IPPF has always done the utmost to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. In 2021, IPPF Member Associations (MAs) continued to demonstrate their resilience and adaptability to carry on serving people in spite of the severe disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  A total of 231.4 million services were delivered, a six per cent increase on 2020. Despite comprising fewer MAs, IPPF recovered more than half the decrease caused the previous year by clinic closures and other restrictions. Couple years of protection (CYP) increased by eight percent to reach 29 million – higher than in any year prior to the pandemic. 

In September 2021, members of the Child, Early & Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) and Sexuality Working Group published a letter to the editor in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The letter calls for: 1) an approach to defining and measuring success in CEFMU interventions that goes beyond age of marriage as a standalone indicator. 2) greater support for gender-transformative interventions that foster girls’ agency and shift norms related to gender and sexuality. 3) increased investment in research and evaluation to better capture sustainable change in these areas. On February 2, 2022, the Working Group convened a webinar to discuss these issues. Panelists included members of the Working Group, as well a funder, researchers, advocates and program implementers from around the world who work with and for adolescent girls. They shared their perspectives on 1) why age of marriage as standalone vision and measure of success is limiting and potentially harmful. 2) what alternative programming approaches and measurements can better lead to and capture progress in transforming the root causes of CEFMU. 3) what the field needs—from funders and from researchers—to advance work for adolescent girls that leads to their greater freedom and life opportunities.