The lives of millions of the world’s poorest women and girls are in jeopardy because of the expansion of the US Global Gag Rule (GGR), IPPF’s Director General has said. The expansion of the GGR (or Mexico City Policy) will deny critical health care to many of the poorest women on the planet, forcing millions of them into unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions and leading to thousands of deaths. Tewodros Melesse was speaking after the announcement of the policy expansion last night. It means that access to critical affordable, high quality integrated reproductive healthcare services like contraception, Zika information, maternal health, ante-natal care, reproductive cancers, and HIV prevention and treatment will be denied around the world. The policy will hit hardest the women living at the margins of society – the poorest, the most remote and those under 25. Leaving millions behind and forced into unintended pregnancy, ill health or death because the essential services they need have or are being shut down. Tewodros Melesse, Director General, said: “This expansion of the Global Gag Rule is unprecedented and the largest of its kind. Leaving behind the hardest to reach and often poorest of marginalised women and communities is the worst possible situation. This policy asks IPPF to stop providing support, counselling and services which are entirely legal in the countries where our members provide them and women depend on them. We cannot do that. The consequences are fatal and will span generations. We believe women should be able to decide what happens to their bodies, safely and legally. We cannot accept a demand which we know will only increase the number of women being forced into pregnancy or worse. “    IPPF estimates that the withdrawal in funding from the Federation will lead to an additional 20,000 maternal deaths, 4.8 million unintended pregnancies and 1.7 million unsafe abortions.     The expanded policy also obstructs the potential health partnerships on the ground in developing countries where IPPF Member Associations work closely with other medical organizations for referrals and support of clients. This means that the very valuable space between medical providers and patients will be compromised as referrals options become limited and as valuable services are closed. USAID has been a proud supporter of family planning and public health programming for decades. The enormous expense on USAID to administer this kind of order, for what could be a limited time, means the very money allocated to what they have done best – saving lives will be hugely diminished in impact and effectiveness. International Planned Parenthood Federation will lose 100 M USD in critical funding. On behalf of their members, the Federation issued a statement in January explaining why they can't sign the Global Gag Rule.   Subscribe to our updates!

Expanding contraceptive choices offers the potential to put power into women’s hands said the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in reaction to the Sayana Press announcement by Pfizer BD, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and CIFF today. IPPF is already playing a major role in the introduction of Sayana Press to increase access to the world’s most poorest and underserved women and girls. Sayana Press is offered as part of the contraceptive mix by IPPF’s Member Associations in Uganda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They are doing this by providing Sayana Press at our extensive network of clinics, and by training community volunteers and government staff to give women Sayana Press in their own communities. Tewodros Melesse, Director General IPPF said; “This announcement is a great opportunity to enable women and girls who are often left behind because they are poor, unable to make decisions because of their partners, too far from a clinic or disabled to access contraception. Sayana Press has the potential to reach those who have never been able to access family planning before. We have seen that Sayana Press is popular with women in remote communities who can’t easily get to a clinic or drug shop. We are keen to see countries move towards community based distribution and ultimately, self-injections. All efforts must truly reach the last mile. Enabling women to administer in their own time and wherever they are is the only way to put power truly into women’s hands. It is a great step in helping to tackle the needs of the most poorest or neglected women and girls. But like any contraceptive, it must be offered as part of a broader mix of methods available and not favored more than others. Choice means every women and girl has the right to choose about their contraception wherever and whoever they are.”   IPPF launched its annual global I Decide Campaign on family planning today.   IPPF is fighting for a world where women everywhere can say "I decide". Support our call for universal access to contraception! Add your voice

IPPF Director General Tewodros Melesse has said that a decision by the US Government to withdraw funding from the United Nations Population Fund will have “devastating consequences” for women and girls around the world. Mr Melesse said: “The money the US administration now wants to withdraw would have been spent on health care for some of the poorest and most vulnerable women and girls in the world. “It will take away funding for contraception, maternal care and the safe delivery of babies, as well as  programmes to counter gender-based violence. “IPPF works closely with UNFPA in some of the most difficult situations in the world to provide this kind of care, especially in the poorest regions of the world’s poorest countries. The women and girls living in these situations are especially vulnerable, and this will have devastating consequences for them.” Mr Melesse added: “This is the second blow this year delivered to health care for women and girls around the world by the new US Administration. “The re-enactment of the Global Gag Rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy) has already denied US funding for contraception services, HIV programmes and work to counter the Zika outbreak to IPPF and other health organisations. “We estimate that the $100m in funding IPPF expects to lose will stop us from preventing 20,000 maternal deaths, will lead to 4.8m unintended pregnancies and 1.7 million unsafe abortions. “We should be clear. None of the funding being withdrawn by the US administration is spent in the provision of abortion or in support of coercive reproductive policies. This is a smokescreen for cuts in funding, nothing more. “As a rights-based organisation, IPPF works in partnership with UNFPA and other health and human rights organisations to provide tens of millions of women and girls with the right to choose how and when they use contraception and to access other live-saving health services. “UNFPA brings governments together to work on commonly-agreed policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals, which are vital in the fight to try to ensure sexual and reproductive health care for everyone. “I am deeply sorry that for a second time in the space of three months the US Administration has decided to deny critical health services to the people who need them most. We know that tens of thousands of lives will be lost as a result.”

