Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through global partnerships: the case of the HRP Alliance for research capacity strengthening

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BACKGROUND: The UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) has a mandate to lead in sexual and reproductive health and rights research and to support research capacity strengthening. Starting in 2016, it did so through supporting the latter through a large network of research institutions called the HRP Alliance. This commentary highlights the work of the HRP Alliance in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. MAIN BODY: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the HRP Alliance to adapt the way they had been working. HRP Alliance research capacity strengthening hubs actively contributed to developing a research agenda based on WHO's research and development blueprint and country-specific needs. They also took on leading roles in developing, adapting to each country/setting, and implementing research projects aimed at understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting SRHR in different contexts and income settings. These studies provided opportunities for early career researchers and students to lead in project management, study implementation, training, and data analysis. Through a network of nimble research institutions, the HRP Alliance collaborated to generate evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, access to SRHR services, gender-based violence, and abortion care. The success of implementing these research response mechanisms and developing global networks of research and healthcare institutions, provided solid ground upon which to build SRHR research responses to future pandemics and other emerging diseases. CONCLUSION: Adequate readiness and response to global health emergencies require high quality and timely evidence generation. Global networks of research partner institutions, brought together through research capacity strengthening initiatives, can provide a fruitful platform ready and able to swiftly respond. However, inherent power imbalances and challenges to equitable partnerships need to be considered to ensure sustainable ways of working together.

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