National Advocacy - Small grant activities in 2009

APA provides support to national advocacy campaigns by members, primarily through small grants. The program allows members to plan in-country advocacy activities based on national priorities. In 2009, APA's Small Grants Program entered its eighth cycle. Each country was allocated USD 25,000 to implement activities.

Members in Australia lobbied for the removal of the Australian Aid Program's Family Planning guidelines. Following advocacy by APA members, the Australia government announced significant changes to the guidelines and the removal of key restrictions, as well as an intention to increase support for family planning activities. The small grant also supported the development of the Common Ground website and other advocacy work by Australian members, including the preparation of media releases and the provision of technical input at key meetings.

In Canada, APA members worked to build awareness and political support for sexual and reproductive health, HIV and the environment leading up to the G8 Summit in Canada in June 2010. Advocacy work focused on parliamentarians and partners worked to capitalise on the Canadian Prime Minister's intention to make maternal and child health a priority area of discussion. APA members in Canada met with government officials and produced materials on maternal mortality and violence against women to inform government interventions for key statements and resolutions.

Advocacy in Japan focused on work to keep the Government on track to meeting commitments made at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). A major achievement was official participation of NGOs in the TICAD process. With APA support, Japanese NGOs provided policy input for new policies on aid for global health. As part of the TICAD process, members in Japan organised or took part in a Follow-up Meeting to TICAD in Botswana, as well as an NGO Strategy Meeting and TICAD Roundtable in Japan in October. Recognizing that Korea is an emerging donor country and host to many crucial international meetings, members in Japan worked to strengthen connections with NGOs in South Korea.

In South Korea, members worked together to raise public awareness on the issue of climate and gender justice for achieving the MDGs and advancing ICPD. Korean members organized a study visit to Tuvalu in mid-2009 and held an International Symposium on Climate Justice, ‘We are All Tuvaluans' in Seoul on 24 September 2009. More than 150 people participated in the Symposium, including an expert from Tuvalu, and representatives from government agencies, research organisations, NGOs and embassies in Korea. A documentary on Tuvalu, in English and Korean languages, was produced to increase awareness of climate and population issues in Tuvalu among the people of Korea. The documentary aired on KBS and featured at the Incheon Film Festival.

Members in New Zealand worked to produce ‘Intimate Relations: Sex, Lives and Poverty', a publication to explain issues and challenges for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Pacific Island countries. A major advocacy activity for New Zealand was the Open Hearing into Maternal Health, held in Wellington on 21 September 2009. More than 80 participants took part in the hearing and the event attracted significant media interest. The hearing produced concrete recommendations for action on maternal health and a report which will inform future advocacy work on sexual and reproductive health and rights in islands of the Pacific.

Thailand has a very large population of migrant workers, refugees and displaced persons. Thai members worked together to develop an evidence base and promote access to sexual and reproductive health among migrants living in Thailand. A needs assessment was conducted in four provinces and from this, members developed advocacy messages and rights-based curriculum for reproductive health. Assessment reports from the four provinces, as well as findings from seminars and workshops, were presented to the Ministry of Public Health at a strategy forum convened by the Ministry's Reproductive Health Division early in 2010.