Health, Population and Nutrition (HPN) Partners Group

 Background

The Health, Population and Nutrition (HPN) Partners Group was established by the Development Assistant Group (DAG). The HPN comprises multilateral and bilateral partners (including foundations and the Global Fund) who provide development assistance to Ethiopia. The Consortium of Christian Relief & Development Associations (CCRDA) and Consortium of Reproductive Health Association (CORHA) umbrella organizations represent the NGO/CSO sector and participate as observers at HPN meetings.

The HPN is responsible for providing support to the Government, in particular the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), to support the implementation of the health sector programme as part of the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP). The HPN works towards improved aid coordination, harmonization and alignment, and promotes Ethiopian national ownership of the health sector in line with the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action.

HPN mandate, objectives and principles

Mandate:

  • Serve as a platform to coordinate and harmonize partners’ effective support to Ethiopia’s health sector in line with government priorities
  • Serve as a forum to exchange information among donor partners, foster discussion, dialogue and debate around health sector priorities;
  • Foster inclusiveness and representation through engaging CSOs
  • Advocate with partners to provide additional support to implement national strategies in a harmonized and aligned manner

Objectives:

Support to the Health Sector:

  • Coordinate and provide coordinated technical assistance to FMOH

    Dialogue and Coordination:

  • Represent development partners in health sector discussions and forums
  • Ensure joint governance structures for the sector function effectively
  • Ensure key information is shared with DAG and other relevant bodies and mechanisms

Aid Effectiveness

Contribute to the implementation of  IHP commitments through providing coordinated, aligned and harmonized development assistance to the health sector, with a focus on:

  • Agreement on priorities that are reflected in a single national health strategy, through a process of inclusive development and joint assessment, and a reduction in separate exercises
  • Resource inputs recorded on budget and in line with national priorities
  • Financial management systems harmonized and aligned; requisite capacity building done or underway, and country systems strengthened and used
  • Procurement/supply systems harmonized and aligned, parallel systems phased out, country systems strengthened and used with a focus on best value for money. National ownership can include benefiting from global procurement
  • Joint monitoring of process and results is based on one information and accountability platform including joint annual reviews that define actions that are implemented and reinforce mutual accountability;
  • Opportunities for systematic learning between countries developed and supported by agencies (south-south/triangular cooperation);
  • Provision of strategically planned and well-coordinated technical support

Principles

  • Enhancement of true partnership through dialogue, coordination, harmonization, alignment, and information sharing, 
  • whilst being geared towards financing for results;
  • Inclusion of capacity building components in all supported activities.
  • Strive for aid effectiveness, efficiency, mutual accountability and promote national ownership;

 Duties and responsibilities of the HPN Partners Group

Support to the Health Sector:

  • Support GoE in its efforts to strengthen health systems
  • Advise and support FMOH in strengthening the evidence base for evidence based health sector planning and programming
  • Advise and support FMOH in developing annual health sector development plans and participate in joint reviews such as JRM and ARMs

Dialogue and Coordination:

  • Engage joint dialogue with GoE on health sector priorities and ensure ky decisions taken at health sector forums (e.g., JCF, JCCC, CCM) are followed up upon and taken
  • Represent development partners, including NGOs/CSOs/IPs and private sector representatives, in strategic discussions at key health sector forums
  • Foster effective information sharing both internally and externally and enagage new and emerging development partners in HPN
  • Report regularly to Development Assistance Group (DAG) on developments in the health sector and identify issues for DAG for further discussion with the government and get information from DAG about higher level macro-economic and governance issues.
  • Maintain active discussions with other sectors and civil and private organizations which contribute to the outcomes of health (education, water, social affairs, agriculture, CSOs, NGOs etc).
  • Support CCRDA and CORHA to ensure representation of NGOs/CSOs in policy/strategic discussions
  • Organize regular monthly HPN meetings and other extra ordinary meetings and retreats to develop common positions and joint approaches on priority issues
  • Maintain active discussion with established HPN sub-groups (list of HPN sub-groups in Annex I).

Effectiveness:

  • Encourage donors to advocate for effective utilization of SDG Performance Fund (SDG-PF)
  • Help translate the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) principles (one plan, one budget and one report) in health sector development
  • Advocate for raising additional resources by encouraging additional donors to participate in providing financial and technical support
  • Ensure that Paris Aid Effectiveness principles are kept as an important approach in all donors financing.

Governance

 Membership to HPN

  • Development partners who are active funders to the health sector can be members of HPN.
  • The private sector and civil society organisations are represented as observers by recognised umbrella organizations.

 Co-chairing

The HPN Group will be led by two co-chairs. One of the two co-chairs will be drawn from bilateral and one from multilateral members of the HPN.

The multilateral chair will be assigned by the UN (after internal consultation).

The bilateral co-chair will be elected by majority vote from amongst the bilateral donor members contributing to HPN activities.

The term for each co-chair will be two years running in parallel to the Ethiopian Financial Year (8 July to 7 July). The selection/election of the co-chairs will be announced no later than 30 April each year.

Co-chair terms are staggered so that only one of the two co-chairs rotates within the same year, insuring institutional memory and continuity.

Criteria for co-chair individuals:

  • If feasible for their organizations, have at least one year of active HPN participation and be available for the whole term of the leadership (if this is not feasible, at least for one year after which another staff from the same organization will take over for the remaining year)

Co-chair duties

  • Represent HPN Members in policy dialogue with GoE including through health sector forums such as JCCC and the JCF
  • Represent HPN Members in DAG
  • Provide secretariat support to HPN

Current Co-Chair

Steffi Jochim       UNICEF

Marco Gerritsen   The Netherlands

Rachel Clintron     USAID

*  Co-Chairs will change as of 1 July 2019