IPPF Director General Tewodros Melesse has defended the record of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in an interview with BBC World News, the BBC’s global television news channel. Speaking to presenter Philippa Thomas on the programme “Impact”, Mr Melesse rubbished claims from the Trump administration – used to justify the withdrawal of US funding – that UNFPA in any way supported coercive family policies in China. He explained that IPPF and UNFPA, with which IPPF partners across the world to provide vital reproductive health care for millions of women and girls – were committed to defending rights and increasing choice. He added that the loss of funding to UNFPA and IPPF – through the re-imposition of the so-called Global Gag Rule by President Trump – would cost the lives of tens of thousands of women and lead to millions of additional unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Subscribe to IPPF's updates!

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is grateful to the international community for its ongoing support for women and girls through the She Decides initiative. 2 March 2017 was a powerful moment for our movement. The recent return of the Global Gag Rule, has left the community concerned and frustrated. But many governments, as well as other entities, have stepped up to the challenge. The She Decides initiative and conference offered the platform and the momentum to help shape a new global partnership for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). #Ploumen: ‘People - especially women & girls - all over the world should feel empowered and supported in their right to decide’ #SheDecides pic.twitter.com/HBrUOmz8KF — Netherlands ?? MFA (@DutchMFA) March 2, 2017 In total €181 Million was pledged at the conference. Many of our Member Associations spoke at the conference to give powerful  testimonies of how they are working on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. They  highlighted the need for financial and political support to deliver  these lifesaving programmes. IPPF Director General gave a passionate speech on how the Global Gag Rule impacts the Federations’ work. He talked about how this was not about money but human rights. "When it comes to women's Rights, there's no North or South, it's a GLOBAL movement until #SheDecides" - T. Melesse @ippf pic.twitter.com/h7QMNIy3Lq — IPPF Global (@ippf) March 2, 2017 IPPF was delighted to hear that the Canadian Government announced a $4 million as part of their ongoing support to women’s rights. This was one among the many pledges of support IPPF received. Women rights are human rights. Canada just pledged up to $20M to @UNFPA @IpasOrg @ippf @MarieStopes @PSIimpact #SheDecides pic.twitter.com/m7KLKK1eGE — Marie-Claude Bibeau (@mclaudebibeau) March 2, 2017   Anonymous donation of $50M brings #Shedecide funding to €181M. Thank you @Ploumen4Women for starting it and all donors for making it HUGE! — IPPF Global (@ippf) March 2, 2017   There was strong commitment from the European Commission. The European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, stated that the Commission will continue to support sexual and reproductive health and rights, comprehensive family planning, education, information and preventive health programme.  He also proudly announced that we will continue to support the work of our partners - like UNFPA, UNICEF, IPPF and many NGOs - to improve the lives of women and girls. The Conference was just the beginning. Mobilising  the international support and commitment of 50 governments to safeguard women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. We will continue to work with Governments, foundations and other actors to ensure that this journey becomes a reality. Because in the end it is she who must decide. The result after just 5 weeks, minister #Ploumen on #SheDecides at the end of the Brussels conference pic.twitter.com/wwit5ATG5z — Netherlands ?? MFA (@DutchMFA) March 2, 2017   Subscribe to our updates!   SUPPORT OUR WORK WITH A DONATION

Amran is a small city about fifty kilometres north-west of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. It is one of the poorest areas in the country, with extremely low health indicators.  More than 58,000 internally displaced people are living in Amran, according to one report from the Task Force on Population Movements. This is the highest number of displaced people in the country.  The Yemeni Association for Reproductive Health (YARH) is IPPF's accredited partner on the ground. Through them IPPF is prioritizing health access for women and girls, especially for those who are pregnant. YARH is also providing essential life-saving services to vulnerable groups. These people are at risk of sexual violence and fatal illness and diseases.     YARH, with Yemen's Ministry of Public Health and Population, deployed a mobile medical team to Amran between September and November 2016. They treated approximately 600 internally displaced people, more than two-thirds of them women, who mostly received pre and postnatal care, counselling, contraception and essential medical treatment.  The mobile team was made up of a female medical doctor and two midwives, two coordinators and a driver. They targeted displaced people in three remote districts: Khamir, Raydah and Kharif. With support from UNFPA and the Yemeni Women Union, we distributed a total of 1,000 dignity kits in Yemen. We also provided clean delivery kits to pregnant women in need. A low take up of family planning among these women is due to both a lack of awareness of and access to reproductive health services. In our raising awareness sessions we placed great importance on child spacing and how this can improve maternal and child health. We also reached just under 2000 people in displaced communities, with information on breastfeeding, nutrition and hygiene. In other initiatives on the ground, YARH is also working together with people living with HIV and up-skilling service providers on delivering contraceptive implants. Complementing these activities are empowerment projects youth leadership programmes to increase access to comprehensive sexuality education. Conditions are extremely tough – and dangerous – but we remain committed to serving the people of Yemen and doing all we can for their sexual and reproductive health.