The government of Indonesia and Partners in Population and Development are convening the International Conference on Promoting Family Planning and Maternal Health for Poverty Alleviation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on October 26–27, 2010. Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth International is speaking at the conference on the priority investments that allow governments to build stronger health systems and expand the health workforce and guarantee women’s access to family planning and maternal health care. The conference is being attended by senior government officials including ministers of health, population, or social development; representatives from the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank; as well as representatives from other international organizations.

By bringing together government officials as well as civil society representatives, this conference aims to secure greater investments in family planning in developing countries by reinforcing commitments to South-South cooperation that advance the agendas set by the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Development Goals. The conference will be organized around the following themes:

• Meeting the global agenda for family planning and maternal health: challenges and opportunities

• Promoting financial and human resources for family planning and maternal health

• Integrating family planning and maternal health into poverty alleviation strategies

• Sharing experiences for South-South leverage.

Partners in Population and Development is an associate partner in CapacityPlus, the IntraHealth-led, USAID-funded global project that focuses on the health workforce needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.