International Conference on Female Condoms

17 and 18 November 2011 in The Hague, the Netherlands 

On 17 and 18 November, 129 people from 24 countries and 4 continents gathered in The Hague, The Netherlands for ‘Prevention, Pleasure and Protection’, the International Conference on Female Condoms.

Organized by the UAFC Joint Programme in co-operation with PSI Zimbabwe and Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), this two-day conference offered participants a dynamic environment to share knowledge and experiences and meet and get inspired by other people involved in the advancement of female condoms from around the world. The conference was energetically chaired by Greetje Lubbi, the chair of the International Steering Group of the UAFC Joint Programme.

Here you find the Programme of the conference

Next to plenary presentations by leading scientists and specialists, a range of working groups offered the possibility to discuss topics including a.o.  the  latest developments in regulatory issues, new types of female condoms, the use of social media for promotion, localization of gatekeepers, and the sustainability of the global advocacy movement. There were government officials, donor representatives, female condom programmers, advocates, manufacturers and scientists. During the conference there was also ample time to share materials and establish new contacts.

The List of participants shows you the names of those who attended the conference. The Overview of speakers and the Bio's of speakers are listed as well.

In his keynote speech, Mr. Christaan Rebergen, Special Ambassador for MDGs and Public Private Partnerships with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, praised the major achievements of the UAFC Joint programme such as contributing to placing the female condom on the international agenda and demonstrating the commercial potential of the female condom.  Mr. Rebergen also announced the continued support of the Dutch government for the UAFC Joint Programme in 2012, as well as the support of the Finish government for the same year, which was welcomed with applause.  Female Condom Champions from Kenya, Cameroon and the USA invited Mr. Rebergen to write a message on the life-size  Zawadi, in support of UAFC’s Paper Doll Campaign.  

In his closing speech, Mr. John Skibiak, Director of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC), shed light on the agenda ahead by elaborating on three themes that in his view will profoundly influence the evolution of the female condom movement in the coming years: the importance of opening up price negotiations with manufacturing sector in a neutral space; ensuring that supply chains work effectively by making use of practical (online) tools; and the new potential advocacy opportunity for the female condom under the UN Secretary  General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s health.  

At this conference the latest UAFC publication is formally launched. The book "Making female condoms available and accessible, a guide on implementing female condom programs"  is a Guide on Implementing Female Condom Programs and aims to facilitate the expansion of large-scale female condom programming worldwide, so that the female condom will be available, accessible and affordable for all women and men.

This Guide represents the experiences, lessons learned, challenges and successes of the female condom programs of our colleagues in Cameroon, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. All of them have a passion for the female condom and sincerely believe that female condom use ultimately improves couples’ sexual and reproductive health. Their experiences are included in this guide, so that their stories will help you anticipate challenges and opportunities as best as you can when implementing a large-scale female condom program. This guide is written for (potential) implementers of large-scale female condom programs of national and international NGOs, CBOs, donors, health practitioners, and other professionals in the field of health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/Aids prevention, and gender.  

The Implementation Guide is available in English and in French. The Portuguese version is still in production.

Furthermore, a toolkit for advocacy on female condom programming was launched under the titel: 'Make a move: advocating for the female condom'

Convincing decision makers and gatekeepers that the availability of female condoms is essential for the health of the community can be a tough job. It is crucial though for a sustainable female condom program. To cater to all advocates that would like to start advocating the female condom UAFC Joint Programme has developed an advocacy toolkit.

One of the items in the toolkit is a booklet that provides you with the basics that you need to design your advocacy strategy. It contains important information that will equip and support you to start advocating for the female condom on all levels.

The booklet contains background information about the female condom, information on how to give a female condom demonstration and concrete tools for female condom advocacy. It is especially useful for advocate in the area of HIV/Aids, family planning or sexual and reproductive health and rights who would like to advocate specifically for the female condom.

Here you can download the booklet ‘Make a move: advocating for the female condom’

 

All the photographs of the conference, taken by Guus Schoonewille are available here:

and .

If you want to use them in your own communications, feel free to do so. Please mention UAFC / Guus Schoonewille.

Previously to the conference, UAFC organized the Paper Doll Event at the House of Parliament on November 16.