With support from the Government of Japan, International Planned Parenthood Federation’s (IPPF) Member Associations in five countries, namely Afghanistan, Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, will provide urgent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to communities affected by natural disasters and conflict situations.  These IPPF Member Associations will: Provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and maternal and child health services for women and girls and marginalized communities in six remote and flood affected provinces in Afghanistan; Provide urgent sexual and reproductive health services to communities affected by the escalating violence in Palestine; Improve accessibility of services and community sustainability to decrease sexual and reproductive health-related mortality and morbidity of women and girls in three States with high internally-displaced populations in Sudan; Restore health facilities and access to maternal health services in conflict affected areas for populations affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine;  Provide critical sexual, reproductive and maternal health care to internally displaced people and local communities in Yemen. This vital funding from Japan will help with provision of badly needed but currently missing health services, especially for women, so that they can live with dignity and free from unwanted pregnancies, death of themselves and their newborns, and reproductive ill-health. It will allow us to provide essential and quality SRH and maternal and child health services in the communities, prevent and manage the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence, including the clinical management of rape, equip community-based midwives with skills to provide high quality obstetric and neonatal services and strengthen health information systems to collect high quality data to respond to the needs and priorities of women and girls’ health. IPPF Director General, Dr Alvaro Bemejo, said, "I offer heartfelt thanks to the Government of Japan for their  unparalleled generosity to enable IPPF to respond to the needs of women and girls caught up in crises around the world. This generosity will allow IPPF and our local partners to provide a critical lifeline to the growing number of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance."   By the end of December 2024, IPPF, through our local partners in the five countries, will aim to deliver health services and information to at least 239,000 people in total.   For further information, please contact Yuri Taniguchi, IPPF London Office, at [email protected].   Photo Credits: IPPF/Hannah Maule-ffinch/Sudan

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, IPPF has supported partners in Ukraine and surrounding countries to provide access to essential sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services for those affected. Dr. Galyna Maistruk, Executive Director of Women Health and Family Planning Ukraine said: "Today marks one year since the brutal Russian invasion of my homeland. For us in Ukraine, the 24 February is a benchmark of consciousness and striving at any cost to be helpful and effective at their front. We are fully conscious that grieving for losses, despite tremendous, will not benefit us. And we stand together and remain a people not defined by the war but by our strength, resilience and values. Under shelling, air raid sirens, without electricity we remain committed to supporting the healthcare system through provision of essential equipment, medicine and training for doctors. Thanks to our reliable partners in IPPF and its member associations the work carries on supporting women and girls who need to access vital reproductive health care, abortion, and support after sexual violence until there is a free Ukraine." Banner image credit: Marko Subotin/Shutterstock

With support from the FY2022 Supplementary Budget received from the Government of Japan, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Member Associations in four countries, namely Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Ukraine will protect the health and lives of vulnerable populations affected by conflict and natural disasters through the community-based provision of sexual and reproductive health and essential health services, including maternal and child health, in the following areas:   Afghanistan: 9 provinces (Karpisa, Parvan, Badakhshan, Laghman, Logar, Bamiyan, Samangan, Baruch and Paktika)  Ethiopia: 3 provinces (Afar, Amhara, Somali).   Pakistan: 2 provinces (Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).  Ukraine: 2 cities (Odessa, Poltava).  In all countries the implementation of activities will be a participatory, inclusive and rights-based process that puts people at the centre, responding to their specific circumstances, challenges faced, needs and aspirations, while allowing the most vulnerable to have a voice. It also seeks to realise human security through the provision of relevant health services, especially for women, so that they can live with dignity and free from threats such as unwanted pregnancy, death of themselves and their newborns, and reproductive ill-health. By using and expanding local networks, knowledge, human resources and facilities developed through years of grassroots activities in each country, IPPF will expand the impact of our activities and cause lasting change in people's lives.  The IPPF Director General, Dr Alvaro Bemejo, said, "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Japan for this invaluable support they have given to the IPPF. We will fully utilise this opportunity to deliver our services to as many vulnerable people as possible and will do our utmost to be there for them and support them."   In the year to December 2023, IPPF, through our local partners, will aim to deliver health services and information to at least 270,000 people across the four countries.   For further information, please contact Yuri Taniguchi of IPPF London at [email protected].          

We are speechless, angry and profoundly saddened by the news that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was brutally gunned down while delivering a public speech in support of his party’s candidate for the forthcoming Japanese election. The assassination of Mr Abe represents a shocking and cowardly act of violence that threatens the core values of humanity which he spent his entire life defending. Our thoughts go to his wife Akie and the people of Japan at this extraordinarily challenging time. During the Tokyo UHC Summit held in December 2017, IPPF delivered a message to Mr Abe saying, "Just as your grandfather was the father of UHC in Japan, we hope that you will continue to lead global UHC and be the father of global UHC". Mr Abe responded to IPPF’s message with passion and energy. He put UHC promotion at the heart of Japan's Global Health Diplomacy Strategy and became a genuine global leader in UHC, becoming an example for other world leaders. He also held the World Assembly for Women (WAW!) in Tokyo with the aim of building a 'society where women would shine' in Japan and worked tirelessly to promote the empowerment of women. Through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) 5 to 7, Mr Abe created global momentum for improved development cooperation in Africa. Dr Alvaro Bermeo, IPPF’s Director General, notes: "IPPF will continue to honour the work of former Prime Minister Abe and advance his commitment to universal health coverage that includes comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. May he rest in peace." Ms Tomoko Fukuda, Regional Director of IPPF East, South-East Asia and Oceania Regional Office, recalls: 'I will never forget the way former Prime Minister Abe spoke with enthusiasm about the realisation of a society where women would shine at the WAW! We still have a long way to go to realise women's empowerment in Japan and around the world, but we will continue to build on the foundation of Mr Abe's efforts." Main photo by Roméo A. on Unsplash

The International Planned Parenthood Federation’s (IPPF) Director General Designate, Dr Alvaro Bermejo, has welcomed a renewed commitment from the Government of Japan at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum 2017 to sexual and reproductive health services. At the Forum, Japanese Prime Minister Abe announced Japan’s pledge to provide UHC assistance, examples of outcomes of which include provision of 40 million sexual and reproductive health services and prevent 500,000 unintended pregnancies. It forms part of a much wider commitment by Japan to spend $2.9 billion US for health, nutrition, and water and sanitation to promote UHC further. Speaking at the UHC Forum in Tokyo, Dr Bermejo said: “The Tokyo Declaration is welcome news for those that worry that women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy don’t have access to modern methods of contraception. More than 200 million women are in this situation today. I’m optimistic that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services will be recognised everywhere as a centrepiece of universal health coverage.” Dr Bermejo joined Prime Minister Abe and representatives from other global organisations, including The World Bank, The United Nations, The World Health Organisation and UNICEF in a joint show of support for the commitment made by Japan at the UHC Forum. He added: “With 152 member associations IPPF is the world’s largest network of locally owned, globally connected civil society organisations. We provide reproductive health services in 172 countries. Tokyo is good news, but we need to make it meaningful at country level. That is where, in the end, universal access to sexual and reproductive health services that are stigma-free, good quality and affordable for everyone contributes to universal health coverage.”