Universal health coverage means ensuring every person has access to quality, affordable health services and plays a pivotal role in achieving global development targets. Healthy populations can better contribute socially and economically, while poor health is a major driver of poverty. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services is identified in the Sustainable Development Goals as an essential contributor to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. IPPF, together with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, undertook a literature review looking at progress to date in and challenges to achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. The review, Leaving no one behind, is illustrated with case studies on Afghanistan, Cambodia, Kenya and Sudan. Supported by the Japan Trust Fund.

Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa and the tenth most populous in the world. It is estimated that two-thirds of women do not have access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services. Our member association - Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) is bridging the gap between the need for healthcare and women by bringing services into the heart of the workplace across Ethiopia, a country where 47% of the workforce is female. FGAE currently provides services to over 125,000 people at sixteen large-scale workplaces across Ethiopia, from coffee plantations to textile factories.

Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. It's estimated that 47% of women and girls are married before the age of 18. In 2017 to help combat child marriage, Malawi changed the legal age of marriage to 18 but despite the change in the law, early child marriage still occurs in many villages. IPPF member association, Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM), is teaming up with social workers and local community leaders to form community watch groups, to help end child marriage.

Today, unprecedented numbers of people are living in a state of crisis or emergency. In 2018, it is estimated that 135.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with conflict and natural disasters predicted to be the biggest drivers. Of those in need, approximately one-quarter is estimated to be women and girls of reproductive age (aged 15–49) and approximately 5 million will be pregnant. Globally, 60% of preventable maternal deaths take place in settings of conflict, fragility, displacement and natural disasters.

In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a potential safety issue concerning dolutegravir (DTG), a common first-line antiretroviral treatment drug that is used to prevent and treat HIV infections. Preliminary findings from a study in Botswana found an increased risk of neural tube defects in infants born to women taking DTG at the time of conception. As a result of this study, WHO’s revised guidance on antiretroviral regimens for treating and preventing HIV infections, released in July 2018, include a caution on use of DTG by women and adolescent girls of childbearing potential. This brief aims to provide an overview of the research to date, current WHO guidance, and recommendations for IPPF.

IPPF’s Strategic Framework (SF) 2016-2022 commits the organisation to lead a locally-owned globally connected movement that provides and enables services, and champions sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Increasing numbers of people face crises or live in chronically insecure settings. In recent years we have scaled up the number of sexual and reproductive health services and information provided to people in emergencies from 1.3m in 2013 to 3.2m in 2016, but we can do much more. The goal of this strategy is to improve access to life-saving SRHR for crisis-affected people in all their diversity. As the situation normalises after a crisis, we aim to leave behind stronger MAs sustaining quality services to diverse populations. IPPF’s model for SRHR in crisis connects the key elements of humanitarian action (prevention and preparedness, response, recovery and resilience) with long-term, equitable development.