The Niu Vaka Pacific Strategy aims to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the Pacific region over the next 5 years. It will provide targeted support to Pacific Member Associations of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, including Papua New Guinea, to improve sustainability, expand reach, build an enabling environment for SRHR, and streamline reporting. The strategy establishes clear targets and emphasizes capacity building, partnerships, and flexibility for Member Associations. Initial results under the strategy have been positive, with Member Associations exceeding or meeting targets in several areas due to increased autonomy, faster implementation, and improved data systems.

1. InternationalPlannedParenthoodFederation
S u b - R e g i o n a l O f f i c e f o r t h e P a c i f i c ( S R O P )
SRHR in the Pacific: A Strategic Approach

2. Over 30-year history
8 Member Associations, 1
Collaborating Partner
DFAT and MFAT are key donor
partners
Sub-Regional Office for the
Pacific, under ESEAOR
Key regional partners:
UNFPA, PDF, UN Women
IPPF
inthe
Pacific

3. Despite concerted effort, the Pacific region holds some of the poorest
health and social development indicators globally:
• The highest level of unmet need for contraception in the world.
• Stagnant, and in some cases declining, contraceptive prevalence
rates.
• Mixed progress towards reducing adolescent birth rates and total
fertility rates.
• Unacceptably high maternal mortality in many Pacific countries.
• Increasing prevalence of cervical cancer and other reproductive
cancers.
• Epidemic levels of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Growing incidence of STIs.
• Significant climate change risk
• Some of the highest NCD rates in the world
Why the Niu Vaka Strategy?

5. Thename:“NIUVAKA”
Niu (Coconut):
• Often referred to as the tree of life – not a bit goes to waste
• Floats between Pacific islands and puts down roots where it lands
• Powerful symbol of resilience and renewal and connectedness
Vaka (Va’a) (Canoe):
• Used by ancient Pacific islanders to journey vast distances
between islands - links Pacific islands together
• Symbolizes our shared history, collective Pacific identity
Niu Vaka embodies the ideas of sustainability, resourcefulness,
resilience and connectedness

6. Niu Vaka Vision and Mission

7. Outcomes

8. Guiding Principles

9. Enabling people to make free and informed choices about their SRHR, sexuality and wellbeing is key
to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals and families, and a significant driver of economic
and social development. The Niu Vaka Pacific Strategy will:
The Importance of the Niu Vaka Strategy
• Provide targeted support to Pacific MAs,
including PNG
• Improve sustainability, developing
institutional capacity
• Expand reach, allowing Pacific MAs to
reach more people, including the
marginalised and underserved
• Build an enabling environment for SRHR
• Streamline reporting and funding
processes

10. What’s different about the Strategy?
• Clear targets and knowledge of what we are trying to
achieve
• Inclusion of PNG as a key member in the Pacific
• A platform for donor engagement
• Knowledge and hard data on what we achieve
• Single reporting on all MA activities
• Continuous support for the MA in terms of technical
expertise
• Strict timeframes for implementation of programs
and delivery of services in line with the Annual
integrated workplans.
• Strengthened focus on working across the
development – humanitarian continuum

11. What’s different about the Strategy (2)?
• Focus on capacity building opportunities and
trainings for MAs.
• Clinicians or nurses, volunteers and peer educators
need to be involved in planning of activities within the
organization to ensure full participation and
understanding when implementing and reporting on
activities.
• Increased focus on partnerships, and efficiencies of
scale and value for money opportunities that
partnerships can afford.
• Increased autonomy and flexibility for MAs to
determine their own priorities and respond to
emerging issues

12. Challenges
• Funding: It’s a new modality – difficult to convince donors
to fund into the pool – it takes time
• Donors want to fund specific activities, so we need to be
flexible
• Donors want specific reports and data, which can take MA
focus away from MA/Niu Vaka strategy priorities
• IPPF processes – e.g. funding agreements hinder
flexibility
• Don’t have all the technical expertise and resources
required to launch new areas
• Small MAs so impact of shocks is much higher – e.g.
funding cuts, staffing, changes in donor priorities

13. StrategyM&E
Framework&
Target
Achievements
 2018 was baseline input and target
settings for PIC MAs
 2019 was the first year of achievements
of these targets and the PIC MAs have
exceeded or met targets Outcomes 1,2,4
 Outcome 3 had decreased in certain
targets i.e number of clients who are
‘marginalized or ‘underserved’ and
‘number of family planning clients, as a
result of 2018 results/baseline that
included humanitarian PIC response data.
Pacific Member Associations – 2019 Dashboard
9 Clinicians trained LARC 158,145 Estimated total clients
28 282 Couple Years Protection
354,373 contraceptive items distributed
85,268 estimated poor/vulnerable
105 Disability clients
5,888 First Time Users of FP
64 SDP (Static Clinics, Mobile Clinics & CBD)
465,675 SRH services delivered & provided
1, 269 peer educators trained 1,457 Young People Reached
5 New partnerships formed
Investment of 2.7
Million USD
 For the 1st time the PIC MAs are able to
measure their reach, to deliver SRH
services, through indicators i.e. the
proportion of population reached with
SRH services and proportion of
communities and districts reached.
 Pacific is the only region in IPPF that
collects statistics on disability, poor and
vulnerable clients

14. Total Number of
services provided
(Services and Referrals)
Total Number of SRH &
Non- SRH services
Total Clients
Total SRH services at
mobile clinics
Number of people
reached with positive
SRHR messages
Number of young people
reached with complete
series of CSE curriculum
430,622
875,488
145,781
89,285
259,438
500
465,675
961,746
158,145
120,705
872,749
1,457
2018 2019
8.14%
10.2%
8.5%
35%
263%
40%
%
Increase
2019 Indicators and
Achievements

15. First – time user of
modern
contraception
Number of clients
with disability
Number of clients
who are
marginalized or
underserved
7,045
60
119,692
5,888
105
85,268
2018 2019
16%
75%
28%
%
2019 Indicators and
Achievements

16. WHY THE IMPROVEMENT?
• Increased autonomy for MAs to determine their own
priorities and respond to emerging needs
• Inclusion of Papua New Guinea
• Increased work across the development – humanitarian
nexus
• Immediate signing of funding agreements and
disbursement of 70% of funds
• Additional service providers/nurses enabled the increase
in services for MAs
• Increased sites of clinical mobile outreach and clinics
• Increased focus on demand creation
• Fast track implementation of key activities
• Improved project management systems, processes and
capacity

17. WHY THE IMPROVEMENT?
• Targeted SROP support in January to order to close off Partnerships for Health and
Rights and to facilitate implementation of the Niu Vaka strategy, including Integrated
Annual Workplan development
• Agreed targets so we know what we are achieving
• Improved data management system with training across all MAs
• Data is more robust and is now used for planning and decision making
• Increased visibility for IPPF MAs
• Improved partnerships with national
governments
• Growing donor confidence

18. Where to from here?