IPPF: Contraception at a Crossroads-Averting a Global Contraceptive Crisis

The world is stumbling towards a contraceptive crisis, and for millions of the poorest people around the world the crisis has already arrived, a new report, Contraception at a Crossroads, released by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) states.

At a time when the world is more focused on global poverty reduction than ever before, one of the most trusted, most cost effective and proven poverty reduction interventions is being neglected - and the human health and human rights benefits that family planning and contraception have delivered over the last 40 years risk being reversed.

Today, and every day, we are failing to meet the contraceptive needs and desires of over 200 million women around the world, a situation that will only intensify as the largest cohort of young people the world has ever seen - some 1.5 billion young people - becomes sexually active.

Financial support for population and reproductive health programs has significantly declined as a percentage of overall health development assistance, from approximately 30 per cent in 1994 to 12 per cent in 2008. Yet it is estimated that the demand for contraceptives will increase by 40% in the next 15 years.

Contraceptive demand is on the increase, especially in developing countries, and IPPF warns that unless reproductive health supplies, health information, education and services become an immediate priority for governments and donors, current global development efforts will be unachievable.

The good news is we know how to avert this crisis, but we must act now.

Download the full report: http://www.ippf.org/NR/rdonlyres/44A072FB-E35E-4BD7-8983-BC0BB91682DA/0/ContraceptionAtaCrossroads.pdf