The Regional Reproductive Health and Rights Coalition (RRHRC)

Coalition Building

The Regional Reproductive Health and Rights Coalition (RRHRC) was launched during the Regional Conference “Bringing the WHO Recommendations on Safe Abortion and Family Planning Closer to Women in Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” on 16 November 2018, coalition formation supported by the SAAF project (Safe Abortion Action Fund). The Coalition was launched by professionals and SCOs members from 12 countries from Eastern Europe and Central Asia who attended the Conference and unanimously voted the necessity to create this regional body, in order to unify the efforts and advocate for sexual and reproductive rights and universal access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including sexual health education, contraception and safe abortion.

The GOAL of the Coalition is to promote, fulfill and advance sexual and reproductive rights for people in EECA and achieve universal access to quality Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services, including to safe abortion and family planning.

Mission

The mission of Regional RHR Coalition is to promote, respect and advance Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR), universal access to comprehensive SRH services, including to safe abortion, to align them to WHO recommendations, focusing on the needs of women and men in Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Objectives

1. To strengthen the regional collaboration and networking among the countries’ professional associations and SCOs, create a platform for permanent communication, dialogue and common understanding of SRRH.
2. To increase stakeholders’ knowledge on SRHR, by sharing evidence-based information, standards and guidelines to inform and improve policy, programmes and practices.
3. Serve as a source of information in Russian about latest scientific development in the SRR field, stimulate the clinical trials in the region.
4. Support the development of evidence-based guidelines, protocols, training curricula, on SRHR, including on safe abortion.
5. Accelerate the implementation of WHO recommendations on modern methods of contraception and safe abortion in countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
6. Advocate for access to safe and quality abortion care, including to medical abortion, for it’s de-medicalization, de-centralization, support the development of alternative ways of service delivery, such as telemedicine medical abortion, etc.
7. To protect the legality of abortion and access to safe abortion in the region.
8. Support introductory and promotion of the quality assured supplies and medicines for MVA and Medical abortion, modern contraceptives, such a LARC, equal access to them for all women and girls.

Activities

• Information on SRHR, safe abortion, family planning etc in Russian gathering and dissemination using the social media platforms
• Publishing reports, factsheets, brochures, leaflets and other advocacy materials in Russian, elaborate common messages by professional for the women’s NGO and other groups on safe abortion, women’s RHR;
• Preparing a monthly bulletin with the latest news and developments from the global level in Russian for the regional beneficiaries and from the region to the global audience.
• Support in the development of national protocols and guidelines on safe abortion, family planning and other RH isues, based on the respect of human rights and in accordance with the latest WHO recommendations
• Capacity building of members of the Coalition in the different areas of SRHR, including through modern on-line technologies, webinars, skype conferences, etc.
• Share interesting clinical cases, experiences, and lessons learned. Create the possibility for the professionals to ask and consult difficult cases “ask the expert”, in order to gain support and confidence.
• Share the protocols and guideline on safe abortion, developed by the teams in countries from EECA, as models of “good practice”
• Create an abortion map of EECA region in which each country will have the possibility to display the information where women can address for quality services on safe abortion.
• Monitoring of the growing religious fundamentalism and anti-choice movement in ECECA region, in order to undertake the necessary actions to overcome it

Membership – who can become the members

Member of Coalition can become any individual (providers or SCOs member) or organization who shares it’s mission and who can support the implementation of its objectives and can help to expand the Coalition.

Members of the Coalition, will:
• Receive the monthly newsletter with the latest SRHR-related news
• Receive support in the development of national protocols and guidelines on safe abortion according the latest WHO recommendations
• Receive informational and financial support in participation at international events (conferences, workshops etc) in safe abortion.
• Have the possibility to share clinical cases, put questions and receive answers from experts.
• Have the possibility to increase their knowledge in the latest WHO recommendations through the organized conference, workshops and webinars.
• Will be able to add his name or the name of it’s institution on the Regional map for RH services

To become a member:
Please respond to the Survey Monkey at the link: REGISTRARION

Coordinating organization

The CO is represented by Reproductive Health Training Center, and consists of the staff involved in the process of coordinating, preparing and organization of RTC activities, the coordinator and the assistant. Depending of the available funds, after a period of three years, the coordination of the Coalition can be taken by another group n any of EECA countries.

Regional Coalition Board

The Regional Coalition Board is composed of 5 persons with different field of activity

The Board Attributes:
• Commitment to Regional Coalition mission
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
• Collaborative, team-oriented approach, and willingness to work across time zones
• Ability to think creatively, strategically, and solution-oriented
• Willingness to speak frankly and listen respectfully to others