On July 17, 2023, the CSCG Pre-IG16 Webinar was held to provide an overview of the upcoming 16th GFF Investors’ Group meeting (IG16) scheduled for July 21, 2023, and to reflect on Civil Society and Youth engagement in the framework of the ongoing GFF Deliver the Future resource mobilization campaign. The webinar was hosted by Civil Society and Youth IG Representatives who shared their thoughts and insights on the agenda. The GFF Secretariat was also represented to provide background presentations and respond to participants’ questions.
Watch below the full recording of the Pre-IG16 webinar also available here (in English).
The French version of the webinar is available at the following link here.
The webinar started with a warm welcome message from the CSCG Coordination Unit, followed by an overview of the agenda and priorities for the GFF IG16 meeting. The key sessions for the GFF IG16 meeting were reviewed, and the Civil Society and Youth IG Representatives shared their thoughts on the agenda.
Stephanie Saulsbury, GFF Partnership Specialist, and Governance Lead, presented the latest developments from the GFF Secretariat, including updates on IG16 agenda items, including the GFF governance, results and impact report, and the GFF’s efforts to improve its decision-making, alignment, and management, including data collection. Stephanie also discussed the GFF’s approach to monitoring and evaluation and the importance of aligning GFF investments and global decisions with national health strategies.
Maty Dia, GFF Senior CSO Partnership Specialist, provided an overview of the GFF Investment Opportunity (Deliver the Future) and the goals of the GFF resource mobilization campaign. She highlighted the importance of engaging civil society and youth constituencies in the GFF process. She discussed the GFF CSO and Youth constituency engagement and support to the GFF resource mobilization campaign with evidence of impact.
The GFF CSO and Youth constituency engagement and support for the GFF resource mobilization campaign were discussed during the meeting. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences and insights on better engaging the civil society and youth constituency in the GFF. The discussion was informative and insightful, and participants shared their thoughts and ideas on better representing and empowering the civil society and youth constituency in the GFF.
The next item on the webinar agenda was a discussion on the critical initial talking points or perspectives from the CSO and Youth IG representatives ahead of the 16th GFF IG Meeting . The CSCG Coordination Unit moderated the discussion, and respondents included Civil Society & Youth IG Reps. Feedback and inputs were asked for, along with country examples and impact stories. The meeting was insightful, and participants shared their thoughts on better representing the civil society and youth constituency in the GFF process.
Updates from the CSCG were also discussed, where the CSCG Coordination Unit shared the latest developments, including upcoming CSCG elections (Summer 2023) and the CSCG Annual Member Survey. The meeting concluded with closing remarks from the CSCG Coordination Unit, Civil Society/Youth IG Rep, and other participants.
Participants were also given actionable follow-up steps, including compiling the critical priority areas that should be examined as part of the GFF evaluation, sharing data from the survey widely, ensuring civil society has a seat on the table when it comes to the GFF process, utilizing social media to engage the broader community in the GFF process, and collaborating with other organizations to advocate for the GFF process. Participants were encouraged to be proactive in their engagement and to share their experiences and insights with the community.
Overall, the webinar was a valuable opportunity for the broader civil society in the CSCG to give feedback and help advise the IG. The presentations and responses from the GFF Secretariat provided participants with valuable insights into the GFF’s governance and decision-making, and resource mobilization processes among the GFF stakeholders and constituencies, including partner and partner countries. The following discussion highlighted the importance of continued collaboration and engagement to ensure that the GFF process effectively achieves its goals and includes all stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from the CSCG Coordination Unit and the Civil Society and Youth IG Representatives with an optimistic note, emphasizing the importance of continued engagement and collaboration to ensure that the GFF process is transparent, inclusive, and effective in its efforts to improve the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents.
The CSCG Pre-IG16 webinar slide deck presentation is available here.
The IG16 background documents and the GFF Deliver the Future social media toolkit are available here.
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