IPPF remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting its Member Association, the Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA), in providing essential SRHR services for all. Within the uncertainty and instability, we continue to work together with SFPA to empower communities, protect the rights of women and adolescents, and address the urgent needs of marginalized populations, particularly in the face of increased vulnerability. Our collective mission stands firm: we are committed to ensuring that dignity, health, and choice are accessible to all, regardless of political or social challenges. Even in these uncertain times, we believe that SRHR services must continue - because the need for family planning, maternal healthcare, and gender-based violence (GBV) support does not diminish, even in the midst of conflict. Syria is enduring a difficult period of transition, but sexual and reproductive health cannot be sidelined. The health and well-being of Syria’s most vulnerable populations, especially women and youth, remain a top priority. The work of SFPA is more essential than ever, as it continues to provide vital services such as family planning, postnatal care, and GBV screening. At Al-Hasakah, SFPA is on the frontlines, directly supporting over 5,000 people, the majority of whom are women in urgent need of reproductive healthcare services. These women face an increased risk of complications due to the lack of access to safe and comprehensive health services, but SFPA is committed to meeting their needs. From providing postnatal care to offering family planning options and GBV screenings, SFPA is ensuring that women in these vulnerable circumstances are not forgotten. SFPA’s clinics, such as the one in southern Daraa and the besieged Al-Waer in Homs, have become lifelines, serving as a beacon of hope for those in need. They provide up to 70 beneficiaries a day with crucial services, including health counselling and early marriage awareness. SFPA has faced significant challenges, including the seizing of vehicles and temporary clinic closures in the suburbs of Homs. Yet SFPA's perseverance in delivering SRHR services remains an essential lifeline for the people of Syria. We will continue to stand alongside SFPA in their tireless efforts to safeguard sexual and reproductive health rights, ensuring that every woman, adolescent, and marginalized person has access to the care they deserve. Together, we stand for dignity, health, and choice, even in the face of uncertainty. The challenges are great, but the importance of maintaining SRHR services is immeasurable. Through unwavering dedication, we can support those in need and contribute to a future where everyone has access to the care and rights they deserve. Image credit: SFPA/Wasim Kashlan

On the morning of the 6th of December 2024, all six clinics in the suburbs of Homs operated by the Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA), a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), were forced to close due to escalating violence and theft. Armed opposition forces seized an ambulance and two vehicles used as mobile clinics, targeting them for their gasoline, which is becoming increasingly scarce in the region. For many pregnant women, these clinics were their only source of prenatal and delivery care, and their closure now places them in severe and life-threatening danger. These clinics, some of the last remaining in the region after years of instability, served Syria’s most vulnerable communities, where maternal health resources are critically limited. Their closure jeopardises the survival of thousands of mothers and their babies, cutting off access to vital prenatal care, safe deliveries, and postnatal support. "The closure of these clinics is catastrophic. For many women, these were the only facilities where they could receive the care they needed during pregnancy and childbirth. Without them, we are looking at a surge in preventable maternal and newborn deaths. It will be a disaster," said Fadoua Bakhadda, Regional Director of the Arab World Region for IPPF. The SFPA team acted quickly to evacuate all patients and staff to shelters. "Everyone is really afraid. They’re in panic. Our immediate priority was ensuring the safety of staff and clients. We are relieved that everyone has been evacuated safely and accounted for, but the challenges ahead remain immense," said Bakhadda. "Evacuated patients and staff are now in overcrowded shelters, where tensions are high, and the risk of gender-based violence is growing." However, staff wellbeing remains a pressing concern beyond the clinics. Three SFPA staff members attending humanitarian training in Tunis are now stranded and unable to return home. Flights into Syria are unavailable, and drivers are unwilling to risk entering the country due to the high likelihood of vehicle theft. "Our staff in Tunis are desperate to return to their families. With no flights and drivers unwilling to risk entering Syria, they are stuck in limbo. The lack of safe transportation is putting everyone under immense stress." Said Bakhadda. IPPF is prioritising the safety of its member association staff and clients while working urgently to find alternative ways to deliver essential healthcare services. IPPF is calling on the international community to act immediately to protect healthcare workers and communities and ensure the continuation of lifesaving medical services in Syria. Without urgent intervention, the lives of pregnant women, newborns, and vulnerable families remain at dire risk. -----  For all enquiries and to arrange an interview with spokespeople, please contact, Hanna Adcock from the IPPF Humanitarian Communications team: Email: [email protected] About SFPA Founded in 1974, the Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA) is a leading organisation dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Syria. With a vision of a society where individuals enjoy SRHR free from discrimination, SFPA operates across 13 governorates, delivering vital services to underserved communities. SFPA’s work focuses on providing integrated SRH services, addressing gender-based violence (GBV), improving maternal and child health, and preventing malnutrition among pregnant women and children under five. During the ongoing crisis, SFPA has expanded its reach through static clinics, mobile health teams, safe spaces for women and girls, and psychosocial support services, ensuring that essential care reaches even the most vulnerable populations. About IPPF IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptives, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises.  We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote. Our services are available to all, and reach the most marginalised groups in societies, including key and priority populations, youth, and people with disabilities. Most of our MAs have special programs to engage youth (10-24) inside and outside of school settings. Because our clinics offer comprehensive services, attending our clinics is non-stigmatizing and does not label people as having a particular disease or membership to a particular group. This model of services that are integrated and open to all, embedded in indigenous, locally owned organisations, is ideal for ensuring that the most vulnerable and marginalised groups can access the HIV prevention services they need.

