IPPF EN is proud to be among more than 100 signatories (mostly Members of the European Parliament) of the All of Us manifesto urging the EU and Member States to ensure reproductive freedom.  All of US is the European Parliament's pro-choice network, mobilizing support for the right to access modern contraception and safe and legal abortion. The manifesto reads as follows:   "The cross-party ALL of US coalition in the European Parliament commits to and urges the EU and Member States to ensure women’s reproductive health and rights, including the right to decide over their own bodies and sexuality, so that women can live freely and enjoy safe reproductive lives. To that end, we call on the EU and Member States to: Firmly denounce and oppose regressive and repressive discourse, laws and policies that undermine gender equality and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and strongly condemn retrograde measures that have no place in a democratic 21st century Europe; Invest resources in and prioritize the delivery of far-reaching initiatives to change harmful social norms, to defend women’s dignity and autonomy and to combat all gender-based violence; Provide strong political and financial support to women’s rights groups and human rights defenders, particularly those working in challenging contexts within the EU and across the globe; Proactively support women's rights worldwide and significantly increase EU development funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights in particular for access to family planning and safe and legal abortion without discrimination, with a view to reducing the financing gap left by the United States in this area. We urge the EU Member States to ensure women’s access to safe abortion care, to provide the best possible reproductive health care to all women and to protect all its citizens from coercion and illtreatment. The ALL of US coalition will continue its work in the European Parliament and beyond to mobilise support for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights within and outside the EU and will not be hampered by regressive propaganda."    

This week the European Commission released its Communication on the Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) which makes no reference to gender equality. CSOs come together to call on the European Parliament and on Member States to safeguard the promotion and protection of gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights in the further development of the post-2020 EU budget.    Statement follows: "On Wednesday, the European Commission released its Communication on the Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027). As the gender and development community we are deeply concerned that gender equality is not addressed as a key political priority. We question to what extent the external relations budget, increased to 10% of the MFF, will serve the primary long-term objective of EU’s development cooperation which remains the eradication of poverty.   The Communication itself makes no reference to gender equality. Its annex makes only two cursory references to gender mainstreaming (including one regarding the new Neighbourhood, International and Development Cooperation Instrument – Heading VI), without giving any more details as to how this should be undertaken under the next MFF. The principles of “prosperity, sustainability and solidarity” should serve as a guide, ensuring that the next MFF is fair and inclusive for all, including women and girls.   If the EU really wants to establish ‘a modern, focused EU budget’, this cannot be done without the sound and comprehensive inclusion of a gender perspective that is key to enable better and more evidence-based decision-making, which in turn contributes to ensuring an effective use of public funds and EU added value in its external action. Notably, a gender responsive budget facilitates the attainment of modern standards of public financial management such as performance orientation, transparency, accountability, and participation.   While acknowledging Europe’s future long-term funding debate comes in at a challenging and complex political environment, the EU also needs to match it with the ambitions and commitments made to achieve all Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring no one is left behind. Since the EU has played a key role in advancing the global agenda for gender equality through various policies and initiatives, it must now operationalize this political leadership to guarantee its new Heading VI has a transformative and positive impact in the lives of women and girls. The new European Consensus on Development, which is acknowledged by the European Commission as a cornerstone of the next MFF when it comes to external action, reiterates this commitment. This will not become a reality without specific targets, investments in all development sectors, the generation of sector-specific, gender-disaggregated data, and an understanding of the complexity of multiple discriminations. Consistent support for gender equality will have a multiplier effect and ensure a sustainable, positive impact of EU actions with partner countries. As it currently stands, gender equality will likely be reduced to a minimum in the implementation of the Neighbourhood, International and Development Cooperation Instrument. We, therefore, call on the European Parliament and the Member States, in the further elaboration of the future EU budget, to safeguard the promotion and protection of gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights. Lifting women and girls out of poverty helps lift whole families, communities and countries out of poverty and is therefore key to ensuring sustainable, inclusive economic growth." Signed by IPPF EN, Care International, World Vision, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, ONE, Plan International, European Women's Lobby, DSW, WIDE+, European Region World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Global gag rule impact for IPPF is a life or death situation for clients The impact for people receiving care from member associations of the International Planned Parenthood Federation around the world is devastating. A total of 29 countries are seeing clinics, staffing, services and health supplies reduced due to the loss of US funding through the global gag rule. The policy, the most extreme of its kind, will hurt family planning , HIV, sexual and gender based violence and Tuberculosis healthcare for men, women and young people.  