USAID/Health Policy Initiative

Improving health and well-being in communities worldwide depends on the strong commitment by nations to target funding and resources to programs and services that address these health threats and save lives.

The Health Policy Initiative, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, will improve the health policy environment that is essential to saving lives. It focuses on strengthening policies in areas of family planning/reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, and maternal health—making it possible to effectively scale up services and allow women and men worldwide to obtain the information and services they need for better health. The initiative also provides assistance to design policy responses to other infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, avian influenza and malaria.

CEDPA is a partner on Task Order 1 of the USAID│Health Policy Initiative, working with a team that is led by the Futures Group and includes the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and World Conference of Religions for Peace. The initiative is an Indefinite Quantity Contract awarded under USAID.

The Task Order 1 team under the Health Policy Initiative provides technical assistance and leads other activities to:

• improve health-related policy formulation, planning, and financing;
• strengthen government leadership and civil society participation in policy advocacy;
• encourage multisectoral coordination of health policies; and
• foster evidence-based decisionmaking at the country level.

With a focus on policy dialogue, the Health Policy Initiative empowers new partners to participate in the health policymaking process. With an additional focus on policy implementation, the initiative helps countries and organizations translate policies, strategic plans and operational guidelines into effective health programs and services, especially for the poor and other underserved groups.