Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Policy, Governance and Financing (SRHR POL)

In this course you become acquainted with the policy instruments, governance mechanisms and financial structures related to HIV and AIDS. You analyse political and institutional structures and their implications for planning and managing responses. You also learn to identify HIV and AIDS-related international agreements, conventions and financial mechanisms, and analyse how these influence national planning and implementation and vice versa. The course focuses on the situation in low and Middle Income Countries.

This course is tropEd accredited and can be followed as a standalone course or as part of the Master in International Health or Master of Public Health programmes.

Start: 15/05/2023

Duration: 3 weeks

Location: KIT, Amsterdam

EC: 4

Language: English

Course period 2023: from 15/05/2023 until 02/06/2023

Course period 2024: from 13/05/2024 until 31/05/2024

Course fee 2023: EUR 2.170

Course fee 2024: EUR 2.240

KIT application deadline (normal) (course 2023): 20/03/2023

KIT application deadline if you want to apply for OKP scholarship (course 2024): 01 June 2023

OKP scholarship application period (course 2024): 28 June - 5 September 2023, 16:00 CET

Contact: courses@kit.nl

This course in this format is new, therefore we do not have yet testimonials. Please find some statements from other courses after this statement.

“This course gave me a great opportunity to learn and analyse experiences from different countries as everyone shares his/her country’s practices. The web lectures were interesting and I always lookedforward to watch them.”

Roma Karki from Buthan, on Course on HIV Policy, Governance and Financing (e-learning) which she followed as part of MPH SRHR track.

“The course on HIV Politics, Policies, Governance and Planning Mechanisms was blended, there was a Virtual Learning Environment and face-to-face lectures and group work. The online space was a valuable addition to the learning as it created an opportunity for the class to exchange ideas, initiate and engage in discussions, share resources and provide feedback on each other’s’ coursework; processes which otherwise might have been too difficult to facilitate. Its user-friendly interface exploits innovative tools, such as voting, likes and video content, which were highly engaging.

I took this course aiming to enhance my capacity to work in one of the most challenging and shifting fields of youth SRHR. By providing an appropriate mix of teaching methods and a range of standpoints from professionals who are actively involved in the HIV response worldwide, this module most certainly met my expectations. Perhaps the best attribute of the programme was the tendency not only to familiarize participants with accurate international commitments and recommendations, but to also build operational skills for strategic planning, grounded on appropriate evidence, contextualized health systems structure, multisectorial engagement, available resources including foreign aid, as well as gender and human rights issues. The course is worthwhile for health and development practitioners who seek to gain an interdisciplinary perspective on global and national priority setting processes towards more efficient and sustainable response to HIV.”

Ivica Cekovski, MD MSc, from Macedonia followed this course as part of the Master in International Health. He has a background in youth, sexual and reproductive health and harm reduction programming.

“The MPH study program was comprehensive and mixed of theories, practices, skills, tools to apply the knowledge, and real examples from developing countries. Program topics were all interesting and relevant to practical work in the field. With what I learned I can contribute to strengthening the policy and strategies relevant to health in Afghanistan.”

Khalid Sharifi from Afghanistan, MPH/ICHD 2010, background medical doctor, now working as Managing Director of Afghan NGO, Social and Health Development Program (SHDP).

Content

What are the key issues in the good governance of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) responses, including HIV? How can one negotiate the complex political and financial terrain when developing policies and strategic plans? Maternal health, family planning, adolescent health, abortion and HIV, and the policies and strategies that address these, are among the most internationalized and to
some extent politicized of all health issues.

In this blended course, that combines classroom sessions with e-learning, you identify SRHR related
international agreements, development commitments and financial mechanisms, and analyse how these influence national policies and plans and vice versa. You will perform an SRHR strategic policy review from a multi-stakeholder perspective, addressing governance and financing structures and their implications for planning and managing the responses.

Objectives

identify and apply relevant HIV rights and development-related international agreements, conventions and agencies, and analyse how these and related governance and financing mechanisms influence national development policy, planning and implementation and vice-versa

analyse policies and governance and financing structures and implications for managing the response

perform HIV strategic policy review from a multi-stakeholder perspective, including mobilising stakeholders from different sectors.