Press Release: Unveiling Subversive Power: New Report Sheds Light on Anti-Rights Actors in the Asia-Pacific Region December 5, 2024 - Justice for Prosperity Foundation (JfP) in collaboration with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), has launched a groundbreaking report titled "Unveiling Subversive Power," highlighting the rising threats to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and LGBTIQ+ rights across the Asia-Pacific region. The report outlines the dangerous tactics employed by authoritarian states and conservative alliances that manipulate cultural narratives to undermine democratic institutions and silence dissent. It provides an in-depth analysis of how anti-rights actors exploit societal divisions and governmental vulnerabilities to reshape norms, gain influence, and push their ideological agendas. In many cases, relationships and activities are intentionally manipulated. Ultra-conservative, traditionalist, religious actors are the ones who mostly drive this manipulation. Key findings included that extremist movements and foreign state influences strategically undermine the democratic principles and human rights frameworks. The influence of religious institutions, coupled with political conservatism, fosters environments where discriminatory legislation flourishes, including laws that explicitly criminalize SRHR and LGBTIQ+ rights. Case studies from countries such as Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia reveal disturbing patterns of exploitation, disinformation, and systemic oppression against marginalised communities. "This report highlights the urgent need to confront anti-rights actors strategically exploiting societal divisions to weaken democratic systems and destabilise institutions. These actions pose cross-sectoral threats, demanding broad solidarity among diverse groups—SRHRJ movements, marginalised communities, climate advocates, and health networks. IPPF is committed to fostering collaboration and building comprehensive alliances to ensure a united response that safeguards  justice, democracy, and our shared future," said Tomoko Fukuda, Regional Director, IPPF ESEAOR. Jelle Postma, from JfP, said “We must deploy early detection of anti-rights networks and activities, foreign influences, and legislative proposals, and have a unified response across international and governmental agencies to counteract the destabilising impact of these actors.” The anti-rights movement poses a serious threat to regional and national security in the Asia Pacific, with potential to undermine long-standing democratic principles. Justice for Prosperity and IPPF underscore the urgent need for coordinated action among governments, civil society, and international partners to preserve and protect the hard-won rights of individuals across the region. The full report, "Unveiling Subversive Power: Shedding Light on Anti-Rights Actors in the Asia-Pacific Region," is available for download on the IPPF website or for download on the JfP website.  For media enquiries or further information, please contact us at [email protected] or  [email protected]. 

