PAI Joins Advocates and Medical Professionals at the U.S. Supreme Court in Defense of Mifepristone Access

Today PAI stood alongside sexual and reproductive health advocates and champions on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States to speak out in defense of access to mifepristone, one of two drugs most commonly used in medication abortion in the United States.

Two decades of data from the United States and global data from almost 100 countries where mifepristone is approved demonstrate that mifepristone is safe and vital to protecting women’s health. In addition, mifepristone is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, a document providing a list of life-saving drugs that should be available in health systems worldwide at all times.

“The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA is out of step with science, the consensus of the global health and medical community and the preferences of most people in the United States,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI. “The case ultimately is not about the safety and efficacy of mifepristone or the integrity of the FDA’s decision, but instead, another thinly veiled attempt to dismantle the reproductive health and the rights, agency and autonomy of women.”

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ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners, and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

 

Washington, DC – The Economist Impact launched Phase 2 of the Health Inclusivity Index (HII) last week with results indicating that most people worldwide experience barriers to accessing healthcare. Phase 2 builds on phase 1 of the Index, which assessed health inclusivity policy in 40 countries, integrating the findings from a survey of over 42,000 individuals in Index countries worldwide.

Health inclusivity is defined as the process of removing personal, social, cultural and political barriers that prevent individuals and communities from experiencing good physical and mental health. One of the insights included was PAI’s president and CEO and HII Expert Advisory Group Member, Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, who is quoted within the Index noting the intersectional issues of safety, security and health. In the report, Hutchins notes:  “These two issues are very much linked. When there is housing insecurity, we also see significant insecurity in health and growing health inequities. In all cases, whether it be health, housing, or education, those who are disproportionately affected are women and girls.”

Hutchins issued the following statement in support of the publication:

“The Economist Impact’s 2023 Health Inclusivity Index reinforces the critical interplay across policy, social, cultural and personal realities to ensure healthy, vibrant communities.

The most significant inequities in health access prevail in communities where health services and information are not available in reliable manners. When health systems do not account for socio-economic and cultural barriers, lack resources to consistently offer consultations, commodities and care, and cannot meet the expressed needs of communities, trust is eroded, access to care is strained and investment in public health is underutilized.

Eliminating health disparities means improving and sustaining access to health information and health services, and it means progress for all people. Policies and health systems should be designed to include communities most affected by health inequities and meet them where they are with the information they want and need.  In addition, increasing investments in civil society and community-based efforts to build trust in and awareness of health services are essential for improving health outcomes – especially for women, youth and at-risk communities who face a high health burden but can also catalyze the most remarkable change.”

Washington, DC – Today, PAI joins a broad and diverse community of more than 100 organizations in releasing the 2023 Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Policy Agenda.

The 2023 Blueprint Policy Agenda focuses on specific policy and leadership actions the executive branch can take to further advance sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ).

The Blueprint Policy Agenda is rooted in the bold vision that every person has the ability to make their own decisions about their lives and health regardless of who they are, how much money they have or where they live.

The Blueprint Policy Agenda can be downloaded at: ReproBlueprint.org The Executive Summary can be downloaded at: ReproBlueprint.org

The Blueprint Policy Agenda identifies several key policy actions for the executive branch to take, including:

• WORK WITH CONGRESS ON MEANINGFUL BUDGETS: Establish a budget that reflects a commitment to SRHRJ domestically and globally by ending restrictions that limit access to SRHRJ coverage and care and providing adequate funding to truly meet the need for SRHRJ coverage, including fully funding the Title X Family Planning Program, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, the Division of Adolescent and School Health, the Title V Maternal & Child Health Services Block Grant, international family planning and reproductive health programs, UNFPA and other federal programs that address sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
• REVERSE HARMFUL POLICIES: Rescind policies that deny people full equality, such as Executive Order 13535 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Consistency with Longstanding Restrictions on the Use of Federal Funds for Abortion; and Executive Order 13798, Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, which sets the stage for expanding the use of religion to discriminate against people seeking SRH care.
• FOCUS ON RULEMAKING: Finalize all proposed rules that protect and expand access to health care and coverage, including abortion, birth control and gender-affirming care, and those that regulate coverage for specific populations, including immigrants, Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities, young people, people with low incomes and people with disabilities.
• AFFIRM U.S. COMMITMENT TO GLOBAL SRHRJ: Launch an initiative to integrate, elevate, and prioritize SRHRJ across foreign policy priorities and global health, development and humanitarian programs. This effort must include ensuring all agencies that administer global health programs and U.S. Missions provide clear, ongoing and proactive communication that reflects U.S. support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and clarify what is permitted under current abortion funding restrictions to ensure access to allowable abortion services, information and counseling in countries where abortion is legal; as well as communicating that the global gag rule is no longer in place.
• PROTECT PATIENT PRIVACY: Ensure the privacy and safety of consumers’ health and health-related information, especially any new HIPAA privacy rule protections regarding reproductive health data, as well as ensuring the federal criminal code cannot be used to prosecute people for self-managed abortion and ensure that law enforcement agencies cannot take action against those individuals.
• DEFEND ACCESS TO SRH CARE AND RIGHTS IN COURT: Robustly enforce the protections afforded by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), access to care under the Title X Family Planning Program, access to medication abortion, the right to contraception established in Griswold v. Connecticut and other attempts to restrict access to comprehensive SRH care and rights.
• EXPAND ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION: Increase access to contraception over-the-counter (OTC) by eliminating the unnecessary prescription barrier and requiring insurance plans to cover the cost with no out-of-pocket cost, consistent with the ACA.
• PROTECT ACCESS TO MEDICATION ABORTION AND SELF-MANAGED ABORTION: Build public education and outreach efforts to combat widespread misinformation regarding medication abortion, including creating and supporting the public availability of materials that includes medically accurate information about how self-managed abortion with pills works, what the common side effects are and under what conditions a person may need to seek medical help following a medication abortion or miscarriage.
• ADDRESS THE MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS: Develop a robust research and outreach initiative on U.S. maternal mortality, which disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous communities, in the form of an interagency task force and prioritize funding research to improve maternal health and pregnancy outcomes, ensuring healthy lives for all
• ADVANCE COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Issue guidance and recommendations that are supportive of young people’s access to inclusive evidence-based, medically accurate, age- and developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, trauma informed, affirming of LGBTQIA+ individuals sex education.
• PROTECT AND EXPAND IMMIGRANT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE: Strengthen standards of care for people in immigration detention, including guaranteed access to comprehensive SRH care, including by explicitly recognizing providers of SRH services among health care providers recognized as sensitive locations.
• ENSURE COVERAGE AND CARE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV: Require ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) jurisdiction plans to include clear commitments to support state efforts to reform or repeal HIV criminalization laws; and to engage with people living with HIV who have experienced incarceration to address the residual impacts of criminalization, including access to adequate treatment and care.

Because many policies require Congressional action, the Blueprint Policy Agenda also identifies several impactful leadership actions for the executive branch to take, including:

• COMBAT STIGMA AND DIS/MISINFORMATION: Use the White House bully pulpit to drive narrative around the importance of access to SRH, combat inflammatory rhetoric and de-stigmatize health care, including abortion, gender-affirming care and birth control. Combat widespread misinformation about medication abortion. Condemn anti-abortion violence, intimidation of health care providers and patients and pregnancy criminalization and violations of privacy.
• NOMINATE PRO-SRH PERSONNEL: Prioritize putting forth judicial nominees with a demonstrated commitment to equal justice, civil rights, equal rights, individual liberties, and fundamental rights of equal protection, dignity and privacy. For all executive-branch positions, nominate individuals who are experts in their field, committed to the core mission of the agency, possess a positive record on reproductive health, rights, and justice, and who will contribute to the diversity of the executive branch.
• MAXIMIZE INFRASTRUCTURE: Expand the scope and mandate of the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force. Developing a national SRHRJ Strategy, including a framework for integrating sexual and reproductive health equity (SRHE) into federal processes. Establish a permanent infrastructure dedicated to promoting SRHRJ policies and programs grounded in human rights and racial equity. Name a co-director for the White House Gender Policy Council.
• PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT AND CONVENING: Convene a national conference with federal and state policy experts, cabinet-level officials, nonprofit organizations and other stakeholders, as well as state attorneys general, to discuss and review strategies to protect and expand SRHRJ. Convene a federal advisory committee, or similar entity, to provide access to information and advice, and the public with an opportunity to provide input into a process that may form the basis for policy actions. Mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) with a high level event in Washington, DC that recommits the U.S. government to the ICPD Program of Action through both rhetoric and action.
• CHAMPION SRHR IN DIPLOMACY AND MULTILATERAL SETTINGS: Leverage the United States’ diplomatic power to advance SRHR around the world and urge all countries and leaders to respect, protect and fulfill the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all people. Support outcome documents, policies at international negotiations, and civil society participation in multilateral bodies and executive boards, which strengthen access to full, evidence-based, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Promote inclusion of civil society experts in multilateral fora, specifically by including diverse, evidence-based participants within the official delegations to international negotiations.
• ADVANCE TELEHEALTH EQUITABLY: Coordinate across agencies and sectors to ensure individuals are able to access health care via advancements in technology, with telehealth models of care, education on digital and health literacy and support for providers to provide services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. All the while centering equity to ensure that the latest innovations and technologies are available to all communities, including via telehealth.

 

ENDORSING ORGANIZATIONS: 100+ organizations have endorsed the Blueprint:

Abortion Access Front

ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

ACLU

Advocates for Youth

Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH)

AIDS Alabama

AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families

AIDS United

Alia Alamal Association

All-Options

All* Above All

American Atheists

American Humanist Association

American Jewish World Service

Amplify Youth Health Collective

AVAC

Black Women for Wellness

Black Women for Wellness Action Project

California NOW

Catholics for Choice

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Reproductive Rights

Church in the Cliff

Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access

Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

Community Catalyst Contraceptive Access Initiative

Council for Global Equality

EMAA Project

EngenderHealth

Essential Access Health

Families USA

Fòs Feminista, International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice FP2030

Girls Health Ed

Global Fund for Women

Guttmacher Institute

Healthy Teen Network

Hollywood NOW

Human Rights Campaign

Ibis Reproductive Health

If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

International Center for Research on Women

Ipas

Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health

Jane’s Due Process Lawyering Project

Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health

MomsRising

National Abortion Federation

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum

National Black Women’s HIV/AIDS Network

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Council of Jewish Women

National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association

National Health Law Program

National Institute for Reproductive Health

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice

National Network to End Domestic Violence

National Organization for Women

National Organization for Women Foundation

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Women’s Health Network

National Women’s Law Center

New Voices for Reproductive Justice

Nicole Clark Consulting, LLC

North Carolina National Organization for Women

Our Bodies Ourselves

PAI

Physicians for Reproductive Health

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Population Connection Action Fund

Population Institute

Positive Women’s Network-USA

Power to Decide

Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

Reproductive Freedom For All

Reproductive Health Impact: The Collaborative for Equity & Justice Reproductive Justice Resilience Project

Rhia Ventures

RHITES (Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity & Solutions)

Secular Coalition for America

SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change

TEACH (Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare)

Teen Health Mississippi

The Feminist Wire

The Hunger Project

The Population Council

The Southwest Women’s Law Center

The TRIAD

Trust The Womxn Project

Ubuntu Black Family Wellness Collective

UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health

Ujima Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community

UltraViolet

Universal Access Project

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism

USA for UNFPA

Washington State Federation of Democratic Women

We Testify

Whitman-Walker Institute

Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Women Deliver

Women Lawyers OnGuard Action Network, Inc.

