RESPOND – MSI Asia Pacific

Building on the achievements and insights of RESPOND I, the second phase of the project brings together a powerful coalition of partners, including UNICEF and UNFPA, to tackle the structural and systemic barriers that limit access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Building on the achievements and insights of RESPOND I, the second phase of the RESPOND project is now underway. RESPOND II is being delivered as part of Australia’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region strategy, which supports the development of equitable, resilient, and locally led health systems—particularly for women and girls in the Indo-Pacific.

Led jointly by MSI Reproductive Choices and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), RESPOND II brings together a powerful coalition of partners, including UNICEF and UNFPA, to tackle the structural and systemic barriers that limit access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The program is funded through the Australian Government’s Towards Universal Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Indo-Pacific (TUSIP) initiative.

RESPOND II focuses on two strategic pillars:

Strengthening the delivery of rights-based SRH services and education through improved systems and capabilities; and
Shaping legislative and policy environments to enable more equitable access to care.

MSI is implementing RESPOND II in Cambodia, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Myanmar, and Afghanistan—building on strong local partnerships and proven delivery models established during RESPOND I.

In the program’s first five months of implementation (August–December 2024), teams made rapid progress. Across the five countries, RESPOND II delivered 476,089 SRH/FP services to 94,606 clients, generating 39,186 Couple Years of Protection (CYPs). This foundational period was focused on re-establishing and scaling services, engaging stakeholders, and setting up the systems and platforms necessary for effective long-term implementation.

RESPOND II adopts a multi-level strategy—working at both service and systems levels to improve SRHR delivery while advocating for enabling policy change and using data to drive decision-making. There is a strong emphasis on inclusion, with dedicated efforts to reach marginalised groups, including women, youth, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ communities, through innovative approaches such as home-based care, community-based delivery, and digital health initiatives.

MSI and IPPF are also working together with regional and national actors to embed SRHR into national health systems and advocate for stronger policy protections, ensuring that services not only reach those most in need—but that access can be sustained beyond the life of the program.