The Platform’s focus is on strengthening the role knowledge can play in developing evidence-based policies and practices for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). It also ensures that resources are used strategically, including in relation to the four core areas of Dutch policy on SRHR:

• Better information and greater freedom of choice for young people about their sexuality
• Improved access to reproductive health commodities
• Better sexual and reproductive health care (during pregnancy and childbirth, including safe abortion)
• Greater respect for the sexual and reproductive rights of groups who are currently denied these rights

Achievements

Since its inception, Share-Net International has been implementing a range of knowledge management and translation activities across various thematics of SRHR which include – but are not limited to – comprehensive sexuality education, abortion and contraception, menstrual health and hygiene, sexual pleasure, LGBTQIA+ health, gender-based violence, and HIV.

Share-Net International comprises a global network of approximately 3,500 individual and organisational members from over 90 countries, including a range of stakeholders working with or for SRHR such as researchers, academics, activists, young people, media persons, governmental representatives, international development experts, etc. This global network is hosted on the Digital Platform and also includes the networks of its seven country hubs in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Colombia, Ethiopia, Jordan, and the Netherlands that operate at a national and regional level.

The following is an overview of the key activities and achievements of Share-Net International and its country hubs.

1) Knowledge Generation

Share-Net has funded research and knowledge projects through various knowledge translation trajectories and grantgiving mechanisms.

Knowledge Activation Grants

Since 2014, Share-Net International has awarded over 100 grants to their members. This platform provides access to all Knowledge Products (KPs) generated by the Knowledge Activation grantmaking cycles and other Share-Net International grants, to maximise access, exchange, learning, application, and use of knowledge among Share-Net members and the SRHR community.

The grants, previously named ‘small grants’ or ‘research grants’, provide funding for applied research, documentation of practices, and knowledge products to improve policy and practice in sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR). They further enhance the work of Share-Net International members and facilitate the development of SRHR knowledge products that are often difficult to get funded.

With every process at Share-Net International, its grantmaking – that is, making grants – is also participatory. As in previous grantmaking cycles, Share-Net International involves their members and hubs in the selection process of the grants. This process was reviewed and changed to what is known as to as “Participatory Grantmaking” (PGM) in 2022, to highlight participation as a critical element of making grants. The Share-Net International members and hubs can contribute to and make grant decisions, aligning with the network’s collaboration and Southern leadership principles.

Share-Net International currently offers three types of grants: Knowledge Collaboration, Knowledge Translation, and Knowledge Generation grants. A description of the characteristics of each type of grant can be found on the Share-Net International grant page and helps improve the understanding of their purpose, amounts, and expected outcomes.

You can view all the knowledge products created through these grants here.

Co-Creation Conference Grants

Since 2019, Share-Net International has been placing greater focus on the translation of knowledge and the use of these products within the knowledge-management cycle. The Co-Creation Conference is one of the key knowledge translation strategies piloted for this purpose. The CCC is a working conference that is co-organised by Share-Net International and one of the Share-Net country hubs. During the Share-Net International Co-Creation Conference, concrete knowledge products are co-developed to influence SRHR policy and practice at the country and international level. All participants, including researchers, practitioners, young people and policymakers, engage in dialogues and are part of the co-creation process for these knowledge products.

You can view these knowledge products here.

COVID-19 Grants

In order to respond to the demand for knowledge on the impact of COVID-19 on SRHR and Gender Equality, SNI reallocated funds and issued a special grants call which aimed to generate knowledge on the impact of COVID-19 on SRHR and Gender Equality. In total, seven grants were funded which looked at the impact of COVID-19 in seven different countries: the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Iran, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The grants were on topics such as SRH services in fragile settings, access to contraception and abortion services, menstrual health management, GBV and the COVID-19 experiences of transgender and Hijra people.

You can view the outputs of these grants here.

NWO-WOTRO Research Grants

Three needs assessments have been carried out, including agenda setting exercises and mappings of stakeholders (Bangladesh, Burundi and Jordan). These informed the research calls published by NWO-WOTRO.

So far, three research grants have been awarded in Burundi and five for Bangladesh. In Jordan, pre-proposals have been submitted and full proposals are underway. Joint kick-off workshops are held for all country research projects in collaboration with NWO-WOTRO and the local country node of Share-Net.

Knowledge Preservation and Consolidation

With the end of financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2025, Share-Net was given the opportunity to finalise its work responsibly and to ensure that the knowledge generated over the years would remain accessible, usable, and impactful beyond the programme’s lifetime.

Rather than slowing down, this period became a time of focused collaboration, learning, and intentional creation. Across the global network, all eight of the Share-Net secretariats came together to capture what the platform has learned about knowledge translation – how knowledge is co-created, shared, and used to inform research, policy, and practice in SRHR.

