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Emergency contraception (EC) refers to any contraceptive method that can be used after having unprotected or inadequately protected sexual intercourse (UPSI) but before pregnancy occurs, providing women with the opportunity to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. EC is a safe and effective method for preventing unwanted pregnancy and can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 99%. In spite of its effectiveness, EC is not frequently used. In many countries, women face barriers to accessing EC. The majority of women in low‑income countries are unaware of EC. Moreover, some providers have negative attitudes toward providing EC to women and girls.

The purpose of this statement is to outline key components of the youth peer provision model, summarize existing evidence, and provide guidance to integrate this delivery approach into the existing sexual and reproductive health services offered by IPPF Member Associations.

Sexual and reproductive health is related to multiple human rights, including the right to life, the right to health, the right to privacy and the prohibition of discrimination. The right to health include sexual and reproductive health. This means that the states have obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights related to women’s and men’s sexual and reproductive health.

Profound changes in demographic patterns are taking place globally. Birth rates are falling in most countries around the world. Many governments are concerned about the impact of population ageing, and its consequent effects on lower economic productivity and escalating costs for medical care for older people. Some argue that birth rates must be stimulated to increase again. A few have begun to question the legitimacy of contraception and parenthood by choice, as well as challenging the principle of gender equality. This concern may also result in reduced focus on ‘the other side of the story’, namely that 225 million women who wish to avoid or delay pregnancy are not using modern contraception. Such restrictive approaches contravene people’s right to “reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so” as agreed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, and reiterated through the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

Cervical cancer, largely preventable, is one of the main causes of cancer death in women. In 2012, 528,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed and 266,000 women died of the disease, nearly 90 per cent of them in low to middle income countries. Deaths due to cervical cancer are projected to rise by almost 25 per cent over the next 10 years.1 Most women die of the disease when they are still in the workplace and caring for their families, at a high cost to society and to the economy. Cervical cancer prevention encompasses a wide range of interventions, which provide IPPF Member Associations with multiple opportunities within the continuum of care to decrease mortality and morbidity from the disease.

Research involving human subjects – including the study of human reproductive tissues, cells and fluids – has been and will continue to be essential for scientific advancement. For example, organ biopsies (such as cervix, ovary, uterus, testes, prostate, placenta and so on), cell lines developed and maintained in laboratories derived from both normal and abnormal reproductive tissues, and sampling of reproductive fluids (such as semen, cervical mucus, uterine and amniotic fluid) have contributed to both the understanding of normal reproductive physiology and pregnancy as well as the pathogenesis of disease. Modern contraceptive methods, the human papillomavirus vaccine, the Papanicolaou test, amniocentesis, regimens for the treatment of reproductive cancers and advanced reproductive technologies for infertility are examples of the diverse preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic innovations resulting from studies of human reproductive tissues.

This Statement has been prepared by the International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) and was approved in October 2015. This ‘Statement on Hormone Therapy for Transgender People’ complements and builds on earlier IMAP Statements, including ‘Sexual Rights and Sexual Health Services’ and ‘Sexual Health and Rights of Adolescents and Young People’. In the former Statement, IPPF explicitly explored the sexual rights and sexual health of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex, and described how to provide the non‑discriminatory and essential health services required by these populations.

This Statement has been prepared by the International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) and was approved in June 2015. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an umbrella term that includes all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non‑medical reasons. Female genital mutilation violates a number of well‑established human rights principles, norms and standards, including the principles of equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, the right to bodily integrity, the right to life (because the procedure can result in death), and the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Female genital mutilation has no health benefits, it is harmful to the health of women and girls, it violates women’s human rights and every effort should be made to eradicate the practice.