WASHINGTON, May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --  The Global Financing Facility (GFF) and PAI announced today a new collaboration to further strengthen civil society and youth engagement in GFF partner countries to help deliver better health for all women, children and adolescents, as part of the GFF Civil Society and Youth Engagement Strategy.

Two years into the pandemic, and with multiple crises affecting the world, civil society and youth voices remain critical in informing decision-making, promoting accountability and protecting essential health services for women, children and adolescents in at-risk communities.  The GFF's five-year vision addresses the urgent need for deepening meaningful engagement with civil society organizations (CSOs) to help build resilient and equitable health systems that respond to the needs of women, children and adolescents.

Supported by a $5 million GFF grant, PAI will further strengthen CSO impact by enhancing alignment of CSO participation at both country and global levels, streamlining governance and management and hosting the  CSO Coordinating Group. PAI will also provide strategic and technical advocacy assistance and grants to enhance CSO capacity to engage in policy and funding decisions and ensure accountability by governments and partners.

"PAI is deeply honored to be selected as the CSO Host in support of the GFF's commitment to advance women, children and adolescent health priorities around the world," said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI. "This role recognizes PAI's contributions to sexual and reproductive health and rights, our trusted collaborations with community-based organizations worldwide and our approach to equitable and principled partnerships. As PAI works to expand the civic space for community-driven advocacy, the GFF's investment accelerates and sustains the positive impact that local organizations are driving for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents."

Since its inception in 2015, the GFF has provided grants and technical assistance to strengthen CSO engagement in country stakeholder platforms. During the pandemic, the GFF scaled up its support to ensure CSO participation in developing COVID-19 response plans and advocating for protecting essential services for women, children and adolescents.

"The role of  CSOs has always been central to promoting equity and ensuring the voices and needs of the women, children and adolescents are positioned at the heart of the country-led process to strengthen health systems,"  said Monique Vledder, head of GFF Secretariat. "The collaboration with PAI comes at a critical time when CSO engagement is more important than ever to ensure that women's and children's health lies at the center of an inclusive and resilient recovery."

PAI was selected through a competitive process reviewed by the GFF CSO Task Force which includes external partners from civil society and youth organizations, private foundations, multilaterals and donor agencies, and by staff from the GFF and World Bank Global Partnership for Social Accountability.

For more information on this partnership or on GFF's CSO strategy, please contact GFFcsoengagement@worldbank.org.

ABOUT PAI
PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the country, regional and global levels. PAI works toward its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL FINANCING FACILITY (GFF)
The GFF is a multistakeholder partnership of the World Bank that supports country-led efforts to improve the health of women, children and adolescents. With the GFF, countries are making smarter, more prioritized, results-focused investments toward greater impact on the health, nutrition and well-being of women, children and adolescents; building capacity for more sustainable funding for this agenda; and exploring more innovative ways to work with the private sector. Since the GFF was founded in 2015, partner countries have made significant progress to improve maternal and child health. Learn more here:  Annual Report 2020-2021.