Global Exchange Network for Reproductive Health

What Is the Global Exchange Network for Reproductive Health? In response to a request from USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health, the Management and Leadership (M&L) Program of Management Sciences for Health, in collaboration with Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Morocco, and Turkey, created a network and communication exchange about reproductive health (RH) through an initiative called the Global Exchange Network for Reproductive Health.

These five countries no longer receive USAID Population and Reproductive Health funding because they have achieved certain reproductive health indicators. However, they, like many other countries, still face great challenges in the area of reproductive health and family planning, such as: insufficient financial support, lack of implementing capacity, frequent changes in politics and programs, lack of sufficiently trained human resources, and difficulties convincing decision-makers of the importance of reproductive health programs.

The Global Exchange Network (GEN) focuses on information exchange among these five countries regarding the trends, opportunities, new approaches, best practices, and challenges that they currently face in RH. Countries that still receive USAID Population and Reproductive Health funding may also participate in select activities in the Global Exchange.

The Virtual Leadership Development Program in Latin America

Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico enrolled teams from public- and private-sector RH organizations in a Spanish-language Virtual Leadership Development Program (VLDP). The VLDP is a blended-learning initiative that strengthens health managers and their teams in order for them to produce improved organizational results. Team members worked individually and on the VLDP Web site to identify organizational challenges and create action plans to address these challenges. As a result, the cross-organizational team in Mexico that took part in the VLDP has, for example, established a network of people from both public and private sector organizations who are meeting regularly to discuss and exchange information about reproductive health.

Global Exchange Network Web Site

The purpose of the Global Exchange Network Web site is to promote the exchange of information about RH within and among countries. The Network Web site, which includes country and region-specific sections in Spanish and French, features discussion forums, electronic resources, and facilitated conversations about best practices, challenges, and experiences in RH.

Virtual Conferences on Reproductive Health

M&L is working with GEN countries to conduct two interactive virtual conferences. These virtual conferences, modeled after traditional face-to-face conferences, aim to promote the sharing of best practices in RH that have been developed in GEN countries, identify and discuss the health challenges, and extend the information and expertise of these countries to other countries as well. The week-long conferences will take place in April and May 2005.

The GEN partners themselves chose the conference topics, and the conference presenters will be individuals from the GEN countries. One virtual conference in Spanish and English will be hosted by Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico in April, 2005. The second virtual conference in French and English will be hosted by Morocco and will take place in May, 2005.

 The Global Exchange Network for Reproductive Health program flyer - [PDF - 124KB]

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