Women’s Refugee Commission

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

On September 21, Member States — together with civil society, donors and public health leaders — assembled during the United Nations General Assembly for the high-level meeting (HLM): “Universal health coverage (UHC): moving together to build a healthier world.” Those in attendance reviewed the implementation of the 2019 political declaration of the HLM on UHC and spoke of the gaps, challenges and solutions to achieving progress toward UHC and a healthier world for all people.

World leaders committed to accelerating efforts toward UHC and approved the new political declaration: “Universal Health Coverage (UHC): expanding our ambition for health and well-being in a post-COVID world.” Progress toward UHC has stagnated since 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted. The HLM served as a rallying cry, that at the halfway point of the SDGs we must collectively meet our shared ambitions to ensure health for all through the right policies, systems, services and investments that meet the needs of people and support the enablers of UHC.

In the opening session, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on governments to deliver on the political commitments in the approved declaration.

“Ultimately UHC is a choice. A political choice. The political declaration you have approved today is a strong signal that you are making that choice,” said Dr. Ghebreyesus. “That choice is not just made on paper. It is made in budget decisions, it is made in policy decisions inside and outside the health sector and, most of all, it is made in investing in primary health care, which is the most inclusive, equitable and efficient path to universal health coverage.”

In addition, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group Amina Mohammed stated that governments “must ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services for girls and women, while focusing on the most vulnerable populations.”

PAI and members of civil society who attended the HLM are steadfast in ensuring that these political commitments are delivered upon. In addition, PAI supports the urgent focus on meeting the health needs of women, youth, children and at-risk communities as they experience the greatest health disparities and inequities worldwide.

“I am encouraged by the political commitments that were made at the HLM for universal health coverage, and the recognition that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are essential to achieving the ambitions of UHC,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI. “At the same time, as civil society, we must ensure that commitments are delivered upon, funding and policies from bilateral and multilateral institutions do no harm and that we keep the needs of communities at the forefront by investing in and sustaining people-led movements as the enablers of health equity and progress for all.”

The governments of Argentina, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States were among those that spoke in support of ensuring SRHR be core to UHC. In addition, the governments of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Pakistan and Senegal were among those that emphasized the importance of maternal and child health. Ingvild Kjerkol, Norway’s minister of health, was the first plenary speaker to emphasize that without SRHR there can be no real UHC and stated that “universal access also means access for girls, youth, LGBTQI persons and marginalized groups.”

By adopting the political declaration, governments have agreed to a set of commitments, including point 62 that states:

“Ensure, by 2030, universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for

family planning, information and education and the integration of reproductive health into

national strategies and programmes, and ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive

health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the

International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action

and the outcome documents of their review conferences.”

 

PAI fully endorses an integrated, comprehensive approach to achieving UHC. Just as we should leave no one behind when providing health care services, we should leave no health needs behind. Global SRHR remain threatened, and we are far from meeting the reproductive health needs and desires of communities around the world.

“Health systems and health financing must meet the needs and preferences of communities and address the barriers that women, youth and at-risk communities face in realizing the right to health, agency and autonomy,” said Dr. Adebiyi Adesina, PAI’s director of health financing and health systems strengthening. “In addition, we must ensure that commitments made to SRHR remain a core component of health systems transformation and health financing. If access is not delivered, progress toward other SDGs — including poverty reduction, gender equality, health equity and climate resilience — will fall far short of the goals our global community agreed to meet.”

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, PAI and its civil society partners in over 30 countries will continue to champion health and rights for even the most forgotten members of society. H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the General Assembly, called on the greater global health community to “work together to radically transform our health systems and create a world where health and well-being are no longer a privilege for a few but a respected right for all.” PAI and our partners will work collectively and collaboratively with each other and across sectors to ensure these ambitions are achieved.

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ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

[Washington, DC, August 14, 2023] — Today, in collaboration with the Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG) Steering Committee, PAI announced the third and final round of 2023-2024 grants awarded to civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) through the Global Financing Facility (GFF) NGO Host program hosted at PAI. PAI will continue to support all grantees throughout implementation. This small grants funding mechanism, supported by the World Bank, aims to increase access to affordable, quality health care for women, children and adolescents and ensure CSO and YLO leadership within the GFF.

The GFF NGO Host disbursed $1.35 million to 28 local organizations in this latest round of grant funding. Cumulatively, 51 CSOs and YLOs in 28 GFF partner countries have received $2.7 million through the GFF NGO Host. More than 85% of the grants have been awarded to organizations across Africa and the remaining awards were granted to organizations in Guatemala, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.

Established in 2015, the GFF is a multistakeholder partnership that supports 36 low- and lower-middle-income countries with catalytic financing and technical assistance to improve sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (SRMNCAH-N). Partnering with CSOs and YLOs helps ensure that GFF-funded investments reach marginalized and excluded communities, enabling countries to achieve their goals to advance health and rights for all.

More than half of the grants awarded throughout the three rounds built on existing engagement with the GFF to support country-level SRMNCAH-N efforts. Grants worth more than $1.1 million were also awarded to 25 new organizations in an effort to expand GFF civil society and youth-led engagement. As a result of the GFF’s prioritization of young voices and experiences, 25 YLOs and youth-focused organizations received grants throughout all three rounds of awards, accounting for nearly half of the total funds that were disbursed.

