PRB PACE ANNUAL REPORT 2015/2016

Agency for International Development (USAID) on November 10, 2015, under Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-A-16-00002. The project aims to ensure family planning and population issues are included in policies and programs as key to sustainable, equitable economic growth and development, and thereby help countries to achieve Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) goals, as well as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets focused on family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH). Under PACE, PRB works closely with global actors, national and local governments, and nongovernmental partners on FP/RH issues to strengthen capacities in advocacy, policy communication, and negotiation; to increase commitments to multisectoral approaches such as Population, Health, and Environment (PHE); and to analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information and data to propel policy and advocacy audiences to act. PACE also addresses gender, youth, and equity as well as the Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH)'s technical priority issues by incorporating them across project activities. The project transitioned smoothly from its predecessor, IDEA, with PRB investing private resources to retain staff over the bridge period. PACE staff were available to begin work immediately upon award, and the project quickly prepared 60- and 90-day deliverables, including an approved Branding Plan and Marking Strategy, an approved workplan, and a project management plan. The project also updated the results database, created a PACE project logo and two-page informational flyer, and transitioned activity and financial planning to Smartsheet software. During its first year, PACE expanded its reach by developing easy-to-use toolkits and establishing a physical presence in sub-Saharan Africa. The project developed toolkits for policy communication, media, and PHE, and hired a regional advisor to nurture partnerships and ensure strategic alignment of PRB work in anglophone Africa. PACE also partnered with organizations with broad field presence, including the PATH-led Advocacy for Better Health project in Uganda and a Pathfinder-led PHE initiative in Tanzania, to conduct policy communication trainings. The project emphasized field support, receiving support from the Africa Bureau and Kenya in the first year, and reaching out to USAID Missions in Senegal, Uganda, and Ghana for field support in Year 2 and beyond. PACE integrated gender, equity, and youth into its work under each of its result areas, and completed activities specifically focused on gender and youth, including launching a short video that frames youth voices as they speak to decisionmakers about their role in their country's economic growth and future. Strategic objective results include securing a conference track on "Population Dynamics, Health, and the Environment" at the African Great Lakes Conference, and engaging with county decisionmakers in Kenya on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). The policy dialogues in Kenyan counties resulted in increased commitment to ASRH, with policymakers making commitments to improve ASRH in their county. In Machakos County, decisionmakers promised to map the locations of all youth-friendly clinics and ASRH partners in the county, and in Kwale, health officials pledged to extend the hours of the county health clinic to accommodate the needs of young people. The first program area result of PACE is individual and institutional capacity in advocacy, policy communication, and negotiations strengthened. Effective champions for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) will be developed through the project's activities, including training and capacity-building programs for policymakers, advocates, and civil society leaders. The project will also provide technical assistance and support to help countries develop and implement policies and programs that address FP/RH issues. The project's work in Kenya has shown promising results, with policymakers making commitments to improve ASRH in their county. The policy dialogues in Kenyan counties have resulted in increased commitment to ASRH, and the project's work in Uganda has provided a valuable field test for new modules of the toolkit. The project's emphasis on field support has also been successful, with the Africa Bureau and Kenya providing support in the first year, and USAID Missions in Senegal, Uganda, and Ghana providing support in Year 2 and beyond. Overall, the PACE project has made significant progress in its first year, expanding its reach, developing new toolkits and partnerships, and emphasizing field support. The project's work in Kenya and Uganda has shown promising results, and the project's emphasis on field support has been successful. The project's first program area result, individual and institutional capacity in advocacy, policy communication, and negotiations strengthened, is on track to be achieved, and the project's work will continue to focus on developing effective champions for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH).