Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, IPPF has supported partners in Ukraine and surrounding countries to provide access to essential sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services for those affected. Dr. Galyna Maistruk, Executive Director of Women Health and Family Planning Ukraine said: "Today marks one year since the brutal Russian invasion of my homeland. For us in Ukraine, the 24 February is a benchmark of consciousness and striving at any cost to be helpful and effective at their front. We are fully conscious that grieving for losses, despite tremendous, will not benefit us. And we stand together and remain a people not defined by the war but by our strength, resilience and values. Under shelling, air raid sirens, without electricity we remain committed to supporting the healthcare system through provision of essential equipment, medicine and training for doctors. Thanks to our reliable partners in IPPF and its member associations the work carries on supporting women and girls who need to access vital reproductive health care, abortion, and support after sexual violence until there is a free Ukraine." Banner image credit: Marko Subotin/Shutterstock

Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) is a programme that aims to build capacity of feminist organisations via subgrants to enhance more diverse and resilience Civil Society Organisations when addressing and responding to gender-based violence, inequalities, discrimination and other human rights violations related to gender. International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is the FON consortium lead, with the other consortium partners being Médecins du Monde (MdM-FR), Creating Resources for Empowerment and Action Inc. (CREA), the International Federation on Human Rights (FIDH) and Empow’Her (EH). The programme is funded by the French Government via the French Development Agency (AFD). The action of the consortium's member organizations is based on feminist principles, a deep commitment to the promotion of human rights and the fight against inequalities and discrimination, especially against women and girls. They have a long experience of the themes of the programme mandates and complementary expertise that underpin the robustness of the holistic approach of the programme.   The Challenge  Gender inequalities on a global scale affect half of the world's population. Gender inequality is one of the main obstacles to human development. The FON Programme seeks to address such inequalities. Some of the challenges leading to these inequalities include: Lack of and/or effective implementation of comprehensive laws, policies, legal instruments to address gender inequalities worldwide, leading to increased gender inequalities. Lack of or limited implementation of the frameworks, which widens inequalities and aggravate the precariousness of women and girls- particularly people with disabilities, living with HIV, sex workers, and those of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)  COVID-19 that dramatically exacerbated social and economic challenges leading to an increase in gender-based violence (GBV).  Inadequate involvement of people with disabilities (15% of the world's population), LGBTI+, sex workers and people living with HIV-AIDS, in initiatives to promote and defend their rights, and the least associated in preventing and responding to this violence. Inadequate support to nascent or relatively new Civil Society Organizations many of which remain undeclared, and, despite their effervescence and dynamism, they continue to face challenges that restrict their ability to reduce GBV and protect and promote women's rights. Limited creation of an innovative and flexible financing system in order to strengthen the contribution of CSOs in the South, in all their diversity, to the reduction of GBV. Objectives of the Programme  To Improve the sustainability of feminist Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) at the organizational and technical levels by proposing an inclusive approach to capacity building.   To support the resilience and diversity of feminist CSOs through access to flexible sustainable financing mechanisms tailored to small and/or informal and/or marginalized CSOs. To strengthen a networked movement of feminist CSOs in the Global South, linking these CSOs and national, regional, and international networks, to make their voices heard on the public stage.     To promote innovation at all levels of the programme by the CSOs themselves and the consortium member organisations.   Targets of the Programme  Feminist CSOs working with and/or for the various structurally excluded groups. Activist organizations working with or led by people who may face particularly high discrimination. Gender inequalities and GBV, such as members of the LGBTI+ community and in general people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and Gender Expressions (SOGIE). People living with disabilities. People with HIV/AIDS.  Sex workers.  Indirectly, targets of advocacy activities (regional bodies, national / local authorities, etc) Approaches of the Programme  Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) aims to build capacity of feminist organisations via subgrants to enhance more diverse and resilient Civil Society Organisations when addressing and responding to gender-based violence, inequalities, discrimination, and other human rights violations related to gender. FON will set up Regional Coordination and Advisory Committees in each region (Africa, Asia and Latin America), whose role will be to help ensure inclusiveness and identify advocacy opportunities. The Sub-granting will be phased into three categories or funding windows below, and for which the first call for proposals is scheduled to be launched in April 2023: Window 1 / "Boost" The objective is for the feminist CSOs or young feminists to have the enhanced capacity to face external events (political instability, insecurity, etc.) and/or internal hurdles (organisational difficulties, necessary a project co-funding or additional programme component etc.). This window should also allow CSOs to apply for a grant in case of an upcoming opportunity such as in programming, advocacy, etc. Key words are therefore flexibility and opportunity. Window 2/ "Programmatic & Organizational Development" will support small and middle-size CSOs and young feminists that are trying to grow from an organisational, technical and programmatic point of view. The objective is to simultaneously fund a programme while reinforcing the capacities of the recipient organizations programme. Window 3 / "Synergies" will fund networks, movements and alliances to implement advocacy activities on GBV, and organizations that want to get involved in existing networks.  It will promote network and alliance building and promote visibility on national, regional and international platforms.   Location Justification  Equity is a pillar integrated in the FON implementation strategy. The programme will be implemented in 10 countries including six in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Kenya, and  potentially Niger), two in Latin America (Colombia and Mexico) and two in Asia (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). FON put great consideration to determine the location of the implementation of the programme using below criteria: Countries where the needs of CSOs for support are strong and the potential for exchanges and collaborations is high. Existing normative and policy frameworks but little or no implementation and respect in national law. The needs of the populations are immense and in varying proportions from one country to another, also revealing a wide potential for learning and training. Contexts that exacerbate gender-based violence and increase the need for support for feminist CSOs. Potential for collaboration with other existing and/or new interventions.  To read more about the FON consortium partners' workshop, click here.