All selected projects focus on any of four subject areas: advocacy on SRMNCAH-N, coalition strengthening, nutrition or sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, all projects are intended to successfully plan and execute evidence-based advocacy and accountability activities that ensure national SRMNCAH-N programs are responding to the needs of affected populations, and service delivery is accessible, equitable and high-quality.

The grant provides “the opportunity to coordinate the relevant stakeholders and advocate for domestic health financing to enhance access to SRMNCAH-N services towards improvement of health outcomes in Zimbabwe,” explains Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health. “The project will help to escalate community voices by sharing views collected through community consultations with stakeholders and to inform high-level advocacy on SRMNCAH-N and domestic resource mobilization with members of Parliament, government officials, United Nations agencies, donors and the media.”

Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) will use the funding to increase its critical work to strengthen YLOs’ work with the Ghanaian government on the country’s investment case, a plan that guides and brings about further funding. “YAG is so grateful for this award because it will also help us to better advocate for improved SRMNCAH-N while also addressing the emerging threat of noncommunicable diseases. Being able to sustain and scale up our activities will help us to reach more people and achieve lasting impact,” says Susan Akanbong, YAG’s program coordinator.

This partnership “brings us closer to our vision of a society where all young people have the right and legal access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health,” notes Dr. Simon B. Mambo, coordinator for the Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health (YARH). “It is important for us to act now in order to amplify our efforts to meet the challenges that hinder the access of adolescents and young people to sexual and reproductive health services in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

PAI, a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe for nearly 60 years, has been administering this GFF initiative. In addition to supporting the small grants mechanism as the GFF NGO Host since May 2022, PAI is providing strategic, technical and institutional capacity-building support to grant partners and the CSCG — a network of 570 civil society and youth advocacy organizations — and fostering learning and exchange opportunities across and among CSO and YLO advocates.

