As advocates for health, choice and rights we are the voice for those who so often go unheard. Advocacy is a broad term for the many ways in which we build up political, public and financial support for our issues. Whether it is through international meetings, campaign events, advertising or encouraging public debate – by keeping our issues topical we aim to bring about social change. We want to open hearts, minds, wallets, budget lines and ledgers.

The current political and economic climate does not favour our attempts to gain support for sexual and reproductive health and rights. The reasons for this are various and complex, but include:

• The perception among political leaders that the anticipated crisis of a “population explosion” has diminished, resulting in reduced funding.
• The general conservative backlash, particularly in the US, which has labelled our work “controversial” – resulting in a back-down from funding.
• The tendency for many governments to define their health policies according to disease control and high-cost facilities – reducing the importance of preventative services like ours.

One of our major priorities must be, therefore, to regain leadership of the issues surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Advocacy is not only a key area of action for us, but also a crucial part of our other work priorities including our work with young people, HIV and AIDS, abortion, gender issues and rights. We are undertaking a leading role in international development – a role which relies on advocacy efforts as the cornerstone of our communication with the outside world.

We are at a significant moment for action.

Our continued refusal to sign the US Bush Administration’s Global Gag Rule (denying international aid to any groups involved in abortion-related activity) means we must find other ways to increase funding and grants to our Member Associations.

The development goals set at the International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994 are now at their midway point to completion in 2015. We are building powerful advocacy to strengthen and maintain political commitment for these goals, and to overcome ICPD’s opponents. For more on the latest action for ICPD, visit www.Countdown2015.org.

The adoption of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the Millennium Assembly in 2000 is also a key target for our advocacy initiatives. The goals provide a framework for national governments to determine their programme priorities – which makes it all the more important for us to persuade policy makers that attaining the MDGs requires reaching the ICPD goals.