On International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, a coalition of human rights organizations are launching a new set of guidelines for governments to protect frontline abortion rights defenders, including healthcare providers. Amnesty International, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Ipas, MSI Reproductive Choices, the Organisation Pour Le Dialogue Pour L’Avortement Sécurisé (ODAS Centre) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) published the Key principles and actions to safeguard abortion care providers as human rights defenders. The document provides a set of concrete recommendations for governments to guarantee that health professionals and other human rights defenders of the right to abortion care for women, girls and pregnant people, can do so without fear of attacks and intimidation. “Despite the global progress we have seen on sexual and reproductive health and rights over recent years, including steps to decriminalize abortion in many countries, defending abortion rights, which includes the provision of abortion by healthcare providers, remains a dangerous job,” said Fernanda Doz Costa, Gender, Racial Justice, Migrants & Refugees Programme Director at Amnesty International. “Abortion rights defenders are failed by many States. On the one hand, States are negligent in their obligation to protect them while, on the other hand, abortion continues to be restricted and criminalized. As such defenders are deemed less ‘deserving’ of support and protection and are actively targeted. The Key Principles show governments how to break this cycle,” said Melissa Cockroft, Global Lead on Abortion, IPPF. “Democracy, human rights, and abortion rights are under attack, and so too are the frontline defenders of these rights. They risk physical and verbal attacks, threats, smears and intimidation to ensure people have access to abortion – a critical and essential health care service. We stand with them today and every day in the fight for human rights, and call on the global community to do the same,” said Dr. Anu Kumar, President and CEO of Ipas. The Key Principles include practical recommendations to: Prevent violations by implementing specific protection protocols and establishing channels to report harassment and receive support;   Enable defenders to exercise their rights without fear by ensuring universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, and decriminalizing abortion – as reinforced by the WHO’s Abortion guidelines; Safeguard defenders’ rights by protecting civic space and tackling abortion stigma; Provide redress, by stopping the criminalization of abortion defenders, and by bringing to justice those who attack them; “As the organized rollback of reproductive rights continues, the attacks being directed at healthcare providers are getting worse. It's time for States to uphold their duty and defend those who are risking everything to provide lifesaving care. We look forward to working alongside and together with governments, professional associations, donors, health facility managers, and civil society organisations to ensure frontline healthcare providers are given the support they deserve,” said Simon Cooke, MSI Reproductive Choices’ CEO. "Comprehensive abortion care is an essential health service. Midwives who provide these services are often subjected to discrimination, intimidation, and in some cases, even violence. In order to uphold women's right to safe abortion care, we need to protect and enable the midwives and health professionals who provide these services. To do this, professional associations, civil society, policy makers and governments need to implement the Key principles and actions to safeguard abortion care providers as human rights defenders," said Sandra Oyarzo Torres, ICM President. “We refuse to stay silent in the face of constant attempts to restrict and criminalize abortion and its defenders, and we commit to stand firmly with this fundamental human right,” said Kadidiatou SOW, Director of the ODAS Centre. An Amnesty International report in 2023 detailed the danger and difficulties faced by those who defend abortion rights and provide access to services, often in challenging circumstances, including midwives, doctors, nurses, doulas, activists and all those who help pregnant people manage their own abortions with medication. The report evidenced how many people working in healthcare settings are exposed to hostility and abuse from colleagues, employers, patients and others who oppose abortion.  Those working outside health facilities are also exposed to physical and verbal attacks, threats, smears and intimidation. Some are criminalized through prosecutions, investigations and arrests. The report also documents cases of stigmatization, isolation and ostracization, and restrictions on rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Attacks are more common in countries where abortion is stigmatized, restricted or criminalised. “Abortion is essential healthcare. Yet, as healthcare providers we are routinely faced with discrimination and violence for simply doing our jobs. Restrictive abortion laws and attitudes cause harm. They create hostile environments that feed abortion-related stigma that smears healthcare providers and those that seek abortion care as criminals. We all know colleagues, unfortunately, who have battled with stigma, career blocking, intimidation, physical attack, imprisonment, and even in the most extreme cases health care providers have been murdered,” said Dr Anne-Beatrice Kihara, President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). For more information or to organize an interview, please contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE 8 November 2024: Donald Trump has been announced the winner of the U.S. election, threatening reproductive health and rights around the world. A return to Trump’s policies - and the potential implementation of Project 2025 - will cause millions of people to lose access to contraception, abortion, and other critical healthcare services, both in the US and around the world. Trump will reinstate the Global Gag Rule (GGR) upon coming to office in January next year. The GGR causes significant and specific harm to IPPF, and will amount to an approximate loss of US$60 million in USAID funding.  Regardless of who is in office, the United States does not fund abortions abroad, as stipulated by the Helms Amendment, which has been in effect for more than 50 years. But the GGR takes those restrictions much further: The last version that was in place during the Trump administration's first term from 2017 - 2021 forbid non-US organisations that take U.S. global health funding from any abortion-related activities -  regardless of the source of funds they use to provide those services. Abortion service delivery and advocacy are core components of our mandate, and we consider them non-negotiable human rights. IPPF has never, and will never, sign the GGR.  