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The recent approval of Japan's first oral abortion pill is an important step towards achieving gender equality and ensuring that women exercise their right to self-determination over their bodies, including pregnancy and childbirth. IPPF believes that true gender equality requires empowering women to be fully informed and in control of their bodies, thereby expanding their choices and enabling them to determine their own futures. Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), underlined the importance of this landmark milestone during a visit to Japan in April. Public support through public comments for the approval shows that the social situation in Japan is changing, with increased awareness of women's lives and health, reproductive freedom and women's rights. In its guidelines, the World Health Organisation (WHO) included oral abortion pills in the Essential Medicines Core List, in line with the evidence accumulated in the past, and removed the requirement of direct supervision by health professionals for their use as these pills can be used outside healthcare facilities without compromising safety and efficacy and the abortion process can be managed using the drug without direct supervision of health professionals. IPPF urges Japan to follow these WHO guidelines, including abortion as part of women's health care, and allow women to take safe oral abortion pills at home. Guaranteeing women in its own country access to these essential medicines is also in line with Japan's strong commitment and global pledge to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), ensuring that all women have access to medicines that save their health and lives, and that no one is left behind. IPPF looks forward to, and is committed to working with and supporting, Japan's future steps towards achieving a society that supports true gender equality, where women can exercise their right to self-determination over reproduction.

If you are covering the UK autumn budget and reporting on foreign aid, you may find the below statement from  the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) helpful: “The UK government has already decimated the aid budget and its reputation through severe economic mishandling, cutting billions from the very things that protect people during economic, political and social upheaval, including life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare. “It is also the only country to be spending the majority of its dedicated overseas aid budget within its own borders, taking advantage of legislation to pay for refugee and asylum costs in the UK rather than increasing domestic and overseas budgets accordingly. “The UK government cannot continue to fight the fire of one humanitarian crisis by diverting much-needed resources from other vulnerable people, nor continue to balance its books on the backs of the poorest people in the world - who, as MP Andrew Mitchell stated, will be damaged, maimed, or die as a result. “This government promised to give women and girls the freedom they need to succeed and prevent the worst forms of human suffering worldwide. If it is to deliver on its promises and revive its sunken reputation, it must spend dedicated budgets correctly, support people in the UK and beyond appropriately, and MP Andrew Mitchell and the Chancellor must ensure a return to the 0.7% as soon as possible.”  

The UK government has released its long-awaited International Development Strategy (IDS) which details the UK’s approach to international development moving forward. The strategy sets out the FCDO's priorities as: Deliver honest and reliable investment, building on the UK’s financial expertise and the strengths of the City of London, and delivering the Prime Minister’s vision for the Clean Green Initiative, supporting partner countries to grow their economies sustainably. Provide women and girls with the freedom they need to succeed, unlocking their future potential, educating girls, supporting their empowerment and protecting them against violence. Provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and work to prevent the worst forms of human suffering, prioritising our funding and being a global leader in driving a more effective international response to humanitarian crises. Take forward our work on climate change, nature and global health. We are putting the commitments of our Presidency of G7 and COP26, our global leadership in science and technology, and our COVID-19 response, at the core of our international development offer. Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "While, in theory, the UK’s new international development strategy prioritizes women and girls, it is unclear how the government will provide ‘the freedom they need to succeed’ while simultaneously cutting billions from the very things that help achieve this, including unhindered access to life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare which helps keep girls in school, protects them from a lifetime of poverty and helps prevents untimely maternal deaths. "It is also unclear how the UK will prevent the worst forms of human suffering in humanitarian contexts when the 2021 aid cuts left millions of women across Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Sudan and Syria and Yemen with no control over their bodies, their futures, or their lives. And more so, while this government chooses to distribute the dedicated aid budget to fund other government departments rather than increasing overall budgets. "Until this government returns to the 0.7% target, this strategy will be little more than lip service from a government that knowingly robbed women and girls of their freedom and futures during the upheaval of a global pandemic when continued solidarity, support and humanitarian assistance from the wealthiest nations was most needed." For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or [email protected]   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.   For over 65 years, IPPF through its 118 Member Associations and 15 partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights, and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.    

