Sexually healthy ?
DGD spending in 2023 testifies to the Belgian government's commitment to achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The good news is that spending on humanitarian aid increased. The focus on SRHR in humanitarian aid was also higher in 2023 (34%) than in 2022 (31%).
But this screening is not a good news story. The share of health and reproductive health spending in total DGD spending fell. In addition, the focus on HIV in health spending is also declining. Another striking observation is that in 2023, for the first time, bilateral spending on both health and reproductive health declined. This is important as 2024 is the last project year of the She Decides programmes. We are concerned that with the expiry of these programmes, the focus on SRHR in bilateral cooperation will weaken further.
She Decides came about as a response against President Trump's implementation of the Global Gag Rule in 2017. This policy caused the US to stop supporting development cooperation organisations working around SRHR. The international community then worked together to mitigate the impact of Trump's decision. With the start of Trump's second term in 2025, it is certain that we will lose another ally around SRHR. It remains to be seen whether the international community will again join hands over SRHR advocacy.
Investing in SRHR worldwide
With the current international context in mind, we call on the Belgian government to invest in SRHR worldwide:
- To include attention to SRHR in cooperation agreements with partner countries
- To support multilateral organisations and NGOs that will suffer under Trump's second term (UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS,...)
- To put HIV back on the international agenda and spend more on tackling HIV and AIDS themselves
ODA report 2023
Read the full report for all findings and recommendations:
- Sensoa ODA rapport (745.78 KB)