Resources

Now is when standing by our values matters most. We must treat all people with dignity and humanity, not despite, but because we are faced with multiple crises caused by war, inflation, and a hard post-pandemic recovery. In 2021, European countries struggled to keep their promises to uphold sexual and reproductive freedom for all. They managed to maintain their overall support to sexual and reproductive health & rights worldwide by investing 2.780 billion euros. This includes 1.385 billion euros allocated to sexual health and family planning, which means at least 10.5 million women and couples had access to contraceptive care. But much more is needed. More investment and better policies around sexual and reproductive health will have a profound impact on people’s futures. It will give options to those of us without them. Which in turn will lead more people to thrive, thus creating safer, more just and prosperous communities. We have a shared moral responsibility to respond to global challenges in an equitable manner. In our most recent report, we are looking at 2021 funding data and 2022 political stances adopted by thirteen European governments and the EU institutions with regards to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Watch our video to get an overview of the findings and download the below resources for more information.

Covid-19 didn’t stop us! This year, we did things slightly differently, we’ll did it the youth’s way! To mark the International Day of the Girl (11th October) our coalition of nine Civil Society Organisations joined forces for the eighth time, bringing together a group of close to 30 young advocates, from Europe and Africa, who connected online to share their recommendations with European Union decision-makers.  This year’s EWAG focused on the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Africa. In the framework of EWAG the young advocates were provided a platform to speak out about how the EU-Africa partnership can reflect their aspirations and unlock their potential. The partnership reflected the points of views of both regions, allowing for mutual learning and joint and coordinated actions, especially on issues that affect girls and young women both in the EU and the Africa – such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Education and Economic Empowerment and Political Participation. Over the summer of 2020 the EWAG young advocates connected on several occasions to define their recommendations to the EU in four key areas. Throughout the course of October, in light of the International Day of the Girl, they spoke out to EU decision-makers on distinct challenges girls face based on their age and gender and how they believe the EU-Africa Partnership could address their concerns to make sure it truly makes a contribution to girls’ lives and their futures. These are their asks.