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Haz click aquí para leer esta noticia en español. Neon lights, popcorn, and a collective energy you could feel from the moment you walked in. That was the scene on the night Profamilia Colombia's community celebrated four years since the decriminalisation of abortion in Colombia up to the 24th week of pregnancy. On 21 February 2022, the Constitutional Court issued ruling C-055, extending access to abortion by choice up to the 24th week of pregnancy. This historic milestone, known as 21F, was the result of years of coordinated work by activists, collectives and organisations such as Profamilia, a Member Association of IPPF in Colombia, to move beyond the three-grounds model that had been in place in the country since 2006. Until then, the model significantly limited women, girls, trans men and non-binary people, allowing abortion only when continuing the pregnancy posed a risk to the woman’s life or overall health, when there was a foetal malformation incompatible with life, or when the pregnancy resulted from sexual violence. Today, these three grounds remain in force for those who need to access abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This celebration comes at a key moment. On the eve of 21 February, the mayor of Bogotá rejected — on grounds of unconstitutionality and illegality — a draft agreement that sought to create a "pro-life" route for pregnant women, nursing mothers and unborn children. The initiative posed new barriers to abortion access, exposing women and pregnant people to pressure and manipulation that violate their right to decide freely and autonomously. More than 140 activists, health professionals, representatives of international cooperation, academia and feminist organisations gathered to commemorate a milestone that strengthened autonomy, expanded access to healthcare and reaffirmed freedom of choice. The highlight of the evening was an intimate and powerful regional conversation focused on the current landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean and on building a collective agenda that promotes autonomy and keeps the green wave spreading throughout the region. The panel featured: • Marta Royo, CEO of Profamilia • Viviana Bohórquez, Director of Somos Jacarandas • Amaila de la Torre, Cooperation Architect at IPPF • Anabel Elizondo from the Ixchel Women's Association The agenda also included cinema and collective memory with the screening of Belén, a story that sparked the green wave in Argentina and continues to inspire movements for autonomy throughout the region. In Latin America and the Caribbean, abortion remains a deeply unequal right. Although countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile have expanded their legal frameworks over the past decade, most countries in the region still maintain restrictive legislation that limits access to abortion to specific grounds — such as Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela — or prohibit it in all circumstances, exposing women and pregnant people to criminalisation. The evening ended on a celebratory note: neon cocktails, music, flowing conversations and a shared certainty — autonomy is built, nurtured and celebrated collectively. This meeting was made possible thanks to the support of the IPPF Centre of Excellence, RIOS Rivers, El Proyecto La Lucha Sigue, the Government of Canada and the Jacarandas Foundation.  

Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español. On January 15, le Planning Familial, IPPF’s affiliate in Guadeloupe, inaugurated the first solidarity shop dedicated to menstrual health and the care of women and infants in Pointe-à-Pitre. The opening of this space responds to an increasingly visible reality: the rise of menstrual poverty and the barriers that women and young people face in accessing basic hygiene products. In recent years, Planning’s social workers have observed a steady increase in needs related not only to menstrual health, but also to access to essential items for personal care and infant wellbeing. “Women are gradually breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation and denouncing the social, economic, health, and personal challenges linked to menstrual poverty,” said Carol Borel, Director of the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe. “When a woman has to choose between buying menstrual products and meeting other basic needs, she is putting her health at risk.” Located at the Rago Family Planning Centre, the shop aims to provide a concrete and sustainable response over time. There, users will be able to access a wide range of menstrual hygiene products at reduced prices, within a safe and trusted environment that is already part of their regular visits for medical check-ups, screenings, or sexual and reproductive health counselling. The space will also be open to students and young women, who often face tight budgets and must prioritize daily expenses. The initiative was born precisely from listening to these needs, with the goal of offering not temporary solutions, but ongoing support that contributes to ensuring dignity and wellbeing. With this opening, the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe reaffirms its commitment to equitable access to health and to the comprehensive support of women and people with the capacity to gestate, promoting community-based responses to structural inequalities that continue to limit the full exercise of their rights.

In the spirit of collective strength and shared values, during the IPPF 2025 General Assembly, the IPPF Courage Awards were presented, recognizing Member Associations, strategic partners, youth leaders, and volunteers whose bravery, leadership, and care continue to drive change across our Federation.  Among them, Jeffthanie Mathurin of the Haiti Midwives Association received the Member Association Staff Courage Award. A midwife and fearless advocate, she delivers essential maternal and reproductive health services in one of the world’s most under-resourced health systems, while also leading efforts to strengthen quality of care from within Haiti’s health response. Her work reflects the resilience, commitment, and community-rooted leadership that sustain sexual and reproductive health services even in the most fragile and complex contexts.  Just like Jeffthanie, IPPF ACRO Member Associations and the Secretariat stand together supporting, amplifying, and protecting the work being carried out on the frontlines, despite the context in which we operate continues to be deeply contested. Across the Americas and the world, civil liberties and sexual and reproductive rights face renewed pressure from political and policy shifts that threaten progress made over decades.   In our region, developments such as the expansion of the Global Gag Rule to cover not only abortion-related services but also programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity rights is indicating this won’t be an easy year. Fromthe U.S. imperialist intervention in Venezuela and threats to the sovereignty of some Caribbean states including Haïti; elections in Chile, Honduras, and Bolivia that have resulted in new ultra-right or conservative governments; pose serious challenges for global development and the rights to lives with health and free of violence for people – all these events create impossible choices for frontline providers and jeopardize essential care for the most vulnerable.  However, in 2026, we remain committed to advancing rights with courage, deepening humanitarian sexual and reproductive health programming, and building narratives that resonate with the values and lived realities of communities across 30 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean.  As affirmed at our recent General Assembly, Although the threats we face, from deepening inequalities to shrinking civic space, are real and growing, but so too is our capacity to resolve.  Together, we move forward clearer in purpose, stronger in federation, and more determined than ever to uphold human dignity and to be a source of hope and action for change.