Name	Country	Project Description
Femmes, Santé et Développement (FESADE)	Cameroon	Advocating for meaningful youth participation in GFF processes and monitoring SRMNCAH-N interventions for youth. The project will focus on improving access to SRH services for youth in four districts of Cameroon’s East Region, including building the capacity of local committees to monitor health services and establishing a regional platform for YLOs to monitor the implementation of the GFF investment case.
Deserve	Cameroon	Developing an advocacy tool for improving understanding of youth SRMNCAH-N needs and increasing meaningful youth engagement in GFF processes. The tool will include an overview of policies and commitments around adolescent health, a guide for strengthening youth engagement in multistakeholder platforms and case studies on SRMNCAH-N youth advocacy efforts. The tool will be co-created with youth and CSOs, published in English and French and distributed to at least 40 YLOs working on SRMNCAH-N across Cameroon.
Environnement et Société au Cameroun (ESC)	Cameroon	Developing a community diagnostic tool for identifying the priority needs of youth and adolescents for use in the development, implementation and monitoring of the GFF investment case. ESC will develop the tool in partnership with Cameroon’s civil society health alliance and disseminate the tool both digitally and physically to select organizations operating in communities with limited internet access.
Fédération Nationale des Organisations de Santé de Côte d’Ivoire (FENOS-CI)	Côte d’Ivoire	Building the capacity of community members in four priority regions of Côte d’Ivoire’s investment case to advocate for their own SRMNCAH-N needs. The project with train CSOs and women, youth, religious and traditional leaders in community mobilization, budget advocacy, communication and monitoring and accountability for investments in health.
Association de Soutien à l’Auto Promotion Sanitaire Urbaine (ASAPSU)	Côte d’Ivoire	Improving the understanding of decision-makers about the challenges of implementing universal health coverage (UHC) and advocating for the needs of vulnerable populations to be included under the UHC framework. The project will establish a civil society technical working group on UHC and develop a database of how youth, women of reproductive age and other key populations view UHC.
Coalition des Organisations de la Société Civile pour la Santé de la Reproduction, de la Mère, du Nouveau-né, de l’Enfant, de l’Adolescent, les Soins de santé Primaires et la Nutrition en RDC (COSC SRMNEA-SSP-Nut)	Democratic Republic of Congo	Coordinating advocacy campaigns to increase the budget line for the health sector to at least 15% of the total budget in six provinces, with a focus on reducing infant and maternal mortality. The project will include building the capacity of 120 civil society actors to conduct advocacy, resource mobilization and budget monitoring.
Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health (YARH)	Democratic Republic of Congo	Establishing a task force composed of youth and technical and financial partners to mobilize support for the implementation of North Kivu’s Provincial Plan for scaling up health services for adolescents and youth.
Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG)	Ghana	Strengthening the capacity of YLOs to meaningfully engage in the implementation and monitoring of Ghana’s GFF investment case through training workshops, peer learning exchanges and the development of policy briefs. The project will contribute to increasing evidence-based advocacy around SRMNCAH-N by YLOs.
CIWED-Ghana	Ghana	Creating a stakeholder mapping tool (Net-Map) that allows individuals and groups to understand the relationships between different actors and how they influence outcomes. A key goal of Net-Map is to identify factors that are helping or hindering youth participation and leadership in social accountability mechanisms for SRMNCAH-N priorities. Users will improve their awareness of the SRMNCAH-N environment and develop stronger strategic approaches to networking with other actors.
Organization of African Youth (OAY)	Kenya	Improving collaboration and coordination of YLOs and youth to advocate for the prioritization of youth issues in the implementation of SRMNCAH-N programs. The project will strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s GFF youth coalition to engage with subnational governments in the development and implementation of SRMNCAH-N investment cases and policies.
Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliance – Kenya	Kenya	Enhancing coordination and engagement among key stakeholders — including CSOs, policymakers and the private sector — to mobilize additional resources for implementing costed nutrition action plans in four Kenyan counties. The project will include public awareness campaigns and training for journalists to improve public participation in the development of policies and budgets and map stakeholders.
Health NGOs’ Network (HENNET)	Kenya	Developing and implementing a training package for CSOs and YLOs to improve their understanding of the GFF and the role of civil society in the GFF framework. The project will increase the number of CSOs and YLOs conducting advocacy and accountability activities and strengthen their engagements with the Kenyan government on GFF processes.
Public Health Initiative Liberia (PHIL)	Liberia	Building the capacity of the Libera Health CSOs Network to engage with the national government in the development of the GFF investment case and increase funding for SRMNCAH-N. The project will expand the coalition to include more CSOs and YLOs working on SRMNCAH-N issues, strengthen coordination among members and develop scorecards and advocacy strategies for tracking and engaging with the Liberian government around GFF activities.
National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Liberia (NACCSOL)	Liberia	Developing accountability tools to strengthen youth engagement with policymakers and other relevant stakeholders to improve their understanding of GFF processes, including the development and implementation of the GFF investment case. The tools — which will include training modules on advocacy strategies, budget analysis and tracking, effective communication and resource mapping — will be used by CSOs and YLOs to promote monitoring and accountability around GFF processes.
Plateforme de la Société HINA (HINA)	Madagascar	Strengthening the capacity of Madagascar’s CSO GFF coalition to support and monitor the implementation of health policies and programs, including advocating for the inclusion of CSOs and YLOs on the National Committee for the Strengthening of the Health System, which oversees the implementation of the GFF investment case.
Centre Sahélien de Prestations, d’Etudes, d’Ecodéveloppement et de Démocratie Appliquée (CSPEEDA)	Mali	Building the capacity of CSOs to conduct budget monitoring and advocacy within the framework of the GFF. The project will strengthen civil society’s ability to monitor Mali’s investment case and will include targeted advocacy for increasing budget allocations for SRMNCAH-N in nine municipalities in the Koulikoro region, with a special focus on nutrition.
Collectif Tous Unis en faveur de la Nutrition (TUN)	Niger	Advocating for the inclusion of nutrition in the Communal Development Plans and the Annual Investment Plans of 10 municipalities in Niger’s Tillabéri region. The project will mobilize CSOs to engage with elected officials and community leaders, youth, women, people with disabilities and the media to build support for integrating nutrition into health programming.
Coalition des Acteurs pour le Repositionnement de la Planification Familiale au Niger (CAR FP Niger)	Niger	Increasing the level of domestic financing for family planning services in Niger’s national budget. The project will organize CSOs and YLOs to conduct joint high-level advocacy with Niger’s National Assembly, the prime minister and officials from the Ministries of Health and Finance.
Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN)	Nigeria	Training female leaders in 10 rural communities in Northern Nigeria on how to conduct SRMNCAH-N outreach within their local communities and supporting them to establish women’s groups to build a foundation for collaboration around SRMNCAH-N advocacy. The project also includes the co-creation of advocacy materials on SRMNCAH-N using local knowledge that will be translated into local languages.
Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) or Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HEFRON)	Nigeria	Building the capacity of CSOs and YLOs to actively engage with Nigeria’s SRMNCAH-N multistakeholder country coordination platform and participate in the development and implementation of Nigeria’s Post-COVID-19 Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) Strategy (2023-2027). The project includes partner mapping; capacity-building training for CSOs, youth and the media; and the creation of a scorecard for tracking progress on the implementation of the RMNCAEH+N strategy.
Gem Hub Initiative (GHI)	Nigeria	Conducting a case study on the level of alignment among different national and subnational health initiatives and health priorities in Nigeria with global health initiatives. The project will support evidence-based advocacy around the development of Nigeria’s SRMNCAH-N strategies with a focus on meeting the health needs of women, children and adolescents.
Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance	Rwanda	Facilitating learning exchanges for GFF CSO coalition coordinators from different GFF countries to share challenges and best practices around building and strengthening coalitions and conducting advocacy activities. The project will produce a report on best practices and bring together coordinators from GFF countries for an in-person conference in Rwanda for a learning exchange.
Health Alert Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone	Building the capacity of Sierra Leone’s SRMNCAH-N CSO coalition to conduct advocacy, track budgets and hold government agencies and other stakeholders accountable for implementing GFF-funded activities, including the GFF investment case and the SRMNCAH-N strategy for achieving universal health coverage. The project will also raise public awareness of the GFF process and organize CSOs to engage with private sector institutions to increase investments in the health sector.
Health Promotion Tanzania (HDT)	Tanzania	Strengthening civil society engagement in the GFF process by increasing the number of CSOs and YLOs contributing to the development of Tanzania’s investment case. The project will orient CSOs on the structure of the GFF and the role of civil society in monitoring progress and will direct accountability engagements with the Tanzanian government.
Young and Alive Initiative(YAI)	Tanzania	Strengthening youth engagement in GFF processes across five regions of Tanzania by training youth leaders to conduct advocacy, monitoring and accountability activities. The project will also update and launch an online youth forum for facilitating youth engagement in advocacy campaigns.
Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI)	Vietnam	Strengthening communities’ knowledge and participation in improving access to maternal, newborn and child health services among vulnerable populations, including migrants, people working in the informal sectors and people affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The project will train community-based organizations and networks on documenting access issues and coordinate them to advocate for SRMNCAH-N at the national level.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH)	Zimbabwe	Strengthening civil society-led advocacy for mobilizing domestic resources for SRMNCAH-N services. The project will improve health literacy among government officials and civil society and establish a monitoring framework for tracking SRMNCAH-N indicators included in the GFF investment case and Zimbabwe’s National Health Strategy.
Lunia Centre for Youths	Zimbabwe	Building the capacity of 20 YLOs to engage in GFF processes and advocate for increased domestic resource mobilization for the health sector. The project will improve understanding among YLOs of how the GFF functions and the role of youth in implementing and tracking the investment case and overall health programming in Zimbabwe.

