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Girl in Solomon Islands credits: IPPF/Jack Robert-Tissot

News item

IPPF lauds news commitments made at London FP Summit

The International Planned Parenthood Federation has praised the Governments, private companies and partner organisations making family planning commitments at today’s London Summit. Speaking at the s...

The International Planned Parenthood Federation has praised the Governments, private companies and partner organisations making family planning commitments at today’s London Summit.

Speaking at the summit, IPPF Director General Tewodros Melesse said:

“IPPF welcomes the wonderful and generous commitments being made today by Governments, civil society and the private sector. As the largest provider of family planning services in the world, IPPF’s members know that access to family planning transforms the lives of women and girls.

That is why it is vital that the 214 million women and girls around the world who want contraceptive care but are currently denied it must be given access to it.

We know that tens of millions of women and young girls are forced into pregnancy every year because they do not have access to the contraceptive care they want and need.

Reproductive rights exist only on paper without supplies. Without generous additional support the world’s poorest women and girls are asked to try to bridge a contraceptive funding gap from their own pockets – something they simply cannot do.”

Today’s FP Summit is co-hosted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Mr Melesse praised the UK Government for its announcement of an increase in funding for family planning of £45m a year for five years, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its announcement of an additional £375m over four years for global family planning.

Mr Melesse said:

“These huge additional increases in funding from DFID and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the commitments made by so many other governments, private companies and partner organisations today show we are all united in our determination to reach those woman and girls currently underserved and overlooked.

“IPPF has published a new report today which says that more women and girls than the entire population of Germany will find themselves forced into pregnancy just this year because they cannot get the contraceptive care they want and need.

The vast majority of them are in developing countries. IPPF’s members work tirelessly to reach the poorest and most marginalised in these societies – we will build on the commitments of the London Summit today to reach even more of them than ever.”

 

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Subject

Contraception