Term of Reference of the Family Planning
Technical Working Group (FPTWG)
Background and Justification
Family planning programs enable millions of couples and individuals throughout the
world to use spacing to plan the number of their children—or to avoid pregnancy
altogether. Today, globally, almost 60 percent of couples use some form of contraception
and more than 50 percent use modern methods—well on the way to the 70 percent use that
demographers call the fully contracepting society. The percentage is much lower in most
sub-Saharan African countries.
Insert country specific contraceptive prevalence rate, total fertility and population
situation and comparative regional standards.
Insert rationale for including technical working groups. Examples could include:
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Logistics technical working group (TWG)
Safe motherhood TWG
Adolescent reproductive health TWG
Information, education, and communication/behavior change communication
(IEC/BCC) TWG
Technical working groups (TWGs) provide more opportunities for frequent meetings and
discussions geared at finding solutions for various constraints that arise during the
implementation of the national reproductive health program.
In line with these, and similar to other TWGs, the Logistics TWG (LTWG) has been
actively functioning and was able to conduct several meetings. Among their many
achievements, major ones include revising and adopting a detailed plan of action for
establishing and implementing a contraceptive logistic system, and participating in the
development of the national reproductive health strategies, and implementation plans, etc.
It was suggested that the LTWG should broaden its scope of activities to cover all relevant
areas of family planning and not just the issue of contraceptive logistics. The LTWG
considered the recommendation and eventually agreed to rename the existing committee,
the Family Planning Technical Working Group (FPTWG). The TWG decided that both
the membership and the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the committee should be reviewed
to reflect its new, wider mandate.
General Objective:
The establishment of the FPTWG, under the auspices of the National Reproductive Health
Committee (NRHC), is to provide advisory support to the MOH in achieving its overall
goals for family planning services.
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Specific Objectives:
1. To provide technical and advisory support to the MOH in achieving contraceptive
security through a better contraceptive logistics system.
2. To provide technical and advisory support to the MOH in expanding access and
coverage in a quality family planning program.
Members of the FPTWG (illustrative):
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MOH—Chairperson
UNFPA
USAID Country Mission
Pathfinder International
DKT Ethiopia
IPAS Ethiopia
EngenderHealth
Marie Stopes International—Ethiopia
USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Terms of Reference for the Family Planning Technical Working Group
The Family Planning Technical Working Group (FPTWG), a sub-group under the NRHC,
was established in 2005. The FPTWG is expected to look at the overall national family
planning activities and to assist and support the promotion of the service throughout the
country.
Hereafter, the FPTWG will work under the following Terms of Reference:
1. Provide a forum for ensuring sustained networking among major stakeholders and
family planning partners in the national family planning program.
2. Provide a forum for effective donor/stakeholder coordination for planning and
procuring essential family planning commodities and supplies.
3. Review the existing work plan of the MOH and partners to ensure the inclusion of
activities that would adequately reflect the widened scope of activities for the
reconstituted FPTWG.
4. Provide support to the Federal Ministry of Health/ Family Health Division
(FMOH/FHD) and Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs) for managing the national
contraceptive logistics system, by doing the following:
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
Ensure the collection and reporting for logistics data (consumption, stock on hand).

Ensure analysis of logistic reports from all stakeholders and the use of these
reports for decision making, especially for ordering and forecasting.
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Use logistics data to ensure the appropriate and timely distribution of adequate
quantities of commodities to all partners.
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Advocate for contraceptive security in the country through the use of logistics
information.
5. Participate in the development of family planning technical policies, strategies,
guidelines, and action plans for the family planning program.
6. Support the MOH to organize and conduct annual and national contraceptive
forecasting.
7. Conduct advocacy work to ensure strong commitments from policy makers and
community leaders in promoting family planning service in the country.
8. Provide support and advice to ensure quality family planning service provision for the
people.
9. Participate in strengthening and expanding the existing family planning communitylevel activities.
10. Participate in identifying and conducting (as required) operational research activities
related to family planning.
11. Assist in resource mobilization (medical supplies, commodities, etc.).
12. Assist and support capacity building for the central and regional program personnel.
13. Encourage production of relevant IEC/BCC materials for awareness creation and
effective behavior change.
14. Participate in periodic review meetings and other program monitoring activities.
The FPTWG will be chaired by the MOH Family Planning Unit and the secretary will be
designated by the TWG. It is accountable to the NRHC and it meets every month.
* N.B.: This TOR shall be reviewed when deemed necessary.
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