 

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ABOUT THE GFF NGO HOST AT PAI

The GFF NGO Host and associated Civil Society GFF Resource and Engagement Hub are multiyear initiatives to amplify and support CSOs, YLOs and coalitions to contribute to GFF partner country outcomes for SRMNCAH-N. Learn more about the GFF-PAI collaboration.

ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

PAI announces that Barbara Sapin, the National Abortion Federation’s (NAF) former general counsel, has been elected to serve as a member of PAI’s board of directors. The board helps PAI achieve its vision, mission and goals through strategic support, fiduciary oversight and governance.

“PAI’s board of directors is extremely pleased to welcome Barbara to the board and knows we will benefit from her legal expertise as well as her strong commitment to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights,” said Neeraja Bhavaraju, PAI’s board chair. “Barbara’s substantial experience in board governance and oversight, budget approval, auditing and risk management and strategic planning will further bolster PAI’s strong commitment to governance and financial stewardship.”

Prior to her retirement in 2017, Ms. Sapin spent more than 40 years as a labor and employment law attorney, serving as general counsel for NAF and engaging in all aspects of board governance and oversight. She held an eight-year tenure on the board of the NAF Hotline, the largest toll-free, multilingual hotline supporting women in the United States and Canada with information, consultations, provider referrals, case management services and financial assistance for abortion care and related travel needs.

“I’ve had a lifelong commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and I am honored to join the board of PAI,” said Ms. Sapin. “I strongly believe in PAI’s mission and service to women and girls in ensuring their access to reproductive rights and health through PAI’s multiple and far-reaching programs. I believe I have the experience to add to the success of PAI.”

Beyond her tenure with NAF, Ms. Sapin was a presidential appointee to the federal judicial decision-making agency Merit Systems Protection Board, where she served as vice chair and as a board member. In addition, she served as the executive director of the Office of Compliance (now known as the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights), a federal agency responsible for enforcing labor and employment laws throughout the legislative branch. For nearly 10 years, she also served as general counsel and labor counsel of the American Nurses Association, where she focused on nursing practice and health issues.

“Barbara’s career of supporting and advancing rights and health, in addition to her impressive experience at the helm of major institutions and initiatives, will benefit both PAI and our sector,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI, who also serves on PAI’s board of directors. “Her passion for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, combined with Barbara’s incredible legal, strategic and financial acumen, will support critical priorities for our organization and the impact we seek.”

In addition, PAI congratulates board member Tammy Palmer on her election as the vice chair of PAI’s board. Ms. Palmer will serve as vice chair through December 2023.

A leader in strategic planning, international development and conservation, Ms. Palmer has previously held diplomatic and executive management roles in both public and private sectors in various nations across Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. From 2013 to 2018, Ms. Palmer served as vice president of Africa programs for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), where she led global efforts to provide strategic direction to over 300 program employees, including reinforcing the organization’s brand identity across its broad scope of implementation and diversifying funding portfolios across multiple countries. Appointed chief operations officer of JGI in July 2018, she also served simultaneously as the organization’s interim executive director. Ms. Palmer is currently the chief of staff at SC Housing, a self-sustaining agency that is committed to ensuring South Carolinians have the opportunity to live in safe, decent and affordable housing.

Read more about PAI’s entire board of directors here.

 

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About PAI

 

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners, and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. 

 

To learn more, visit www.pai.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

For nearly 60 years, PAI has been working to advance universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights through advocacy, partnerships and the funding of changemakers.

[Washington, DC, June 6, 2023] — Today, in collaboration with the Global Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG) Steering Committee, the GFF NGO Host at PAI announced a second round of grants designed to support civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) in implementing the Global Financing Facility’s (GFF) Civil Society and Youth Engagement Framework. This small grants funding mechanism, supported by the World Bank, aims to accelerate health and nutrition gains for women, children and adolescents. 

The GFF NGO Host disbursed $380,322 to nine organizations in this second round of grant funding — including two based in Guatemala, one each in Indonesia and Pakistan, three in Mauritania and two in Uganda. Earlier this year, 14 CSOs based in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Zambia received $969,678 in round one awards. Cumulatively, 23 CSOs and YLOs in 13 GFF partner countries have received $1.35 million through the GFF NGO Host in rounds one and two. 

Established in 2015, the GFF supports 36 low- and lower-middle-income countries with catalytic financing and technical assistance to scale up access to affordable, quality health care for women, children and adolescents. While many governments around the world have increased their commitment to strengthening primary health care, health system gaps remain. Engaging CSOs and YLOs at all levels helps bridge that gap, enabling countries to achieve their goals to advance health and rights for all.  

Nearly half of round two grantees are using the funding to equip young people with the tools they need to advocate for improved sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (SRMNCAH-N), including tools that are developed by youth themselves. Projects range from better supporting Indigenous youth to advocate for improved policies in Guatemala to strengthening strategic nutrition communications in Indonesia and engaging the private sector in Mauritania.  

Youth Association for Development (YAD) in Pakistan, one of the recent awardees, says the funding will help with “fostering an enabling environment and stronger movement for effective policy, planning, accountability, financing and budget allocation — which will [help] children, youth, women and adolescents to exercise their health and sexual and reproductive health,” explained Atta ul Haq Khaderzai of YAD, adding, “The project ultimately brings outcomes and impact, in terms of reducing the alarmingly high rate of maternal mortality and reducing the infant mortality rate.”

Meanwhile, Benilda Batzin, executive director of Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y Gobernanza en los Sistemas de Salud (CEGSS) noted that the funds “will be able to support the work of citizen monitoring carried out by young Indigenous people … and will facilitate youth to have a voice and active participation in the improvement of the Guatemalan health system.” 

