Articles about Advocacy

The Fifth Meeting of the Forum of Latin American and Caribbean countries on Sustainable Development 2022 was held in Costa Rica - San José from March 7 to 9, in its face-to-face/virtual form due to COVID-19.   This event brought together 1,200 people, including government delegates and representatives of international organizations, the United Nations, the private sector, academia and civil society to discuss the progress and challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda in the region and how the region has been the most impacted by COVID-19 in terms of development from the health, economic and social point of view.  Pamela Martín García, IPPF ACRO's Advocacy and Communications Manager, participated in this indispensable space for regional integration and cooperation. First at the Civil Society meeting and then at the Forum, as well as the March 8th rally in Costa Rica                           During the event for International Women's Day, civil society representatives expressed their concern about the advance of authoritarian proposals in various governments of the region with public policies that generate setbacks in terms of human rights, sexual and reproductive rights. They also denounced the extreme vulnerability of women environmental defenders in different countries. They called on governments to take affirmative action to address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women in the region.  One important statistic shared during the event was that 68% of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals continue on an insufficient trend towards 2030 and that only one third of the 111 targets evaluated are on an adequate pace and trajectory. This urges us to continue working to meet them. The greatest challenge today is to eradicate poverty in all its forms and is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development in the region.   During the closing ceremony, delegates from the countries, United Nations agencies, representatives of civil society and other participants paid tribute to Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, who bids farewell to this position with full honors and after a formidable performance, always promoting and defending the human rights of all people. It was she, with her lucidity and eloquence, who for more than 20 years incorporated the feminist perspective in ECLAC and its actions. We join in the heartfelt recognition of a leader who knew how to build in the adversity of inequalities a light of hope throughout the region.       

We are overjoyed to announce the opening of the first of two locations of the International Planned Parenthood Federation -  Americas and the Caribbean Regional Office (ACRO), in Bogota, Colombia. IPPF Director-General Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF ACRO's Regional Director Eugenia López Uribe, Deputy Regional Director Dona Da Costa Martinez, and IPPF Director of External Relations Mina Barling were joined by team members from the ACRO and London Offices to reinforce the commitment to the fight for rights and access to sexual and reproductive services in the region. This is an especially exciting time as Colombia stands as the latest champion to step forward to protect the bodily autonomy of everyone with the possibility of gestation, with a recent Constitutional Court victory legalizing access to abortion until 24 weeks. The new IPPF Americas and the Caribbean Regional Office serves Member Associations and Collaborative Partners in over 24 countries across the region, and which are growing in their movement building and service delivery capabilities, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptive, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crisis. IPPF pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote. Volunteerism is central to our healthcare delivery. It underpins the vital work of our members and their teams, whether through community outreach and distribution of contraceptive care or the regional Youth Action Movements championing change.  

In a groundbreaking decision on the 21st of Feburay 2022, Colombia's Constitutional Court decriminalized abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. IPPF Americas and The Caribbean (ACRO) stands with Member Association Profamilia as we celebrate this historic decision and recognize the fight of the feminist movement in Colombia for this achievement! In a statement to the Guardian Newspaper Eugenia Lopez Uribe, Regional Director for IPPF ACRO reminded us “While today we are celebrating this historic decision, the Green Wave is strong and growing, and the fight for reproductive rights and justice will not end until every person can access high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare when and where they need it. From now on a combined system for accessing abortion is considered:  1)Free and legal until 24 weeks of gestation, after this time: 2) the 3 causals (C-355/06) and are as follows: When the pregnancy represents a risk to the physical or mental health of the woman or person with the possibility of gestation. When it is product of sexual violence.  And for fetal malformations incompatible with life.

