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Abbreviation | IPPF |
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Formation | 24 November 1952 |
Founded at | Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India |
Type | International non-governmental organisation |
Headquarters | London, SE1 United Kingdom |
Website | www |
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global non-governmental organisation with the broad aims of promoting sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family planning. It was first formed in 1952 in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India, by Margaret Sanger and Lady Rama Rau at the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood with support of an expanding population with limited resources. [1] Presently, it consists of more than 149 Member Associations working in more than 189 countries. The IPPF is highly developed and organised into six regions. The organisation is based in London, England.
Member Associations provide non-profit family planning services, sexual health and abuse prevention training and education. Their goals include giving clients the information necessary to make informed sexual health decisions, promoting continuing sexual health, making available high quality sexual health services, improving the overall health of low income individuals, and using democratic organisation and the leadership of volunteers to promote these goals. Over 40% of the organisation's resources are aimed at serving the needs of young people; as the IPPF explains, individuals under 25 (and especially females) are at a much higher risk of getting infected with HIV. [2]
The IPPF is financially supported by governments, trusts, and foundations including the European Commission and the United Nations Population Fund for special projects. Half of the balance of their funding comes from government official development assistance programmes. To achieve their goals as an organisation, the IPPF often collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-for instance in the Special Programme on Human Reproduction-, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).[ citation needed ]
The IPPF is a prominent lobbyist in the European Union: specifically, for the European Council and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is the only non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on sexual health and reproductive rights to qualify for Consultative Status with the Council of Europe. This allows the IPPF to sit in on the Parliamentary Assembly. [ citation needed ]
In April 2011, it was revealed that IPPF, which had applied for an $18 million grant more than a year previously, had been denied funding by a Conservative Party government due to lobbying efforts by anti-abortion groups. [3]
On 22 September 2011, the Canadian International Development Agency granted IPPF $6 million over three years. The money is for services yet to be rendered in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, and Tanzania. [4] Many anti-abortion activists have been critical of the spending including conservative MP Brad Trost who criticised his own party for supporting the "pro-choice" group. [5]
IPPF advocates for access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services including contraception and safe abortion services. On his first day in office, U.S. President George W. Bush, reinstated the Mexico City Policy. This policy required non-governmental organisations in receipt of U.S. funds to refrain from providing or advocating for abortion services. IPPF opted not to sign the Global Gag Rule [6] and lost 20% of its funding during the time the Mexico City Policy was in effect. The policy was rescinded by President Barack Obama in January 2009, [7] but was reinstated by President Donald Trump in January 2017, but was once again rescinded by President Joe Biden in January 2021.[ citation needed ]
The International Planned Parenthood Federation was established after earlier efforts to organise the post-World War II family planning and population control movements. The first conference was organised by the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education in Stockholm, in August 1946. [11] Two years later another meeting was held, the International Congress on Population and World Resources in Relation to the Family, in Cheltenham, England in August 1948, [12] predated the establishment of the IPPF.
The IPPF is connecting with the poor and vulnerable population to improve healthcare support. Throughout 2016, the IPPF provided services to over 45 million people, many of which are in a humanitarian crisis. These services include access to sexual and reproductive health services and training local people to educate others about healthcare. The IPPF help over 46,000 clinics and facilities by giving health products and services. One of their main focuses is on improving sexual health services, so they also give contraceptives to over 14,000 providers, many of which are in rural areas. The IPPF is working on helping countries, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, with HIV epidemics by providing HIV testing and counseling. In 2016, the IPPF supplied over 40 million HIV services, of which 59% was delivered to Africa. Africa has seen improvements among HIV and sexually transmitted infections testing and counseling. The IPPF is working alongside the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) to promote preventions and treatments. [20]
In Cairo in 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) stated that around 55% of couples were family planning in some way. Due to the family planning efforts, fertility rates were three to four children per woman in 1994, which is much lower than the average of six to seven children per woman in the 1960s. [21]
Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marital situation, career or work considerations, financial situations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.
The Mexico City policy, sometimes referred to by its critics as the global gag rule, is a former United States government policy that blocked U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provided abortion counseling or referrals, advocated to decriminalize abortion, or expanded abortion services. When in effect, the Mexico City policy is a U.S. government policy that requires foreign non-governmental organizations to certify that they will not "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" with non-U.S. funds as a condition for receiving U.S. global family planning assistance, and during its January 23, 2017 implementation any other U.S. global health assistance, including U.S. global HIV and maternal and child health (MCH) assistance.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization that provides reproductive and sexual healthcare and sexual education in the United States and globally. It is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:
Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, on 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Programme of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy NGO that aims to improve sexual health and expand reproductive rights worldwide. The organization was started in 1968 and functions as both a research and educational organization. It operates mainly in the United States but also focuses on developing countries. Founded as part of Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute became independent from Planned Parenthood in 2007.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, health care, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual well-being during all stages of their life. Sexual and reproductive health is more commonly defined as sexual and reproductive health and rights, to encompass individual agency to make choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.
