By Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director, FP2030
I know these past two weeks have held unprecedented confusion and chaos in the family planning sector, and indeed across the international development field more broadly. I want to take a moment to emphasize recent policy changes, funding freezes, and other developments cannot and will neither denigrate the importance of investing in Family Planning as a best buy in development, and neither will this stop us. Our mission remains resolute: A world where all people, everywhere, have the information and ability to decide if, when and how many children they want to have.
FP2030 reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advancing rights-based family planning and reproductive health for all. We recognize that ensuring access to comprehensive, high-quality family planning services is a cornerstone of human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development, and making progress on these goals cannot wait. This work is more important than ever before.
So much is made possible through rights-based family planning. Giving people the ability to plan their pregnancies allows women to stay in school, participate in the workforce, and meaningfully engage in their communities. These individual success stories ladder up to major development gains – leading to the graduation of countries from “lower income” to “higher income” and robust participation in the global economy. In short: gains in women’s empowerment and autonomy are a win for the world.
USAID has been a global leader in advancing family planning and reproductive health for over 50 years – including acting as the world’s largest funder of family planning globally. What is happening to USAID is and will be catastrophic. If USAID’s role in this field is changing, we must work with partners to push for progress where we can and rush to fill the gaps this creates. Yes, we will continue to work smarter; yes, we will continue to work with governments to prioritize and fund family planning programs; and yes, we will partner with many working at a country level to ensure change happens. However, the USAID gap cannot be easily filled and therefore cannot be ignored. I’m calling on existing donors as well as new allies in this fight: we need you now more than ever. The technical expertise, capability, commodity security and data expertise brought by USAID also cannot be replaced easily. It will take all of us to bridge these gaps.
FP2030 was proud to debut the concept of the Made Possible by Family Planning campaign at the UN General Assembly last Fall. A core tenant of the campaign is that this movement needs new leadership, new momentum, and most of all: new funding. That event helped mobilize $350 million in funding for family planning. I know we can raise more money, especially at a time such as this – I know this because we simply must. Progress is at stake.
We stand in solidarity with the individuals and organizations on the frontlines of family planning provision and advocacy, working tirelessly to uphold the right to family planning. Through collective action and shared determination, we will overcome barriers and ensure that everyone, everywhere, can realize their right to lead healthy and empowered lives.
We will weather this storm as a movement, because we are stronger together. In the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, FP2020 was churning out resources, convening professionals and advocates digitally, and sharing information as quickly as possible. And our efforts were well worth it – data showed we did indeed avoid the worst-case scenarios of health system collapse and other long-term damage from the pandemic. In fact, additional users of family planning continued to grow, and we ushered in a new era of telemedicine technology that continues to benefit many globally.
No matter what happens, we will find a new way forward. FP2030 will still be here, still working tirelessly to build a world where everyone, everywhere has the power and information they need to make their own decisions about pregnancy. We look forward to working with you.