Keriann Hurley has worked at the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA) for 15 years. She is a social worker and the Manager of Youth Programming, but art is another passion of hers.  A link between art and social work may not seem evident but Keriann explains that combining her passions “helps to fuel the type of interventions I do with the clients.” Keriann is proud that “here at BFPA, our niche and the thing that we do amazingly well, above anyone else I dare say, is how we deal with Sexual and Reproductive Health issues, but that’s not all we do”. “Sexuality and sexual health is only one aspect of your existence”, she says. She is clear that BFPA’s services must consider gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, mental health, family circumstances and relationships in its service delivery if it is to truly serve the community. There is a real need to provide unhindered access to young people who require services In Barbados, the age of consent is 16 but “there is still the issue of the age of access versus the age of consent.” Keriann explained that there’s no legal framework that prevents young people between 16 and 18 from accessing SRH services; there is the cultural “assumption that they must bring parent/guardian to be seen by a medical professional.” “A young person isn’t just going to show up at a doctor’s office because they think it’s the cool thing to do. There must be a dire reason”, Keriann says, and she adds that many young people do not access services because they fear judgement and punishment. “At BFPA, we don’t turn away anyone” A key task of the BFPA is to facilitate young people’s access to SRH services. BFPA established legally compliant protocols which govern their engagement with young people. Social Workers like Keriann comprehensively assess the personal circumstances of each young person to ensure that they are provided with the appropriate care. “Not every young person has a parent or guardian who will come with them, but should they be turned away if they have a dire need? No, it’s unethical to do that. At BFPA, we don’t turn away anyone”, she says. Sometimes a young person does have an available parent or guardian but fears their reaction to their desire to access SRH services. In these situations, she acts as a mediator to facilitate conversation between the young person and their caretaker. With the years passing, it became clear to Keriann that the challenge is “dealing with age-old issues in new ways. There is nothing new under the sun. However, issues do come back around in new ways”. The significance of certain issues changes with the times. “Just look at social media!” she says, “it also means that information, and misinformation, is easily accessible.” Keriann has seen a shift in societal attitudes towards SRH over the last 5 years. A plus side of the internet, she says, is that the accessibility of information means that society cannot “bury its head in the sand and pretend that young people aren’t sexually exploring.” “The Young Mothers Programme is my baby” In 2011, Keriann started this 10-year programme. The majority of Barbadian households are female-headed and she recognises that empowering young mothers will have a powerful positive impact on society. “These girls come with heavy issues,” Keriann says. Beneficiaries are taught not just parenting skills but life skills. They have access to intensive psychosocial counselling for themselves, partners and family members and vocational training. The Young Mothers Programme has transitioned to online delivery which poses such as lack of devices, electricity or a conducive household environment, and unreliability or absence of internet access. “Suddenly there was a new normal before we could even figure out what that meant”, Keriann says. Online delivery is more tiring, and she admits the difficulty in balancing delivery of a quality programme without an unsustainable psychological cost to herself but is adamant that “it is better to have a meaningful impact on 10 people than surface level engagement with 100”. Keriann believes that “the wealth and health of a society is based on how we take care of the most vulnerable. Working in an organisation whose focus is primarily the most vulnerable is really rewarding”. Keriann shares that social work is one of least financially viable careers in Barbados. “Many months we just try to get by, but the work is really rewarding!” she laughed, “We are here grinding on and doing what we have to do to make sure that we provide quality services to the most vulnerable in our community and not leaving anyone behind”

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) welcomes the news of President Biden’s decision to keep his promise and repeal the harmful Global Gag Rule (GGR) - also known as the Mexico City Policy.    Since its expanded reintroduction in 2017 by the previous administration, the Global Gag Rule has contributed to an increase in unintended and high-risk pregnancies, unsafe abortions – culminating in unnecessary maternal deaths. For IPPF, 53 healthcare projects in 32 countries were impacted by GGR, with some Member Associations losing up to 60% of their funding.   IPPF’s Director-General, Dr Alvaro Bermejo said:    “I welcome the decision by President Biden to repeal the Global Gag Rule.   “The expanded reintroduction of the gag was callously designed to deny women the right to decide what happens to their body. Whilst we know this policy is intended as a tool to attack abortion care by the anti-choice movement, not only has it led to reproductive coercion, it has cut deeper into healthcare provision: from HIV prevention programs to maternal health to contraceptive access – no one was spared the fallout of this policy.     “What lies ahead of us is years of work to undo the harm caused by Global Gag Rule, and to build back a better and stronger relationship with the U.S. – one where our work is not under threat from future anti-sexual and reproductive health administrations. To protect the rights of future generations of women and girls, we ask that the Biden-Harris administration take the necessary steps to permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule. Without a permanent repeal, the global gag remains a constant threat to women, girls, youth and marginalized communities. Reproductive rights, bodily autonomy and the human right to decide what happens to your body cannot be at the mercy of a pen stroke.     “IPPF looks on with hope and welcomes the opportunity to work closely with the Biden-Harris administration to protect and advance sexual and reproductive healthcare for all.”   And President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Alexis McGill Johnson said:  “Over the past four years, the United States didn’t just fail to support global reproductive health care access — it actively blocked it. Today, we applaud the beginning of a new chapter, as the Biden-Harris administration puts an end to the devastating global gag rule, which has prevented millions of people around the world from receiving essential health care. We look forward to working alongside the administration and Congress to pass the Global HER Act, to permanently protect access to sexual and reproductive health care across the globe from changes in White House political control. It is long past time that the United States proudly declares to the world that reproductive rights are human rights.”     IPPF would like to thank the international community who stepped in and stepped up to help fill the funding gap that was left by the Global Gag Rule. Together, we will continue to fight and deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights.   For media inquiries please contact [email protected] (+44) 2079398227