PAI, a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the globe for nearly 60 years, has been administering this GFF initiative. In addition to supporting the small grants mechanism as the GFF NGO Host since May 2022, PAI is providing strategic, technical and institutional capacity-building support to grant partners and the CSCG — a network of 570 civil society and youth advocacy organizations — and fostering learning and exchange opportunities across and among CSO and YLO advocates. 

The third and final round of grants for advancing SRMNCAH-N will total $1.35 million and will be awarded to CSOs and YLOs based in GFF countries that were not included in the first two rounds. Grant partners for the next round of Engagement Grants and Global Goods Grants will be selected from the pool of organizations that have already submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI). The GFF NGO Host is not accepting new EOIs. 

Name	Country	Project Description
Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y Gobernanza en los Sistemas de Salud (CEGSS)	Guatemala	Equipping young, Indigenous health activists with the tools to monitor SRMNCAH-N policies and services in order to engage with authorities and educate Indigenous youth about their health and rights and to effectively advocate for better access to quality health care.
Paz Joven Guatemala	Guatemala	Creating a tool built by young people, for young people, to help train different actors and sectors on the behavior change process and education in SRHR.
Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI)	Indonesia	Incorporating community voices to shape action on health advocacy, formulate policy recommendations and deliver strategic communication, with an emphasis on nutrition.
Youth Association for Development (YAD)	Pakistan	Increasing engagement among partnership members, citizens, government officials and other stakeholders to formulate and implement policies, improve resource mobilization and increase budget allocations for SRMNCAH-N in Balochistan province.
Association des Jeunes aux Services de Rosso (AJSR)	Mauritania	Developing a tool for SRMNCAH-N associations to improve operations and help mobilize financing from the private sector for GFF activities.
Association des Gestionnaires pour le Développement (AGD)	Mauritania	Promoting the capacity building of CSOs, maintaining an officially constituted coalition committed to national health policies, and ensuring meaningful participation of adolescents and young people.
Association Mauritanienne d’Aides aux Malades Indigents (AMAMI)	Mauritania	Influencing the Mauritanian government to increase budget allocations to nutrition, along with monitoring and implementing the country’s health policies and strategies.
Naguru Youth Health Network (NYHN)	Uganda	Improving health outcomes for adolescents and young people in Uganda by developing the GFF Youth Capacity Assessment Tool (GYCAT) to build capacity and improve youth understanding and engagement with country- and global-level GFF processes.
Faith for Family Health Initiative (3FHi)	Uganda	Developing a guide to equip agencies and CSOs with the tactics for mobilizing and engaging SRMNCAH-N champions to advocate for better health and well-being for the communities they serve.

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ABOUT THE GFF NGO HOST AT PAI

The GFF NGO Host and associated Civil Society GFF Resource and Engagement Hub are multiyear initiatives to amplify and support CSOs and coalitions to contribute to GFF partner country outcomes for SRMNCAH-N. Learn more about the GFF-PAI collaboration.

ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners, and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

[Washington, DC, March 20, 2023] – Today, Peruvian NGO Prisma was named the new South America regional hub for the Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH), a network of advocates and social accountability practitioners in the global south advancing health rights and equity. PAI, a leader in championing sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, and COPASAH jointly awarded Prisma $50,000 to support their role and work ahead.

COPASAH supports more than 1,000 individuals and civil society organizations (CSOs) with technical assistance and resources that enable citizens—particularly women, youth and at-risk communities—to have a meaningful voice and hold their governments accountable when it comes to health policy and services.  COPASAH’s regional hubs similarly lead social accountability efforts tailored to the local context in which they work.

“Prisma is proud to collaborate with COPASAH and PAI to support South American practitioners’ efforts to propel health rights and enhance accountability within health systems,” said Marilú Chiang, Executive Director of PRISMA. “With this critical funding, PRISMA will have an even greater impact across the region.”

COPASAH was established in 2021 and consists of a Global Secretariat and West Africa hub based in Nigeria and regional hubs for Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, East Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe and South America respectively based in India, Guatemala, Macedonia, Uganda and Peru. The South America hub has a particularly strong focus on community monitoring of the health rights of Indigenous communities. With more than 36 years of experience establishing strategic partnerships with rural Indigenous community leaders, Prisma is well positioned to advance the hub’s efforts to hold governments responsible for their commitments to communities across the continent.

“I congratulate and commend Prisma for being selected to host the COPASAH South America hub. We look forward to working with them to strengthen health sector accountability and engage various practitioners, advocates, and civil society leaders—leading to bottom-up accountability processes,” said Aminu Magashi Garba, Global Co-convener at COPASAH’s Global Secretariat in Abuja, Nigeria. “Prisma brings unique expertise in coordination, networking, and using accountability tools to bring positive change in health in South America.”

PAI has supported the COPASAH network since 2020 to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes at local, regional, and national levels by developing and implementing effective, inclusive, and coordinated social accountability initiatives.

“PAI’s partnership with COPASAH and its regional hubs reflects our commitment to ensuring the global SRHR movement is led by bold, diverse local voices working to improve the health and lives of their community members,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO of PAI. “The work of COPASAH is urgent, especially in this time when citizen-driven accountability and engagement are required to achieve desired health outcomes and sustain them. Prisma’s track record as a convener, technical expert, trusted partner and advocate ensures strong regional leadership to achieve health equity and progress for all communities.”

About Prisma

Prisma is a Peruvian NGO that designs and implements innovative research studies and projects to enhance the capabilities of, and improve access to opportunities for, vulnerable people, contributing towards the attainment of a more inclusive society and sustainable development. Prisma began its work in 1986 with a multidisciplinary group of professionals intent on reversing Peru’s high rates of chronic child malnutrition and the associated risk factors. Over 30 years of experience and innovations with a comprehensive approach to development have expanded Prisma’s scope to eight areas of action and paved the way for international expansion into Latin America and Africa.

