Many nongovernmental organizations and individuals have advocated for increased funding for family planning/reproductive health or for PHE funds within governmental agencies and legislative bodies such as US Congressional appropriations and policy. These efforts have yielded significant policy and legislative initiatives. Examples of those advocacy efforts are included here.

Research has shown that the rise and fall of priority global health issues and approaches is influenced by policy communities—i.e., networks of individuals (e.g., researchers, advocates, policymakers, and technical officials) and organizations (including governments, nongovernmental organizations, United Nations agencies, private foundations, and donor agencies) that share a concern for a particular issue. Strong policy communities that can develop convincing ideas backed by reliable evidence are better able to attract attention and resources to their issue. Several organizations have worked to create PHE policy communities that disseminate information about PHE issues and share experiences from integrated programs that address these problems. PHE policy communities seek to focus greater attention on PHE issues and integrated programs by working collectively and in coordination, and by communicating through multiple channels. PHE policy communities target key individuals, institutions and members of civil society who can influence policy decisions that support integrated programming (including legislative action, allocation changes, or institutional policies).

The PHE global community has benefitted from several important national and international conferences that have motivated host countries to take important steps toward mainstreaming PHE into national and local biodiversity conservation and environmental management policies and programs. Early conferences held in the Philippines provided the opportunity for local PHE champions to meet each other and to engage with national leaders. These venues attracted global experts and called attention to the fundamental on-the-ground outreach and advocacy efforts in the Philippines. The 2007 Regional Population, Health and Environment conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia served as the launching point for the East Africa PHE network and, following the Philippines example, energized PHE work in Ethiopia due to the large number of local leaders able to participate and meet their peers in the international meeting. The Woodrow Wilson Center conducts and makes available its growing, lively collection of streaming video broadcasts and summaries from its PHE speaker series and events. This unique source of up-to-date materials also serves as a model of possibilities for country and project leaders (also see section on Capacity Building).

Increasing the capacity of developing country individuals and organizations to communicate about PHE issues and solutions increases the likelihood for global, regional, and country-specific support of PHE. These individuals can share a synthesis of research and program results, identify key findings, and interpret the implications of trends and experience. PHE champions are nurtured through workshops in which participants discuss policy communications theory, learn to develop communication objectives, practice presentation skills, and learn to work with the media. In addition, PHE Champions are given opportunities to further develop these skills by being invited to present their work at national and international conferences and events. PHE champions seek opportunities to author policy briefs and summary reports on their projects in the context of challenges facing their country. PHE champions also prepare press releases, hold press briefings, and may host international visitors through study tours—as additional ways to draw attention to PHE issues and promising solutions.

Several organizations are building the capacity of journalists to understand and care about PHE—encouraging them to give more coverage to biodiversity issues and draw greater attention to PHE messages. As journalists tell how PHE initiatives have impacted lives in a community, they help reach new audiences and advocates for PHE. The news media play an important role in promoting PHE, including blog entries and postings from professionals and leaders in the field.