PAI Catalyst Session with Dr. Samukeliso Dube

Made Possible by Family Planning: A Catalyst Session with Dr. Samukeliso Dube of FP2030

On September 4, PAI hosted a Catalyst Session with Dr. Samukeliso (Samu) Dube, Executive Director of FP2030 and PAI President and CEO, Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins.  They came together for a timely and substantive conversation on the future of family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

The session opened with a reflection on the deep and long-standing partnership between the FP2020 initiative and its successor, FP2030, and PAI. With FP2030’s critical mandate to build political will and secure policy, program, and financing commitments, and PAI and its network of local civil society partners serving as independent advocacy and accountability mechanisms to ensure commitments are delivered and sustained, the work in family planning by FP2030 (and its predecessor) and PAI is “symbiotic,” deeply connected, and complementary.

Both leaders emphasized that this collaboration goes beyond monitoring. Securing family planning commitments is about more than demanding that governments deliver—it’s about co-creating and shaping commitments with civil society at the table. Nabeeha pointed to examples where governments and PAI civil society partners worked side by side to shape FP2030 commitments, aligned to community priorities and preferences: CIPTA in Indonesia, SERAC in Bangladesh, CORHA in Ethiopia, and Samasha in Uganda.

Family planning political commitments, as Samu emphasized, are more than words on paper—they become essential reference points for civil society and other leaders to fuel advocacy, press for resources, and hold governments accountable for delivering services. This dual approach—political will at the national level reinforced by civil society leadership—helps ensure that commitments are not only made, but also grounded in evidence, responsive to demand, and positioned for long-term accountability and sustained service delivery.

Key takeaways include:

Family Planning as Fundamental Infrastructure

Throughout the dialogue, one message resonated strongly: family planning is not a luxury. “It is economic infrastructure for women,” Samu said, stressing that access to contraception underpins education, employment, resilience, and equity.

At the same time, Samu cautioned against the growing influence of anti-rights and anti-choice movements, which are actively working to roll back gains. Confronting these forces requires civil society, governments, and multilateral partners to defend rights, disrupt regressive narratives, and protect health systems from political backsliding.

Bright Spots and Financing Challenges

Despite global funding pressures, there are encouraging signs of government leadership. Samu pointed to examples from Fiji, where leaders have committed to ensuring every woman has access to reproductive health services. In Rwanda, the government is prioritizing access for young people, a critical step in addressing the needs of the largest generation of youth in history. And in Guatemala, long-standing reforms to ring-fence[1] health taxes for family planning provide an example of sustainable domestic financing at a time when official development assistance is declining. These examples demonstrate how political will, innovation, and local solutions can sustain and expand family planning even in challenging contexts.

Expanding funding streams remains a critical priority. Both speakers emphasized the need for subnational financing, integration into national insurance schemes, and public–private partnerships.

Nabeeha added: “For every dollar invested in family planning, there is a seven- to eight-fold return. The question is not whether we can afford to invest—the question is why wouldn’t we?”

The “Made Possible” Campaign: A Rallying Point

A focal point of the discussion was the Made Possible by Family Planning campaign, designed to galvanize action around three objectives:

• Increase funding for family planning programs at global, national, and local levels.
• Shift narratives by highlighting how family planning enables opportunity, dignity, and autonomy—not just survival.
• Catalyze commitments by governments, civil society, and the private sector to ensure sustainable access.

Since its launch, the campaign has catalyzed more than 60 commitments and engaged influencers reaching nearly one million followers. Its power lies in storytelling. As Samu put it, “When somebody gets an implant, it’s not just about preventing pregnancy—it’s about autonomy, choice, and what they can achieve in their lives.”

The conversation also highlighted how civil society is adopting and advancing the campaign. In Malawi, youth advocate Yewo Grace Gondwe of the Movement for Community-Led Development and co-founder Life With a Purpose Community Based Organization, described how 50 youth-led organizations came together under the Made Possible banner to demand domestic financing, community-based SRHR services, and solutions to commodity stockouts. They are engaging district councils, pressing for local budget allocations, and using political manifestos to hold parties accountable.

Nabeeha underscored the value of this human-centered approach: “This campaign allows us to lead with people and their stories first, then connect to evidence, financing, and accountability. It is a powerful reminder that family planning is not just a policy priority—it is a lived reality with ripple effects across generations.”

As these examples show, Made Possible is more than a communications effort—it is a mobilization platform that contributes to the advocacy effort required to shape policies and budgets, and keep family planning top of mind.

Call to Action: Protect, Mobilize, Broaden, and Hold Accountable

The session closed with four clear imperatives for the field:

• Protect gains in the face of anti-rights movements and political backsliding.
• Mobilize resources by pursuing innovative and diversified financing approaches.
• Broaden the tent by bringing in new champions, from youth advocates to business leaders.
• Hold governments accountable to their FP2030 commitments through civil society engagement and independent accountability mechanisms.

Samu captured the urgency with a final charge: “Let’s take family planning from the bedroom to the boardroom. Even if it is daunting, even if you are tired—show up. Do it until we win.”

Watch the full Catalyst Session below to hear the complete conversation.  For additional resources and information about the Made Possible by Family Planning Campaign, visit:  Made Possible by Family Planning – Family Planning 2030

[1] Ring fencing is the practice of dedicating the revenue generated from a specific tax solely to fund healthcare services, rather than using the funds for general government purposes.

Dr. Samukeliso (Samu) Dube is a physician and global health leader, and the Executive Director of FP2030. With more than 20 years of experience across healthcare delivery, policy, financing, and innovation, Samu has worked in senior roles at organizations including PATH, Afrocentric Health, and Royal Philips, where she advanced strategies to strengthen health systems and expand access to care. She holds medical and advanced degrees in public health, finance, and business, and has trained at institutions including the University of Zimbabwe, the University of the Witwatersrand, and Harvard Business School. Throughout her career, Samu has been recognized for combining technical excellence with a deep commitment to equity and the rights of women and girls.

FP2030 is the world’s leading global partnership dedicated exclusively to family planning. Building on the legacy of FP2020, FP2030 supports country-led commitments and drives investment in sexual and reproductive health. By centering women and girls—especially adolescents and at-risk populations—FP2030 is advancing a vision of a world where everyone has the power and the means to decide on their reproductive health and future. Learn more at fp2030.org.

PAI is a leading civil society organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country civil society partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. Learn more at pai.org.