Content

HIV and AIDS-related international agreements, development commitments and financial mechanisms,

influence on national planning and implementation and vice versa.

political and institutional structures and their implications for planning and managing the response.

The module furthermore explores issues around:

universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support

the international aid architecture

human rights

governance

the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV or AIDS

research and strategic information for national planning;

multi-stakeholder involvement

the relationship between poverty reduction strategies, development processes and HIV and AIDS

HIV internal mainstreaming (workplace programmes)

costing national HIV plans; approaches to scaling up good practices.

Application

Admission criteria

This course is aimed at health professionals who are looking for a fuller understanding of the mechanisms behind, and the politics that contribute to, current HIV and AIDS policies and programmes. These can be medically qualified doctors and nurses, or those working in the public health sector.

Academic training or professional qualification in a relevant area

Work experience in a related area, including experience in management or planning in developing countries

Proficiency in spoken and written English

Application procedure

The application package is due two months before the start of the course.

Please upload your application online. The following documents should be uploaded:

A one-page letter of motivation

Copies of your diplomas and grade reports

An up-to-date curriculum vitae and a list of publications if applicable

What we expect from your motivation letter:
Please indicate in your motivation letter why you want to follow this specific course, why you want to follow the course at KIT Amsterdam, what do you expect to learn and how you will apply your newly gained competencies from the course in your work, what kind of benefits will it bring to your future career, etc. Describe a relevant problem you have experienced in the last two years that you would like to discuss during this specific course. Your motivation should be about ½-1 page. Please do not repeat your CV again.

This course can be taken on its own, as advanced module of the Master in Public Health or as part of the Master in International Health (MIH) programme.

FAQ Online Application System

Do you have a question about our Online Application System? Then you can find the answer in our FAQ Online Application System:

Go to our FAQ Online Application System-page

Practical information

Location

Classes are normally held at KIT’s training facilities in Amsterdam.

Accommodation

There is a severe shortage of student accommodation in Amsterdam and participants are advised to contact KIT for information. KIT will endeavour to assist participants in their search for housing.

Visa requirements

Citizens of most EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries do not need a visa to enter the Netherlands. Visit the Nuffic website for the latest information on visa requirements.

Participants from other countries must obtain a short-stay visa (for up to three months) through the Netherlands embassy or consulate covering the applicant’s country. Applicants will need a letter of admission to the course and proof of sponsorship or sufficient funds to cover the course fee, travel and accommodation costs. Applicants should take into account that in some countries this procedure can take months.

Insurance requirements

Course participants and accompanying dependents are required by Dutch law to have health, accident and third party insurance. Unless their current insurance policy covers their stay abroad, participants must insure themselves and their dependents in the Netherlands. Dutch insurance companies offer reasonable rates to foreign students.

Funding

The arrangement of financial support to cover all study costs is the responsibility of the applicant. KIT does not offer financial support or fellowships.

OKP scholarships

For this course and a number of other KIT courses funding from the Orange Knowledge Programme OKP is available for applicants from OKP countries. See the OKP page for more information on the eligible countries, eligibility criteria and application instructions. Applicants from OKP countries are strongly encouraged to apply for an OKP scholarship.

The OKP application needs to be submitted via an online application system from Nuffic. All accepted applicants from OKP eligible countries will receive the link to apply automatically when the application period opens.
ATTENTION: OKP application period has changed for 2023. The application period is from June-September. This means the academic application deadline is also earlier.
See top of this page for the OKP application deadline for this course.
You are advised to apply as early as possible.
See the detailed instructions on OKP information.

European Credits

The European Credit Transfer System (EC) facilitates the transfer of course credits between different institutions of the same academic level. A study load comprising 28 hours of formal teaching and private study is equivalent to one EC credit point.

Learning methods

This module is offered as blended learning. Partly with e-learning sessions and sessions in class. We make use of KIT Virtual Grounds, KIT’s virtual community of professionals in health and international development.

Accreditation

This course is also accredited for the Master in International Health programme organised by tropEd, a network of European institutions for higher education in international health.