Guttmacher-Lancet Commission provides roadmap towards universal access to SRHR

25/6/2018

“Progress in SRHR requires confrontation of the barriers embedded in laws, policies, the economy, and in social norms and values (….) that prevent people from achieving sexual and reproductive health.”

This is what the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission “Accelerate progress – sexual and reproductive health and rights for all” states in no uncertain terms. The report documents the magnitude of the SRHR needs, provides a comprehensive definition of SRHR and a roadmap on how to advance universal access to SRHR.

The commission underlines that the improvement of people’s health depends on individuals’ ability to make decisions about their own sexual and reproductive lives and respecting the decisions of others. The commission’s report is the result of two years of joint collaboration of 16 respected SRHR experts from different parts of the world. Belgian Prof. Dr. Marleen Temmerman was one of them.

Belgium advocates adolescents’ access to SRHR

25/6/2018

With a High-Level Panel on the European Development Days, Belgium raised attention for the unmet needs of adolescents.

June 6, Brussels. "Unsafe abortion is more accessible then contraceptives”, Young EDD leader Archane Phonsina said, in her testimony of young women’s challenges in the DR Congo. Phonsina lost one of her best friends to an unsafe abortion and is one of the leading voices for adolescents’ access to family planning and safe abortion in her country. “Simply speaking about family planning is still stigmatised and many girls will have at least two unsafe abortions in their lifetime”, she explained.

Where it really hurts: the impact of the Global Gag Rule in the South

8/6/2017

Children in Mozambique. Copyright: Getty Images.

Member associations of the International Planned Parenthood Federation stand to suffer from the Global Gag Rule or Mexico City Policy. Across the world, IPPF expects to forgo $100 million in funding from the United States Government.

In 32 countries, including Belgian partner countries Burkina Faso, Burundi, Mali, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania and Flemish partner country Mozambique, IPPF member associations have indicated they will forgo funding because of their refusal to sign the Global Gag Rule.

Trump administration wants to end all family planning support

8/6/2017

The Trump administration has proposed to cut all support for international family planning and reproductive health in its budget proposal for 2018. This amounts to a budget of $607.5 million. The budget cut is unprecedented.

US defunds largest UN provider of SRHR

5/4/2017

The Trump-Pence administration has decided to cease all support to the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA. In 2016 only US support to UNFPA helped to prevent 2.340 maternal deaths, 947.000 unplanned pregnancies and 295.000 unsafe abortions. It allowed an estimated 800.000 people to freely decide about their number of children. US support to UNFPA also reached no less than 9 million people in humanitarian emergencies and refugee camps, where the organization provides sexual and reproductive health services and tries to prevent genderbased violence.

‘She Decides’ Conference raises €181 million

7/3/2017

She Decides Conference - Copyright: Cynthia Vertessen

Representatives of almost 50 governments from all continents and hundreds of parliamentarians, international organisations and civil society participants gathered in Brussels to express their support for women’s rights during the She Decides conference. The Conference raised a total of €181 million for the ‘She Decides’ Global Fundraising Initiative that seeks to fill the funding gap for sexual and reproductive health and rights created by the Global Gag Rule. The Conference was co-organised by Alexander De Croo and his Dutch, Swedish and Danish colleagues.

'She Decides' parliamentary pre-meeting unites experts to bridge GGR funding gap

7/3/2017

Minister Alexander De Croo and Minister Liliane Ploumen at the pre-meeting. Copyright: Cynthia Vertessen

Ahead of the high level She Decides conference of March 2nd in Brussels, Belgium’s All-Party Parliamentary Group ‘Parliamentarians for the 2030 Agenda’ called a parliamentary pre-meeting in the federal parliament. The implications of the Global Gag Rule (GGR), the rise of anti-choice movements and the question how to counter the effects of the GGR were on the agenda.

Consequences of Trump's election for sexual rights

20/11/2016

Some European leaders give president-elect of the USA, Donald Trump, the benefit of the doubt, since election rhetoric and ensuing policy can be very different. But on sexual and reproductive health and rights, we should be prepared for the consequences of the election.