IPPF’s members believe reproductive health care is a right and everyone should be able to make choices about their well-being. The Global Gag Rule not only undermines but violates these rights and therefore, IPPF and its members cannot and will not support it. The review is unable to quantify the long term effects of the Global Gag Rule. But those effects are already being felt by people in need of care. IPPF members have already been forced to close clinics, reduce staff and cut back on critical health supplies. This is just the beginning of a long lasting and tragic legacy. The cuts hit services and people in a many ways. Not all of them can be quantified. In many cases, IPPF Members are the one lifeline for our clients. The human cost – people not being able to make choices about their lives – is beyond figures. Combined with loss of USAID family planning funding, the added loss of HIV funding doubles the impact on clients’ lives and health in many countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean where the amounts of the losses are larger and the populations affected are often the most marginalised and vulnerable. Examples of impact: Mozambique www.ippf.org/blogs/global-gag-rule-ggr-cuts-deep-sexual-and-reproductive-healthcare-mozambique IPPF Member Association: Associação Moçambicana para Desenvolvimento da Família (AMODEFA) USAID support accounted for 60% of funding 47% reduction in AMODEFA personnel: redundancy of 43 staff and release of 650 peer educators Closure of 18 youth-friendly clinics Closure of 72 mobile clinics per month Swaziland: IPPF Member Association: Family Life Association of Swaziland (FLAS) USAID support accounted for 25% of funding Redundancy of 12 staff and 26 outreach workers Reduced geographic coverage of services from 14 to 4 towns Botswana: IPPF Member Association: Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) 60% of funding at risk Suspension of one clinic, services of 7 others scaled to bare minimum 71% reduction in skilled staff About IPPF: IPPF is made up of national organisations that offer sexual and reproductive health and rights services. The Federation has 141 Member Associations and 24 partners covering over 170 countries.This globally connected, locally owned network delivers 300 services every minute of every day. Human cost in figures www.ippf.org/news/human-cost-global-gag-rule Global gag 1 year on www.ippf.org/resource/global-gag-rule-one-year and www.ippf.org/global-gag-rule Country stories: www.ippf.org/stories/i-am-afraid-what-will-happen-when-there-will-be-no-more-projects-one

On 23 January 2017 President Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Global Gag Rule, or the Mexico City Policy.  The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) believes in the right of every individual to decide about their own health and well-being.  As an organisation that seeks to protect and improve the lives of women, men and children around the world, IPPF and its partners in 170 countries will not sign a policy that denies human rights and puts the lives of women at risk.   The Global Gag Rule denies U.S. funding to organisations like IPPF if they use money from other donors to provide abortion services, counselling or referrals—even if abortion is legal in a country. It blocks critical funding for health services like contraception, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment for any organisation that refuses to sign it. When it has been enacted by previous Republican Presidents, evidence has shown that the Global Gag Rule has not reduced the number of abortions; rather, by eliminating access to contraception, it has led to more unintended pregnancies and more unsafe abortions.     IPPF is the largest non-governmental provider of contraception in the world. It has worked with thU.S. government for decades. Our global network of local partners delivers more than 300 services every minute of every day, including 70 million contraceptive services every year.  The Global Gag Rule’s reinstatement will result in additional unintended pregnancies and countless other needless injuries and deaths. It means IPPF will lose $100 million USD for proven programs that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for millions of women and youth who otherwise go without these vital services, including women suffering the burden of health and humanitarian crises.  Over the years USAID has been a huge supporter of family planning – with a budget of over $600 million per year. Reinstatement will mean that years of progress to increase access to essential services globally, will be lost. We cannot—and will not—deny life-saving services to the world’s poorest women.  We will work with governments and donors to bridge the funding and service gaps the Global Gag Rule creates. We will ensure that women can exercise their rights and access safe abortion and family planning.  WHAT IS THE GLOBAL GAG RULE? Click here for further details.

