On 13 December 2021, the Lebanese Association for Family Health (SALAMA) hosted a closing ceremony of its Japan Trust Fund project, "Reducing maternal mortality and morbidity related to reproductive health among Syrian refugees and the Lebanese host communities in the Bekaa", at the Movenpick Hotel in Beirut. It was attended by the representatives from the Japanese Embassy in Lebanon, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Lebanese Order of Midwives, international organizations, and civil society groups. The event celebrated many achievements, including its reach to 6,115 people with more than 102,000 sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, through speeches, presentations, and video documentaries. It also served as an opportunity to look back on the various challenges the project faced due to the country’s political and economic crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut explosion. Many reiterated the further needs in the country, particularly among those in humanitarian situations. The Japanese government has been funding SALAMA's work in the Bekaa region since 2017, and this project was the second one. President of SALAMA, Dr Joseph Challita, and the executive director, Ms Lina Sabra, expressed their deep gratitude to the Government of Japan in their speeches. The representative of the Japanese embassy responded with an acknowledgement of the relevance and good outcomes of the project. Dr Joseph Challita said: "We are gathered here today to celebrate our success in implementing this project. Let us strive together, as always, to make our voices heard by leaders and decision makers who have the ability to create an environment that facilitates equal access to contraceptives and family planning services for all women and girls." Ms Lina Sabra said: "SALAMA was committed to the priorities of Japan's official development assistance ODA policy, which focuses on empowering all marginalized groups that need services and respecting the cultures of different communities... Salama focused on contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 3, 5, and 13."  Ms Maki Yamaguchi, Embassy of Japan in Lebanon, said: "In light of the multiple crises that Lebanon is facing, it has become difficult for the Lebanese community and the Syrian refugees to access the necessary health services, hence the importance of launching successful projects."  Project documentation videos: JTF end of project report HIV success story Family planning success story Pregnant women program (Mama & Baby Kits) Dignity kits

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!

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!

IPPF has now compiled data outlining how the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule will affect people’s health around the world. Our global network of local partners delivers more than 300 services every minute of every day. During President Trump’s term, we will forego approximately USD$100m funding from the US government, which would have supported our family planning and HIV programmes for women with the greatest need for these health care services. The regions most affected are sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.  In practical terms, this level of funding could have prevented: 20,000 maternal deaths 4.8 million unintended pregnancies  1.7 million unsafe abortions  It could have also provided: treatment to 275,000 pregnant women living with HIV to protect their health and help prevent transmission of HIV to their infants  70 million condoms to prevent unintended pregnancies, HIV and other STIs 725,000 HIV tests to enable people to know their HIV status The foregone funding could have also treated 525,000 sexually transmitted infections. As an organisation that seeks to protect and improve the lives of women, men and children around the world, IPPF and its partners in 171 countries will not sign a policy that denies human rights and puts the lives of women at risk. We are working with governments and others to bridge this new funding gap and help keep our clinics open.  Sign up now to get updates on how you can be involved and make a difference. JOIN OUR THUNDERCLAP TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE SUPPORT OUR WORK WITH A DONATION

IPPF stands to lose $100 million USD received from the US, even though none of that money is used for abortion services. IPPF spoke out against Trump's reinstatement of the harmful Global Gag Rule (aka Mexico City Policy) to both BBC's Woman's Hour radio show and Australia's ABC 24 News. Our Member Associations have also spoken out against this violation of rights that service restrictions will lead to: "Funding cuts would mean we can't support 37 districts including supporting Government of Nepal effort on sexual and reproductive Health and rights. Additionally we would not be able to run community clinics or mobile health days or train health care workers. The impact also means we would lose essential medical staff like nurses, doctors and health experts. It would be devastating. " - Ms. Amu Singh Sijapati, President of Family Planning Association of Nepal As one of the biggest family planning organizations in the world, we work in over 170 countries to deliver integrated sexual and reproductive health services to the most marginalized women and communities around the globe. Funding cuts will limit the range of services and restricts how well they can be accessed in remote and rural areas by those who can’t afford transport, food or housing, and will now have to pay for services from other providers who charge more for treatment. "Our projects make a real difference. Young people living with HIV face stigma and violence which is a big problem for girls here in Kenya. These issues create barriers for getting care which means higher risks of ill health and harm. It’s vital that we work within local communities and offer services that recognise these specific needs. Without further funding FHOK may be unable to continue this support, scale up or replicate in other parts of Kenya. It would mean denying services to those who need them the most." - Edward Marienga, Executive Director -Family Health Options of Kenya Putting a ‘gag order’ on local providers who know the specific laws and needs of their communities flies in the face of common sense and reason,” said Marta Royo, Executive Director of Profamilia Colombia, an IPPF Member Association. "The impact of the rule under other U.S. Administrations has been dramatic—many organizations were forced to slash services or even shut their doors because they lost US funding for even mentioning abortion. As a result, women lost access to maternal health care, treatment for HIV and contraception that would help them prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place. Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal death in the world and evidence has shown that denying women’s access to abortion doesn’t reduce the incidence of abortion; it just makes it unsafe.” WANT TO GET INVOLVED? SUBSCRIBE NOW TO GET UPDATES FROM IPPF SUPPORT OUR WORK WITH A DONATION View my Flipboard Magazine.