The Family Planning Association of India is a registered charity in India. Established in 1949 by Dhanvanthi Rama Rau and Avabai Bomanji Wadia, the organisation has 40 local branches across the country that promote sexual health and family planning. It is the national affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Among other issues, the organisation promotes reproductive choices, legal and safe abortion, education about sexually transmitted diseases and sexual and reproductive health. FPA India has 39 permanent clinics under them. The current national president is Dr. Rathnamala M. Desai. FPA India is a social impact organisation delivering essential health services focusing on sexual and reproductive health in 18 states of India.
Population Action International (PAI) is an international, civil society organization that uses research and advocacy to improve global access to family planning and reproductive health care. Its mission is to "advance universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights through advocacy, partnerships and the funding of changemakers". PAI's headquarters is in Washington, D.C.
The Japan Family Planning Association (日本家族計画連盟), also known as the Family Planning Federation of Japan, is the Japanese affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and is the premier family planning organization in the country. It was founded in 1954, following the first annual World Population Conference held in Bombay, India, in 1952. The FPFJ advocates for the concept of sexual and reproductive rights being a basic human right; it also encourages the training of family planning workers and assists in the development and dissemination of information, education, and communication materials regarding family planning. The association also encourages the use of contraceptives and facilitates their community-based distribution. The FPFJ was one of the most active lobbying organizations for the legalization of oral contraceptives in Japan, and has shown political tact in advocating for the maintenance of the legal status of abortion in Japan.
Valerie DeFillipo is the President of Friends of UNFPA. She was appointed to this position in July 2011. As President at Friends of UNFPA DeFillipo leads efforts to mobilize funds and action for UNFPA's work.
The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) is an Irish charity working to enable people to make informed choices about sexuality and reproduction. The organisation promotes the right of all people to sexual and reproductive health information as well as dedicated, confidential and affordable healthcare services.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.
Latin America is home to some of the few countries of the world with a complete ban on abortion and minimal policies on reproductive rights, but it also contains some of the most progressive reproductive rights movements in the world. With roots in indigenous groups, the issues of reproductive rights include abortion, sexual autonomy, reproductive healthcare, and access to contraceptive measures. Modern reproductive rights movements most notably include Marea Verde, which has led to much reproductive legislation reform. Cuba has acted as a trail-blazer towards more liberal reproductive laws for the rest of Latin America, while other countries like El Salvador and Honduras have tightened restrictions on reproductive rights.
Abortion in Kazakhstan is legal as an elective procedure up to 12 weeks, and special circumstances afterwards. The relevant legislation is based on the laws inherited from the country's Soviet past, when abortion was legally permitted as a contraceptive.
Avabai Bomanji Wadia was a Ceylonese-born Indian social worker, writer and the founder of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Family Planning Association of India, two non governmental organisations working to promote sexual health and family planning. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1971 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Frederick Torgbor Sai, was a Ghanaian academic and family health physician who co-founded the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana in 1967. A gender and reproductive health advocate, he was known for his campaigns and education drawing attention to the food and nutrition problems of Africa, particularly of women and children. He served as the Chief Physician for Nutrition and the Director of Medical Services at the Ghana Health Service and Professor of Community Health at the University of Ghana, Legon. He was also a nutrition advisor to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Africa Region as well as the coordinator for the World Hunger Programme of the United Nations University and a Senior Population Advisor to the World Bank. He was the President and Honorary Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. In professional circles, he was known as the “Godfather or Father of Family Planning” and sometimes as the “Grandfather of Maternal Health”.
The Family Planning Association of Pakistan, later renamed as Rahnuma, is a Pakistani organisation that was established in 1953. Rahnuma has developed programmes to increase access to high-quality, affordable health services. Rahnuma has advocated for a rights approach to sexual and reproductive health, for the empowerment of particular groups within communities, and for the strengthening of civil society in Pakistan. It is an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
The State of the African Woman Campaign (SoAWC) is funded by the European Union, and its implementation is led by the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region. The project is a communication tool, an advocacy campaign and awareness creation that focuses on the implementation of girls and women's rights, particularly the Maputo Protocol and Maputo Plan of Action, in Africa.
The Society for Health Education is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the Republic of Maldives. It focuses on addressing issues like Thalassemia, Counselling and Psychological Support, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Health Education.