Facilitating a Human Rights Based Approach in Family Planning
On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, from 8:00 – 9:15 am EST / 13:00 – 14:15 Dakar / 16:00 – 17:15 Nairobi, the IBP Network hosted a webinar: How to Facilitate a Human Rights Based Approach in Family Planning. This strategic planning guide provides an overview of the key steps for applying a HRBA to family planning with a focus on a human rights-based assessment of family planning programs. HRBA in FP is a systemic process to ensure that human rights principles related to family planning are embedded in all programmatic phases, at all levels of the program. It ensures family planning programs support individuals and couples in exercising their rights to choose the timing and spacing of their pregnancies, to have the information and services to act on that right, and to be treated respectfully, equally, and without discrimination.
Key Materials
Moderator and Speakers
The webinar was moderated by Nihal Said, IPPF. Nihal Said is the senior technical advisor for research and partnerships at IPPF, the largest SRH provider organization with 156 member organizations and collaborative partners. Nihal has worked extensively on adolescent and youth SRHR and on the use of communications and community mobilization for social change for women and gender issues. Said’s expertise spans across humanitarian and development program planning, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in areas of global health with UN and CSOs. Nihal is a member of the HIPs Co-sponsor Group.
Nandita Thatte, WHO/IBP Network. Nandita Thatte leads the IBP Network in the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO in Geneva. She is passionate about using the WHO/IBP platform to disseminate and support the use of evidence-based interventions and guidelines, inform implementation research and program priorities and amplify local partners and experiences on a global scale. Prior to joining WHO, Nandita was a Senior Advisor in the Office of Population & Reproductive Health at USAID. She has a MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a DrPH from the George Washington University. Nandita is a member of the HIPs Co-sponsor Group.
Emilie Filmer-Wilson, UNFPA. Emilie is the Senior Human Rights Adviser at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She provides leadership and advisory support for UNFPA’s human rights works and efforts to “leave no one behind”, as well as advances research on the nexus between women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health. She has over 20 years of experience working with development organizations on mainstreaming human rights. Prior to joining the UN, she worked as a consultant with DFID and OECD-DAC, as well as with a national human rights NGO in Guatemala. Emilie holds a Masters in Political Science from Edinburgh University and post graduate degree in Human Rights from Geneva University.
Stephen Mupeta, UNFPA ESA. Dr. Mupeta currently serves as the Regional FP Specialist for UNFPA in East and Southern Africa, leading strategic initiatives across health service delivery improvement, program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. His career spans clinical practice, program management, and health diplomacy, complemented by work in Zambia’s Public Health sector, the United Nations system, and international NGOs at the national and international levels. Stephen holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of the Western Cape, RSA in South Africa, a Master of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Zambia.
Dakshitha Wickremarathne, FP2030 Asia Pacific Hub. Dakshitha is the Senior Technical Lead, Advocacy, Accountability and Partnerships’ at FP2030 Asia Hub. He is a development practitioner from Sri Lanka with over a decade of experience working for non-profits, international NGOs, U.N. agencies and government institutions. His focus of work has been on advocacy and policy development, program design and management on the areas of sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health and gender equality. He has previously worked for IPPF, UNFPA, CARE and Search for Common Ground. He has a MSc in Public Policy and a Masters in Development Studies.
Peter Ngure, Pathways Policy Institute. Peter is the 2025 ICFP Advocacy and Accountability Sub-Committee Co-Chair. Peter is the founder of Pathways Policy Institute (PPI), a community-based policy and accountability organization that aims to realize local solutions by strengthening community systems to respond to health and climate challenges using a Primary Health Care (PHC) lens. Previously he worked for the USAID BUILD Project, FP2030, Options Consultancy Limited and AMREF. Peter has a Master of Arts in Rural Sociology and Community Development, University of Nairobi, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Catholic University of Eastern Africa.