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Meet the Demand for Modern Contraception and Reproductive Health

A woman’s access to modern contraception, reproductive healthcare, and the ability to decide on her own body is the bedrock of gender equality, economic development, and progress for all.

Ensuring access to reproductive health services is not only the right of every girl and woman, but a necessity to secure their physical, sexual, and psychological wellbeing. For girls and women to reach their greatest potential, they must have the ability to control their sexual and reproductive lives. This includes having access to modern contraception to determine if, when, and how many children they want to have, and with whom.

214 Million
214 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for modern contraception.
1/2
In developing regions, nearly half of pregnancies among adolescent girls and women (aged 15-19) are unintended.
22,800
At least 22,800 women die each year from abortion-related complications.
75%
If we meet the need for modern contraception and quality care, unintended pregnancy will decline by 75%, induced abortions will decline by 74%, and maternal deaths will decline by 73%.

Investing in girls and women creates a ripple effect that yields multiple benefits, not only for individual women, but also for families, communities, and countries. Meeting the unmet need for modern contraception has many benefits, including the ability to time births, reduce adolescent pregnancy, and curb unsafe abortion — all of which contribute to improved maternal health, child survival, and more social and economic opportunities for all.

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  • Ensure systems are in place to provide sexual and reproductive health services and modern contraception across settings, including emergency settings, and strengthen health systems and commodity supply chains.
  • Remove legal and regulatory barriers to sexual and reproductive health and family planning services, information, and supplies for all, including adolescents.
  • Liberalize abortion laws and provide safe abortion and post-abortion care.
  • Integrate sexual and reproductive health into the provision of primary healthcare and universal health coverage, including the provision of HPV vaccines.
  • Adopt the 2018 revised International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education guidelines to deliver universal, high-quality comprehensive sexuality education.
  • Implement youth-friendly training to promote, implement, and reinforce youth-friendly services, including performance standards.
  • Invest in and roll out new contraceptive technologies that better address people’s needs, including self-care products that allow women to assess and manage their own sexual and reproductive health needs.
  • Foster enabling environments to tackle cultural norms inhibiting access to modern contraception with the involvement of boys, men, and stakeholders from the community level to the federal Ministry of Health (MoH).
  • Integrate HPV vaccine delivery into pediatric care and/or primary schools.
  • Incorporate affordable infertility treatment into sexual and reproductive healthcare.
  • Provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in line with global standards, such as the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health in crisis situations.
  • Support research to better understand the demand and use of all forms of contraception methods in humanitarian emergencies.
  • Promote interventions geared toward older adults to improve their access to screening, testing, and treatment for STIs.
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SRHR — the bedrock of gender equality: A Q&A with Dr. Natalia Kanem & Dr. Alvaro Bermejo

SRHR — the bedrock of gender equality: A Q&A with Dr. Natalia Kanem & Dr. Alvaro Bermejo

Research shows that investing in sexual and reproductive health is cost effective and critical to boosting economic growth and advancing the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, their families, and their communities. Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), share their expertise on the bold steps needed to respect, protect, and fulfill the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women everywhere.

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