The Role of the European Commission

1. The Role of the European Commission RH supplies and Commodity Security Antoinette Gosses European Commission DG Development Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

2. DG Development • DG Development is responsible for formulation of EU development policies • Responsibility for relations with ACP countries: Cotonou Agreement and EDF • DG DEV works closely with other DGs in Relex family: EuropeAid, External Relations, ECHO and Trade • Complementarity between EC, MS, Multilateral orgs, OECD, UN system Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

3. Current challenges • Expansion of Member states • European Consensus • Paris Agreement on Aid Effectiveness • Financing for Development • MDGs • Health financing (HR issue, health insurance etc) Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

4. EC looking to complement work by other donors • DFID/Netherlands MoFA commodity security studies in Cambodia, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia • Many findings but a few were: • Stronger Public Sector engagement needed for RHSC strategy • RH and Commodity security needs to be mainstreamed • Continued advocacy needed for inclusion of RH and RHCS in national development planning Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

5. Reproductive Health Commodity Security Study • Commissioned in 2006 • Objectives: • Determine sustainable mechanisms for funding RH supplies at country level • Propose mechanisms to address RHCS issues • Propose methods to ensure RHCS is included in National planning and policy documents Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

6. Methodology • Literature review (particularly drawing on the “Mercer” report and a DFID study) • Field visits and interviews (in Tamil Nadu, India and Mozambique) • Analysis of the data collected • Evidence of contributors to RHCS in addition to the EC • Policy Recommendations: • for India • for Mozambique • General (for the EC) • Conclusions Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

7. Country specific recommendations • India: • Minimise parallel systems of distribution • Centralised forecasting • Better tendering procedures – focus on quality • Mozambique • Improved forecasting • Improved quality control of RH commodities • Better coordination within the Health Sector to obtain more RH supplies Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

8. General recommendations • Policy and Legal Framework Recommendations (and coordination with donors) • Integration, decentralisation, revised legal frameworks • Financing and Budget Recommendations • Budget allocations for RHC, targeted funding for RHC at all levels • AddressingGaps in Management of the Supply Chain and Procurement • Coordination and Management; HIS; Integration; Tendering; Quality Control; Distribution Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

9. Key points of the study: the RHSC circle Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting

10. Conclusions • This work confirms other studies and research • Some common themes identified: • Tendering, transparency in procurement • Forecasting • Working with health sector programmes for RH supplies and particularly mainstreaming RHCS Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Annual Meeting