Maputo Plan of Action

Maputo Plan of Action
Name	Maputo Plan of Action
Formation	2006
Type	Policy framework
Headquarters	Maputo
Region served	Africa
Parent organization	African Union

Maputo Plan of Action The Maputo Plan of Action is a 2006 policy framework adopted by the African Union during the AU Summit in Maputo to accelerate implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in Africa. It set multi-year targets for reproductive health, maternal mortality reduction, and access to sexual and reproductive health services, aligning with commitments made at the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Millennium Summit, and later the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. The plan mobilized collaboration among United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, and regional bodies such as the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States.

Background and Adoption

The adoption of the Maputo Plan of Action followed a sequence of continental and global policy dialogues including the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the Monterrey Consensus, and the Abuja Declaration on health financing. Key actors at the AU Summit included heads of state from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Mozambique; ministers from South African Department of Health, Mozambique Ministry of Health, and delegations from Gabon and Senegal; and representatives of African Development Bank, World Bank, and civil society networks such as Women in Law and Development in Africa, African Women's Development Fund, and International Planned Parenthood Federation. The plan built on earlier continental instruments like the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Maputo Protocol to frame reproductive rights alongside commitments in the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

Objectives and Strategic Priorities

The Maputo Plan of Action enumerated objectives to reduce maternal mortality ratio across member states, increase access to family planning services, curb unsafe abortion, and strengthen health systems. Strategic priorities included integration of reproductive health into national plans of Ministries of Health and financing strategies linked to the Abuja Declaration 15% target, workforce capacity building in training institutions such as University of Cape Town Medical School, supply chain improvements via partnerships with UNFPA and WHO, and rights-based approaches anchored in human rights mechanisms like the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and international treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Cross-sectoral linkages were promoted with entities including UN Women, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and regional economic communities like Economic Community of Central African States.

Implementation and Member State Commitments

Member states committed to integrating the plan into national health strategies, budgetary allocations, and legislative reforms. Countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda developed national action plans aligning with the Maputo framework, engaging partners including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GAVI, and bilateral donors like United States Agency for International Development, Department for International Development (UK), and Agence Française de Développement. Implementation modalities involved capacity-building with institutions like Makerere University, University of Ibadan, University of Nairobi, and operational support from African Union Development Agency and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for comparative policy learning. Legislative changes in some states referenced instruments such as the Penal Code (various countries) and national reproductive health laws to expand service provision.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

Monitoring frameworks linked to the Maputo Plan incorporated indicators from the World Health Organization and the Demographic and Health Surveys program, with periodic reporting to the African Union Commission and integration into Millennium Development Goals and later Sustainable Development Goals reporting processes. Regional monitoring involved bodies like Intergovernmental Authority on Development and East African Community statistical units, while civil society watchdogs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and regional NGOs provided shadow reports to human rights bodies including the United Nations Human Rights Council. Data systems leveraged tools from WHO Global Health Observatory, the Guttmacher Institute, and academic collaborations with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Impact and Outcomes

The Maputo Plan contributed to increased national policies on reproductive health, expansion of family planning services, and attention to maternal mortality in national budgets. Countries reporting progress included Ethiopia with community health worker expansions, Rwanda with systems strengthening, Ghana with policy reform, and Mozambique with service delivery improvements. The plan influenced donor strategies at World Bank and philanthropic shifts from foundations like Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations toward reproductive health. Scholarly assessments published in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, and Reproductive Health Matters evaluated reductions in maternal mortality and contraceptive prevalence, while international forums including the UN Commission on Population and Development referenced the plan in progress reviews.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critiques of the Maputo Plan highlighted gaps in financing, uneven implementation across member states, and persistent barriers from conservative legal frameworks and cultural practices cited by organizations like Society for Family Health and faith-based providers including Catholic Church health networks. Observers pointed to weak health workforce pipelines despite training efforts at institutions such as University of Lagos and University of Ghana and to supply chain disruptions referenced by UNICEF and WHO reports. Implementation was complicated by conflict in regions involving actors like Darfur conflict stakeholders and by economic instability linked to commodity markets and fiscal constraints noted by International Monetary Fund and World Bank analyses. Advocacy groups called for stronger accountability via mechanisms such as the African Peer Review Mechanism and enhanced engagement with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Category:Public health in Africa