Twenty-five years ago, FHI 360 participated in the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that took place in Cairo, Egypt. The ICPD Programme of Action, adopted in 1994, put the needs of individuals at the center of the global population and development agenda. This month, FHI 360 joins partners around the world at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 to support and affirm an expanded ICPD25 vision.
The ICPD25 agenda focuses on achieving the “three zeros”: zero unmet need for family planning; zero preventable maternal deaths; and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices against women, girls and youth. During this month’s Nairobi Summit, FHI 360 will join governments and civil society organizations to affirm and endorse this vision. In addition, FHI 360 will share our organizational commitment to expand the evidence base to reduce unmet need for family planning, improve maternal and child health, reduce gender-based violence and increase access to high-quality contraceptive services worldwide. As part of this, FHI 360 commits to:
- Expanding access to effective self-care options
- Advancing community-based family planning and task-sharing
- Expanding contraceptive method choice
- Increasing voluntary family planning use among youth
- Promoting gender equality and equity
- Developing new, highly effective, affordable contraceptive methods that meet women’s changing needs throughout their lives
To achieve these goals, FHI 360 will continue to work with normative bodies and governments to translate clinical and programmatic evidence into policies and guidance documents on topics including family planning, HIV, maternal and child health, integrated service delivery, task-sharing, and gender equality and equity. FHI 360 will also continue to implement evidence-based solutions to support the provision of family planning as part of integrated service delivery for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). Throughout this work, we will aim to reduce gender-based violence, including by transforming social norms.
The road from Cairo has been long and winding. But, FHI 360’s commitment to advancing the health and well-being of women, men and youth has been unwavering. As new and refined commitments are made in Nairobi this month by FHI 360 and others, we look forward to collaborating with global partners to achieve the ambitious ICPD25 goals.
Photo credit: Jessica Scranton/FHI 360
