This newsletter covers a number of topics. In ‘How evidence-based is evidence-informed policy making?’ the aim of the conference was to go beyond theory and create a platform where practical experiences and lessons in applying evidence in decision making could be shared, and key gaps and potential solutions identified. In ‘Lessons learnt at AFIDEP: understanding policy makers’ needs and priorities is key’ Dr. Musila noted that targeting and funding participation of individual policy makers at workshops, conferences, symposia, and meetings was a useful means of facilitating researcher-policy maker linkage and exchange. In ‘Strengthening African Women Leaders’ Participation in Defining Country Priorities for FP & RH’ the workshop was designed to strengthen women’s roles and voices in defining country FP/RH priorities and promoting host-country support for FP/RH. ‘The K* (KStar) Initiative Global Knowledge Intermediaries,’ encompasses key practices and roles that knowledge intermediaries conduct in order to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice. In ‘Kenya launches a National Family Planning campaign ‘Tujipange’ as it rolls out its reproductive health policy’ the government will promote measures that will increase the contraceptive intake from the current 46% to 56% by 2015. In ‘AFIDEP helps plan the Malawi National Leaders’ Conference on Family Planning, Population and Development’ highlights Malawi’s progress towards a middle income country and the challenges it still faces. In ‘AFIDEP and its partners organize 2 population projection training workshops at the 6th African Population Conference in Burkina Faso’ the aim of the workshops was to introduce English and French speaking African participants engaged in various aspects of population and health research (including academia and policy) to important aspects of population health policy particularly the use of SPECTRUM software in population projection and the effective communication of policy. In ‘African government’s lessons shared with US Policy Makers’ the initiative’s first consultative conference in June 2011 in Dakar, Senegal, 17 representatives from the 10 participating institutions identified pressing issues on the African sub- continent. In ‘The Integra initiative: Demonstrating the Benefits of Integrated HIV and Reproductive Health Services in Kenya, and Swaziland’ is aimed at gathering evidence to determine the costs and benefits of models used to deliver integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in high- and medium-high-HIV-prevalence settings to reduce HIV (and associated stigma) and unintended pregnancies.