Today, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) published its provisional statistics report on UK aid spending for 2021.  The total overall aid spend was £11.5 billion, down from £14.5 billion in 2020 following the UK government's reduction to overseas development aid (ODA) from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of gross national income (GNI), citing the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  ODA improves the lives of people around the world, helping them access the healthcare they deserve, including lifesaving sexual and reproductive healthcare. It also helps tackle global disease, eliminate poverty, provide humanitarian assistance during conflict and reduce the impact of climate change.  Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General for IPPF, said: “While not surprising, the provisional UK aid spend for 2021 shows the grim reality of making such severe cuts during the tremendous global upheaval of a pandemic, when continued solidarity, support and humanitarian assistance from the wealthiest nations is most needed. “The government already knew from the equalities impact assessment that these cuts to promised funds would be devastating for women, girls and diverse groups, who disproportionally experience the effects of poverty, disease and climate change while also bearing the burden of violence, especially in conflict. “Not only that, but the government also chose to distribute the dedicated aid budget to other government departments. This includes a staggering £915 million to the Home Office and counting so-called ‘donations’ of excess COVID vaccines to other countries, which could have been given to those in need instead. The aid cuts left millions of women in Ukraine with no control over their bodies, their futures, or their lives, just as it did in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan and Syria. Today, the role of the UK in building a better, safer world is more critical than ever if there is any hope of reversing the impacts of the cuts and the government must return to the 0.7% as soon as possible – the lives and futures of people depend on it”. Key statistics include: The provisional ODA:GNI ratio for 2021 was 0.5 per cent, or £11.5 billion. In 2021, UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) was £11,496 million, a decrease of £2,982 million (20.6 per cent decrease) on 2020. In 2021, UK bilateral ODA was £7,086 million (a decrease of 25.7 per cent) while U.K. multilateral ODA was £4,411 million (a decrease of 10.8 per cent). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spent £8,308 million in 2021, compared with £10,664 million in 2020 (a decrease of £2,356 million).  Non-FCDO5 spend on ODA in 2021 was £3,189 million, compared with £3,815 million in 2020 (a decrease of £626 m). The non-FCDO share was 27.7 per cent, up from 26.3 per cent in 2020. In 2021, £550 million of UK ODA was spent on activities to address the COVID19 pandemic². The Home Office spent £915 million of ODA in 2021 (an increase of 53.3 per cent). This was mostly due to increased accommodation costs for asylum seekers to ensure the measures set out in law were adhered to in limiting the spread of COVID-19. For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on [email protected] or [email protected]  About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.   For over 65 years, IPPF through its 118 Member Associations and 15 partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights, and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity – no matter what.  

The Government’s Equalities Assessment shows that the government was well aware that the scale of the 2021 aid cuts to specific gender interventions, including Violence Against Women and Girls and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, would disproportionately impact women, girls and people with protected characteristics such as those living with disabilities.  The U.K. government were also aware that the aid cuts would reduce services available to survivors of sexual violence, including sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: “We are pleased to see the long-awaited equalities assessment and are hopeful that public scrutiny will encourage the Government to double down on its efforts to champion and support equality. Government commitments are especially significant for 2022, given the scale of the 2021 aid cuts to specific gender interventions, including those helping to end Violence Against Women and Girls, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programmes and targeted interventions aimed at reaching those left furthest behind – including people living with disabilities. “Today, the role of international aid in building a better, safer and equal world is more relevant than ever as the Ukrainian people look to governments across the globe to support them during the most severe humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in years. With the EU predicting up to 7 million displaced people and vulnerable refugee populations requiring distinct and personalised care, we ask the U.K Government to step up for the international community and return to the 0.7% aid target as soon as possible – the lives and futures of people across the globe depend on it.” Manuelle Hurwitz, Director of Programmes for IPPF, added:   "The government knew the reduction to development programmes would completely contradict its priorities of getting 40 million more girls into education by 2025 flies in the face of achieving gender equality and yet it chose to proceed with them anyway.   For media enquiries, please contact [email protected]