With support from the FY2022 Supplementary Budget received from the Government of Japan, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Member Associations in four countries, namely Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Ukraine will protect the health and lives of vulnerable populations affected by conflict and natural disasters through the community-based provision of sexual and reproductive health and essential health services, including maternal and child health, in the following areas:   Afghanistan: 9 provinces (Karpisa, Parvan, Badakhshan, Laghman, Logar, Bamiyan, Samangan, Baruch and Paktika)  Ethiopia: 3 provinces (Afar, Amhara, Somali).   Pakistan: 2 provinces (Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).  Ukraine: 2 cities (Odessa, Poltava).  In all countries the implementation of activities will be a participatory, inclusive and rights-based process that puts people at the centre, responding to their specific circumstances, challenges faced, needs and aspirations, while allowing the most vulnerable to have a voice. It also seeks to realise human security through the provision of relevant health services, especially for women, so that they can live with dignity and free from threats such as unwanted pregnancy, death of themselves and their newborns, and reproductive ill-health. By using and expanding local networks, knowledge, human resources and facilities developed through years of grassroots activities in each country, IPPF will expand the impact of our activities and cause lasting change in people's lives.  The IPPF Director General, Dr Alvaro Bemejo, said, "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Japan for this invaluable support they have given to the IPPF. We will fully utilise this opportunity to deliver our services to as many vulnerable people as possible and will do our utmost to be there for them and support them."   In the year to December 2023, IPPF, through our local partners, will aim to deliver health services and information to at least 270,000 people across the four countries.   For further information, please contact Yuri Taniguchi of IPPF London at ytaniguc[email protected].          

At the 152nd Session of the WHO Executive Board (January 30 – February 7, 2023), the Executive Board will discuss the Report on Involvement of non-State actors in WHO’s governing bodies (EB152/38). We welcome the opportunity to once again debate the WHO reform and the involvement of non-State actors (NSA) in WHO’s governing bodies, as we did last year. We are pleased with the recognition that NSA’s participation must become more meaningful; that there is a need to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of interactions; and most importantly the respect for the diversity of non-State actors and to foster engagement of community voices. However, despite our efforts, civil society voices and positions are still not reflected in the secretariat report. Instead of increasing meaningful participation, top-down approaches have been imposed on us without a transparent and open dialogue among the different stakeholders, especially member states and civil society organizations (CSOs). As mentioned many times by CSOs, if Member States have decided to continue organizing informal pre-meetings ahead of the World Health Assembly every year (as decided by the Executive Board at its 150th session in January 2022), NSAs, especially CSOs, must be involved in the design and organization of such meetings. Along the same line, the report states that the Secretariat will select a limited number of agenda items for constituency statements based on an assessment of which items are likely to attract the most interest for statements by non-State actors, without guarantees that NSAs will be consulted in this regard. We are disappointed that the proposed way forward in the report does not guarantee that consultations with NSAs, particularly CSOs, and Member States will take place regarding the informal pre-meetings and constituency statements. Consultations are a concrete way of ensuring a more meaningful participation as proposed in this same report. These proposals not only overlook the role of CSOs and their work at the national level, many times replacing the Government in the delivery of health services and ensuring that no one is left behind, but also contradict this same report which recognizes the importance of meaningful, effective and efficient participation of people’s voice as expressed through civil society. We therefore request that WHO’s secretariat creates a truly open and transparent consultation process where all NSA constituencies at the national, regional and global levels are heard and their concerns are taken into account. As a Member State-led body, we call on Member States to request from the WHO secretariat to ensure robust and meaningful NSA involvement in WHO governing bodies.   Centre for Health Science and Law Commonwealth Medical Trust Global Health Council Health Action International International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Médecins Sans Frontières Medicus Mundi International – Network Health for All Save the Children WaterAid

