Gates Institute’s Director’s Message, January 2023

The month of January typically brings an opportunity for reflection and reimagination for the coming year. As Gates Institute looks ahead to 2023 and beyond, I wanted to reflect on some of the megatrends we may encounter in the reproductive health space through 2030. Megatrends are considered to be a major movement likely to have significant impact on a global scale—thus, it is imperative we consider these trends and their impact on our work.

First, we predict we will see a shift from project-based work to the platform approach. A platform can extend long beyond the typical project time frame, allow for multiple investors, and serve as a sustainable cost-effective solution for a variety of health and development challenges. Platforms can also be developed to become global social goods.

Additionally, advances in technology will likely see broader uptake in digital health and digital health platforms. Specifically, advancement in artificial intelligence technology can now diagnose disease, predict outcomes based on modeling, and realize the potential for precision care. This can have a multitude of applications in the reproductive health field and many of our institutions are already beginning work on this.

Third, we may see more of a balance between multilateralism and local ownership (right to fit) that accomplish local goals effectively while strengthening the paradigm through active learnings south-to-south and south-to-north. As donors shift health and development support directly to local levels, the benefits of and mechanisms for cross-border collaboration are worth preserving. Shared investments and actions are crucial to maintaining hard-won progress in SRHR.

The sixth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in November 2022 in Pattaya, Thailand, provided the opportunity for the community to gather to discuss many of these topics alongside other crucial topics in family planning, reproductive health, population dynamics and universal health care. It is paramount that we collectively continue providing space for reflection and discussion into 2023 and beyond.

Looking forward to a robust 2023!