botswana, will present the 2012 Resolve Award to government representatives from four countries who have embodied these gains: Ethiopia, Malawi, Nepal, and Rwanda.
The Award recognizes the enormous progress each has made towards making family planning and reproductive health services accessible to all of their citizens, mobilizing a growing global consensus which – after decades of neglect – is finally placing women’s empowerment at the heart of the development agenda. It is named for the resolve shown by those country’s leaders in finding innovative solutions to address access to family planning despite limited resources and other challenges.
The Resolve Award was created by the Honourable Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland, and the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health to recognize country led innovations in service expansion, policy development or financing that result in increased access to family planning and reproductive health. The 2012 inaugural awards will be presented at an evening celebration at the US Mission during the World Health Assembly.
The Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, established by The Aspen Institute in 2010, works to increase public awareness of the centrality of family planning to all aspects of economic and social development. This year’s four winning countries were selected from a robust pool of Resolve Award nominations that spanned social media, access for medically underserved populations, and a wide range of policy and finance mechanisms. In addition, Yemen has been selected to receive an honourable mention.