On 17 January 2023, Japanese House of Representatives member Dr Toshiko Abe and Ambassador Yoichi Nakashima, Ambassador of Japan to Palestine and Representative of Japan to Palestine, visited the activity sites of the project "To improve human security in Palestine: bringing life-saving sexual and reproductive health services to those who need them most", which is being implemented by IPPF’s Member Association in Palestine, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) with support from the Government of Japan. They visited al Namsawi Neighbourhood in Khan Younis, a particularly marginalised area in northern Gaza, where health services are working very hard to reach for the local population. Dr Abe observed a medical campaign run by a PFPPA team together with staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The medical team consisting of a gynecologist, a pediatrician, a nurse, a social worker and volunteers, provides services such as treatment of sexually transmitted infections treatment, anemia, sexual abuse and harmful sexual practices, attempted unsafe abortion, GBV screening and counselling to the target population. PFPPA was established in Jerusalem in 1964, and is an independent, non-profit, and non-governmental association working in both Gaza and West Bank. PFPPA focuses on the provision of comprehensive and diverse sexual and reproductive health, including that related to SGBV. Their focus is on women and girls, the vast majority being served within a humanitarian context. The project will continue its activities in Gaza and the West Bank (Halful, Bethlehem and Ramallah) until the end of August 2023. More information about the project can be found here. More information on PFPPA can be found here.  

Just over two years ago, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) joined the world in condemning the brutal murder of George Floyd by police officers in the U.S., which sparked global protests and a subsequent global conversation on race and racism. The public outcry from IPPF was loud and sincere. However, it soon became clear that IPPF itself is not free from discrimination, biased views and racism. Staff began to rightfully question the perpetuation of racist and colonial tropes in our work, not only within the secretariat but across the Federation. They felt that IPPF's focus on equality, empowerment and ending discrimination must extend both to the workplace and beyond. An anti-racism report commissioned and delivered to us in 2021 also showed the cracks in our structures, with inequalities, power imbalances and racism spotlighted. As a leading global human rights organization focused on equality, empowerment, ending discrimination, and poverty eradication, it is especially critical that we internally reflect social justice principles. Spurred on by global resistance and internal concerns, we realized that we needed to find new pathways of work to live up to our reputation. The global reality today, where all kinds of rights are threatened daily, has also fuelled our responses to ensure that we stand up and ask ourselves difficult questions. We acknowledge and recognize that becoming an anti-racist organization is a constant learning curve. We, as IPPF, strongly oppose racism in all its forms and resolutely go for a cultural change that will shift the existing imbalances in power and process. In this regard, we accept our audit report's recommendations and have taken the first steps in ensuring that IPPF operates within a framework built on equity, diversity and inclusion. Our vision IPPF recognizes the fundamental need to move with expediency to radically dismantle and eradicate racism in all its forms. We need to install a framework that affirms the universality and inalienability of human rights, recognizing that racism violates them. These are the values that we aspire to, values that afford all our members and staff dignity and belonging while holding IPPF accountable. Our commitment The IPPF is committed to becoming a truly inclusive and anti-racist organization, where diversity is embraced, and promises to: Monitor and revisit our leadership structure at the secretariat and make it better reflect diversity. Embark on rewriting outdated policies and consider how racism is dismantled, along with its interplay with intersectionalities. Make our hiring, promotion and remuneration processes fair and equitable for all. Better reflect and address how discrimination based on race intersects with gender and sexuality, ethnicity, religion, and caste in a geographically diverse global federation such as ours in the way we work. Continue investigating ourselves to become a more inclusive, intersectional organization. Include clear markers for accountability in line with the objectives and indicators from the new IPPF strategy. Come together to reckon with our shared colonial past and use it to create a more open, fearless, and honest dialogue where we can address the persistent colonial legacies in our systems. Within the secretariat, we have already started implementing key recommendations from our report, including training with staff across all regions and sessions for IPPF leadership. A call for action This session seeks to build on this work and expand the focus to the Federation. It seeks to continue our discussion – where we look to the future and ask the question – what does a decolonized IPPF look like? Task forces, training sessions, and forums will be convened to ensure that all our systems, structures and safeguards reflect the anti-racist stance we are adopting and to continue our work to protect and fight for the rights of marginalized populations globally. To successfully achieve the radical change IPPF wants to make - to create a fully inclusive and respectful association that offers equal chances to all - IPPF needs you, its champions from the field that have been doing work on diversity, inclusiveness, equal chances and anti-racism for many years to support this process. We see this as a process in two tracks, where the secretariat's work is supported and strengthened by MA-driven initiatives. We ask MAs to join us In bringing this work to a higher speed and level by sharing your best practices, methods and tools. By providing your advice on what we can do and how to inclusively and authentically create spaces that are free of racism. By helping us move from questioning our processes that uphold colonial, white supremacist and imperialist ideas to developing new approaches that are driven by those involved and that truly address their needs. This is a walk together We are upending attitudes and ways of working that have been with us for too long. Our aim is to birth an environment that holds no discrimination and an organization that isn’t afraid of change. It's within our unlearning, learning and reflecting that we need to Come Together to advocate for change in our systems to act against oppression and injustices pervasive in our sexual and reproductive rights and services globally.