Together, they developed KPs around a set of core themes that have defined Share-Net’s approach to knowledge translation and sharing:

1. Connecting Dots, Crossing Borders: Share-Net International’s Story of SRHR Knowledge Integration through the Regional Approach [Storybook]
2. Developing Knowledge Products [Toolkit]
3. Rights, Community, Action! Setting Up Effective CoPs on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights [Guide]
4. Share-Net’s Co-Creation Methodology:
   • Co-Creation in Action: How Share-Net Bangladesh is Reimagining SRHR Knowledge Through Collaboration [Blog]
   • Reflections from Share-Net Jordan’s Regional Co-Creation Conference [Blog]
5. SHIRIM as a framework for linking research, policy, and practice
6. SRHR Knowledge Fair – A Quick and Easy Guide [Illustrated Guide]
7. Use of Art for Knowledge Translation [Toolkit]

2) Knowledge Dissemination

Newsletters

Each year, Share-Net Netherlands distributes 20 bi-weekly newsletters to its subscribers (from 700 subscribers in 2014 to 916 in 2016). Three international newsletters were developed and disseminated under the lead of Share-Net Bangladesh together with Jordan, Burundi and the Netherlands. Each country node also produces their own newsletters.

Working Groups

Share-Net Netherlands has 11 working groups Burundi has established 6 working groups on youth-focused efforts, access to SRHR services, opportunities and barriers facing knowledge sharing, community contribution to SRH of adolescents, PBF, research and monitoring & evaluation (M&E). Share-Net Bangladesh does not work with fixed working groups as they have a more flexible system working with resource groups that are established based on the identified priority theme.

The Websites

The website for Share-Net International, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Burundi are designed, operational and maintained:

1. www.share-netinternational.org;
   • https://knowledgeproducts.share-netinternational.org
2. www.share-netbangladesh.org;
3. www.share-net-burkinafaso.org;
4. www.share-net-burundi.org.
5. www.share-netcolombia.org;
6. www.share-netethiopia.org
7. www.share-netjordan.org
8. www.share-net.nl;
   • https://thepleasurebank.com/

3) Knowledge translation and use

Policy briefs and infographics

Share-Net Netherlands developed a policy brief on contraception and abortion that explains why and how researchers, practitioners and policy makers can address the gap in women’s access to contraception and safe abortion in 2015. Share-Net Jordan is currently developing a policy brief based on the study conducted on Child Marriage (finalized and disseminated in May 2017). Share-Net Bangladesh developed two infographics: one around GBV and one for the World AIDS Day.

Thematic Meetings

Each year 4 thematic meetings are organised by Share-Net Netherlands together with the working groups active on the respective theme. One ‘extended’ 5-day thematic meeting was organised in 2016 around two interlinked thematic priorities (CSE and YFHS). Jordan organised a round table on Child Marriage and in Burundi all working group meet regularly. Bangladesh organises several meetings i.e. on menstrual hygiene and adolescent SRH.

4) Capacity Building

Share-Net International continuously and actively supports the in-country networks in effectively carrying out their functions through regular skype meetings and e-mail communication. Some examples of capacity building activities of 2016 are the following: 

1. Write shop Share-Net Burundi: focused on strengthening proposal writing skills in the area of SRHR;
2. Support visit to Share-Net Jordan: to support its establishment;
3. Short course Share-Net Bangladesh: Behaviour Change Communication in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (BCC in SRHR).

5) Networking and membership

Share-Net International is a membership organisation (see table below) and the Dutch members pay an annual membership fee based on their annual turnover to Share-Net Netherlands.

Country Node Members

• Share-Net Netherlands 25 institutional, 10 universities, 12 individual members
• Share-Net Bangladesh 497 individual members including universities and NGOs
• Share-Net Burundi 32 organisations, 430 individual members
• Share-Net Jordan 14 organisations, 35 individual members

Conferences

Each year Share-Net International participates in and attends several conferences, including organizing sessions and the Dutch booth. In addition, briefing and debriefing sessions are organised for members to jointly prepare for the conferences and to discuss relevant outcomes of the conferences. For example, Women Deliver, International AIDS Conferences, EuroNGOs and the national HIV/STI Congress. The country nodes also do participate in national and international conferences. For example, Share-Net Bangladesh organised a seminar on Universal Health Coverage Day, Share-Net Burundi co-organised a provincial celebration of World AIDS Day and participated in a launch event for the campaign 16 days against GBV. Share-Net Jordan participated and contributed to Women Deliver in 2016.

Meetings International Stakeholders

Each year the Knowledge Platform organises meetings with a diverse range of international stakeholders such as World Health Organization (WHO), Women Deliver, Guttmacher Institute, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Representatives from Netherlands Embassies in Bangladesh and Burundi are actively involved in the networks and their activities. Representatives from the Netherlands Embassy in Jordan are kept informed and are supportive of Share-Net Jordan but do not have SRHR as a focus policy area.

Results:

• Knowledge nodes established
• Three rounds of small grants funds have been awarded to member organisations in focus countries.
• NWO/WOTRO research projects have been launched in Bangladesh and Burundi. A call is underway in Jordan.
• Through our partners Share-Net is now fully active in focus countries

Quote Share-Net Member