Today, on December 3, the UN celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme for this year’s International Day is “Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want”. This theme notes the recent adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the role of these goals in building a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities. This year’s objectives include assessing the current status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and SDGs and laying the foundation for a future of greater inclusion for persons with disabilities. The Reproductive Health Training Center in the Republic of Moldova is celebrating this important day by launching the report “Assessing the issues confronting women and girls with locomotor disability in Moldova in exercising their sexual and reproductive rights”. The report is the outcome of the activities conducted during the project “All Equal, All Healthy: Empowering Women and Girls with Disabilities in Moldova to Exercise their Sexual and Reproductive Rights” /”Toți egali, toți sănătoși: Abilitarea femeilor și fetelor cu dizabilități din Moldova să își exercite drepturile sexuale și reproductive”. The project is funded by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest, as part of the Fund for Local Cooperation and is carried out between July 2016 and June 2017. Persons with a disability must be able to enjoy all sexual and reproductive rights guaranteed by international legal instruments and national policies. By ratifying the UN human rights conventions, especially the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Republic of Moldova has assumed their responsibility to ensure the enactment and guarantee of the observance of the rights of people with disabilities – including sexual and reproductive rights. The total number of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova is 184.3 thousand, according to the National Statistical Bureau (BNS[1] ) which represents 5.2% of the country’s total population. Moreover, 48% of the total number of people with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova are women, with 62% of persons with disabilities living in rural areas. The rate of disability in rural areas is 547 people with a disability out of ten thousand inhabitants, compared to 472 people with a disability out of ten thousand inhabitants in urban areas. The total number of people with disability has seen a 10% continuous increase over the last decade, and a 5% growth in the case of women. International data shows girls and women with a disability face many obstacles exercising their sexual and reproductive rights, are often subject to stigma, discrimination and forced to make decisions regarding their private life, sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, couple relationships and childbearing.[2] Approaching sexual and reproductive rights of people with a disability is a new experience for Moldova, therefore the Reproductive Health Training Center has conducted a situational analysis. The present report evinces the interview analysis results, specifying the findings and recommendations for both respondents and the working group.  Almost all women believe sexual and reproductive rights include the right to decide whether to have children or not, including with whom and when, the right to be informed about methods of contraception and their utilization, the right to information and education, as well as the right to access sexual and reproductive health services. “All women have the right to family life, have the right to be mothers, and disability should not be a reason for depriving us from this right,” says a 28-year-old women with special needs. One third of the women interviewed believed that in addition to the aforementioned rights, sexual and reproductive rights also include the decision to engage in sexual life, the right to marry or not, including with whom and when, the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the right to be protected against sexual violence. ”We are all equal and have rights to have a family and to be happy; to have a beautiful life, just as all people do,” a 21-year-old woman with special needs told us in an interview. The conviction of all women is that they can have a family and give birth to children, and problems with mobility should not be a barrier to achieving these rights.  ”Family planning is a right and it would be correct that young people who are healthy and also have a disability should be informed about the importance of contraception, planning a pregnancy with all necessary medical checkups, excluding afflictions by treating diseases so as to have a healthy body and a healthy family,” believes a 42-year-old woman with special needs. The results obtained will be used by government bodies to draft and improve the policies pertaining to sexual health and sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova. The results will form the foundation for the development of relevant programs by civil society and other concerned bodies, as well as serving as advocacy tools for persons with a disability and their family members. The Romanian version of the report ”Situation analysis of the issues confronting women and girls with locomotor disability in Moldova in exercising their sexual and reproductive rights” (first version) / “Analiza situațională a problemelor cu care se confruntă femeile și fetele cu dizabilități locomotorii din Moldova în exercitarea drepturilor sexuale și reproductive” (prima versiune) can be found here: Raport_Analiza-situationala-DSR-persoane-cu-dizabilitati_Versiunea-I.pdf *** For additional information: Rodica Comendant, Director: [email protected]     Ludmila Sîrbu, Proiect Coordinator: [email protected] Centrul de Instruire in Domeniul Sănătății Reproductive (CIDSR): 373 69139878 [1] http://www.statistica.md/newsview.php?l=ro&idc=168&id=4976 [2]ICPD Beyond 2014, International Conference, Issues Paper The Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities, pg. 2   

IPPF EN has joined a call to action to support the rights of Polish women, severely threatened by the proposition of a revised anti-abortion law. The draft proposition has been endorsed by the Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and the leader of the governing PiS party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The new proposal would introduce a complete ban on abortion.  The current abortion law in Poland is already one of the most restrictive in the EU, allowing women to terminate pregnancy only in three extreme cases: when her life and/or health are threatened, when the pregnancy is the result of a criminal act, or when the foetus is severely damaged. The draft law will not only introduce a complete ban on abortion but a new category into the criminal code – “prenatal murder” – which will introduce a prison sentence of between three to five years for women, doctors and those helping to perform an abortion. This citizen's initiative is currently awaiting a decision by the President of the Lower Chamber of the Parliament on whether it will be registered. The deadline for this decision is Monday, April 11th. If successful, the “Stop Abortion” committee will then have three months to collect 100,000 signatures to ensure that the law will be debated, and most likely voted on, by the Polish Parliament dominated by PiS. Such a ban would lead to the endangerment of the life and health of women, an increase in maternal mortality and an increase in unsafe and clandestine abortions.The draft law doesn’t make any reference to the protection of a woman’s life, health and wellbeing.  Last weekend’s demonstrations against further restrictions on the right to abortion brought thousands of Polish women and men to the streets of Warsaw and other Polish towns. A big protest in front of the Polish Parliament is due to take place this Saturday, April 9th. To support the call to action, see ASTRA’s Facebook event page: Porozumienie ODZYSKAĆ WYBÓR (Regaining Choice Coalition) where you are encouraged to submit a photo to the event wall.