Thirteen of our MAs would lose USAID funds, with six MAs currently managing multi-million dollar funding, namely Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mauritania and Togo. In Malawi, the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) is the main family planning and adolescent health partner for two major USAID integrated health projects. Their work has improved equity in access to contraceptive services. In Ethiopia, the Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) is the lead local FP partner on USAID’s youth, nutrition, and health communication projects. IPPF is also leading ExpandPF, a large multi-country USAID project in Francophone West Africa, which started in 2023 and is planned to continue until 2028. It is expected to reach nearly 1.2 million contraceptive users.  Abruptly cutting this work short will have tragic consequences for the local population, clinics, outreach, and community services and programs.  Under Project 2025, Trump’s policy advisors have proposed an extreme new expansion of the GGR to include all foreign assistance to US and non-US organisations, including humanitarian funding.  Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Regional Director for the Africa Regional Office of IPPF:   “Global NGOs, reproductive health advocates, and women’s rights groups like our own were closely watching the US election, hoping for a more progressive stance for comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare. The wider impacts of the GGR on our movement and sexual and reproductive health and rights access and progress harms everyone in the ecosystem.”  Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General, International Planned Parenthood Federation:  “We are now facing a future where the alt-right are further emboldened, and without urgent opposition by civil society to the current course of action, the Trump-Vance Administration will expand the pathway already prepared. The threat to the sexual and reproductive justice agenda now demands a deliberate, and unified, effort from IPPF and our global movement. We remain committed to a future where your choices, your identity, and your freedoms are protected.”  For media inquiries, or to arrange an interview with our spokespeople, contact IPPF’s press office at: [email protected]     About the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)  IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptives, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises.  We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote.    Photo credits: Rutgers/Esther Ruth Mbabazi/Uganda - IPPF/Moctar MENTA - IPPF/Hannah Maule-ffinch/Ukraine - IPPF/Hannah Maule-ffinch/Cook Islands - Wara Vargas - IPPF/Hannah Maule-ffinch - IPPF/Hannah Maule-ffinch/Maldives  

  The Sudanese Family Planning Association is following with great concern the repercussions of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in eastern Sudan, resulting from the massive wave of displacement caused by the violations and crimes committed by the Rapid Support Militia (RSM) in the villages of East Gezira and neighboring areas. This violence has led to the largest displacement since the outbreak of the conflict on 15 April 2023, with thousands flocking to Gedaref and Kassala states and their various localities. The large-scale displacement has put enormous pressure on basic resources and services, leaving women and girls in extremely precarious health conditions, especially in relation to primary and reproductive health care. According to the Family Planning Association's monitoring, several cases of gender-based violence, including physical and sexual assaults, have been recorded, further increasing the suffering of displaced women and girls, exacerbating their psychological and physical conditions. Hundreds of displaced women in shelters suffer from a severe lack of reproductive health services, as many of these centers lack basic health facilities that meet the urgent needs of women. Miscarriages have increased due to the lack of proper medical care, and several maternal deaths have been recorded due to poor pregnancy and childbirth care, as well as inadequate newborn care, increasing maternal and neonatal mortality rates. The lack of hygiene facilities and necessary medical equipment increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, exacerbating the health conditions of the displaced. Despite the efforts of international and local relief organisations in coordination with government agencies in Gedaref and Kassala states, the response is still insufficient to meet the growing needs in these affected areas. The Sudanese Family Planning Association is committed to continuing its work with international partners, such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF, to provide essential support to women and girls in the shelters. The association is currently working on distributing personal hygiene kits and developing reproductive health support programmes, as well as providing medical care services through mobile clinics and mobile medical teams to deal with emergency cases and reduce the health burden on displaced women. The Association calls on all governmental and international bodies to strengthen their efforts to address this humanitarian crisis and intensify urgent support to ensure that women have access to basic health care and reproductive care, contributing to the preservation of their lives and safety amid these critical circumstances. For more information and to speak to one of our staff Sudan, please email [email protected]   About the Sudan Family Planning Association  The Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was established in 1965 by pioneers in obstetrics and gynaecology in response to increases in maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. As the statistics show, Sudan is a country in great need of frontline sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Advocacy, and undertaking information, education and communication (IEC) programs are critical. About the International Planned Parenthood Federation IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptives, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises.  We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote. Our services are available to all, and reach the most marginalised groups in societies, including key and priority populations, youth, and people with disabilities. Most of our MAs have special programs to engage youth (10-24) inside and outside of school settings. Because our clinics offer comprehensive services, attending our clinics is non-stigmatizing and does not label people as having a particular disease or membership to a particular group. This model of services that are integrated and open to all, embedded in indigenous, locally owned organisations, is ideal for ensuring that the most vulnerable and marginalised groups can access the HIV prevention services they need.