Country Planning
The ECHO study will provide scientific evidence about women’s contraceptive and HIV prevention choices, evidence that could have significant impact on family planning and HIV policies and programs. Governments in focus countries, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, are preparing to respond to the ECHO results in a timely and strategic manner to ensure that national policies and programs take into account the need for women to have the information, knowledge and ability to make the best choice for their health. Early preparation will help avoid panic, deal with potential alarming headlines in the news, and adequately plan for programmatic and policy changes, if needed.
A strong communication response is essential. The resources on this page are intended to support country stakeholders, particularly national ECHO Task Teams, as they work to create action plans to prepare for and respond to the trial results to ensure that critical communication activities are incorporated.
Planning and Responding to the Results of the ECHO Trial: A Checklist for Strategic Communication
This tool provides guidance and suggestions for key communication activities that could be taken during three key timeframes:
- Prior to the release of ECHO results (before mid-July 2019)
- Immediately after the release of ECHO results/interim guidance from WHO (between mid-July and August–September 2019)
- After the release of WHO Guidelines (After September 2019)
It is recommended that the adaptation process is conducted in consultation with key national stakeholders, including donors, family planning and HIV implementing organizations, and civil society advocates in order to ensure a transparent, coordinated, and strategic response.
Supporting Templates (MS Word):
- Terms of Reference: National ECHO Task Force (Termes de référence Équipe spéciale nationale ECHO)
- Scenario Planning (Planification de scénario)
- Goal and Objectives (Buts et d’objectifs)
- Action Planning Checklist (Liste de contrôle de la planification des actions)
If you have feedback on any of these tools, or want to share how you have used them, please contact us .