About COPASAH
COPASAH is a community where practitioners who share an interest and passion for the field of community monitoring for accountability in health interact regularly and engage in exchanging experiences and lessons; sharing resources, capacities, and methods; in the production and dissemination of conceptual, methodological and practical outputs towards strengthening the field; and in networking and capacity building among member organizations. COPASAH is organized across six regional hubs managed by the Africa Health Budget Network; Anusandhan Trust; Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women; Center for Health, Human Rights and Development; Centro de Estudios para Equidad y Gobernanza en Sistemas de Salud; and Prisma. This Community of practitioners was established as result of a three day ‘Practitioners Convening on Community Monitoring for Accountability in Health‘ organized by the Accountability and Monitoring in Health Initiative (AMHI) of the Open Society Institute’s Public Health Program in July 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

About PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the country, regional and global levels. PAI works to achieve its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

Today,  PAI announced the recipients of the first round of grants to civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) that will contribute to the implementation of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Civil Society and Youth Engagement Framework. The funding will support CSO and YLO efforts to advance the health of women, children, and adolescents.

Through a competitive and transparent process, US$969,678 in grants were awarded to 14 CSOs and YLOs in eight sub-Saharan Africa countries supported by the GFF – Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, and Zambia. This funding, channeled through a World Bank project, aims to further strengthen CSO and youth organizations to accelerate health and nutrition gains for women, children and adolescents.

Many governments around the world have increased their commitments to strengthening primary health care and advancing universal health coverage to improve the health of women, children, and adolescents. However, health systems in many low and middle-income countries are not operating optimally to meet the basic health needs of the communities they serve.

In partnership with civil society leaders across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, PAI supports and collaborates with CSOs and YLOs in GFF partner countries.  Building on nearly 60 years of experience, PAI is providing awardees with financial grants, strategic advocacy support, capacity strengthening, technical assistance and other resources. The goal is to enable a strong and resilient network of health champions who deeply understand community needs and opportunities that can deliver better and more equitable access to quality health services for all.

“For nearly six decades, and in partnership with our civil society peers and partners, PAI has been steadfast in advocating for the health and rights of communities around the world,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President & CEO of PAI. She added, “The investment from the GFF and this recent round of grant support will enable 14 truly dynamic CSOs and YLOs to better expand, connect, and fortify a global network of advocates who are working to ensure that essential healthcare is funded, delivered and sustained for the long-term.”

The role of CSOs and YLOs is crucial in ensuring that country investment cases supported by the GFF are evidence-based, aligned with country health priorities and reflective of the needs of women, children, and adolescents, especially in hard-to-reach and excluded communities.

“Supporting civil society and youth-led organizations is vital to ensure health systems respond to the needs of the women, children and adolescents they serve,” said Luc Laviolette, Head of GFF Secretariat. “The grants announced today will support civil society to ensure that the most hard-to-reach communities have a say in shaping health investments to drive equitable health outcomes.”

With this funding, the selected partner organizations will ensure the inclusion of community voices and evidence that enables them to strengthen the quality and monitoring of SRMNCAH+N services, while better engaging with policymakers and relevant GFF stakeholders. Advocates will also disseminate knowledge products and resources to community members—including youth, migrants, and women—that explain how civil society, youth networks and coalitions can advance sexual and reproductive rights and universal access to primary health services through the GFF-supported multistakeholder country platform.

“Organisation pour de Nouvelles Initiatives en Développement et Santé (ONIDS) is committed to delivering on smart project goals,” said Cécile Thiombiano Yougbaré, President of ONIDS in Burkina Faso. “We feel empowered being part of a dynamic and sustained partnership that builds on a global movement to strengthen ambitious initiatives at the country and local levels.”

The support will also help CSOs and YLOs to drive community awareness and demand for essential health services including across the SRMNCAH+N spectrum, as well as capacity and coalition building.   For example, in Ethiopia, grant partner Fiker Behiwot Children & Youth Development Association (FBCYDA) is focused on helping migrant youth make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.  FBCYDA project coordinator, Dagem Assefa, said that the grant will help them expand access to quality SHR information at Hawassa University and in high schools.

“Existing innovative approaches will be expanded to address domestic migrant youth and student sexual and reproductive health challenges and ensure sustainability,” said Assefa. “In addition, [this support will] strengthen organizational sustainability and increase youth capacity to address various community problems…as a center of youth-led, youth-based, and youth-focused civil society.”

PAI is currently reviewing applications received for the second round of grants and will notify awardees by March 30, 2023. A third round of grants will soon be announced through PAI, partner websites, as well as the Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG) and other platforms. The full list of grant awardees from this first round of grants can be found below and at GFF CSO Grant Partners.

ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the country, regional and global levels. PAI works toward its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.

ABOUT THE GFF NGO HOST AT PAI

The CSO Global Financing Facility (GFF) Resource and Engagement Hub is a multiyear initiative to amplify and support civil society organizations and coalitions to contribute to GFF partner country outcomes for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition. Learn more about the GFF PAI collaboration 

December 2022 GFF CSO Grant Partners:

 

NAME	COUNTRY	PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Fiker Behiwot Children and Youth Development Association	Ethiopia	Strengthening youth voices and agency in addressing the sexual reproductive health challenges of domestic migrant youth and students in Hawassa city. Youth will have improved access to quality SRHR information and youth-led organizations and groups will be better integrated into partnership networks and platforms as part of scaling up and building the capacity of the youth movement.
Future Hopes Integrated Development Organization	Ethiopia	Building the capacity of students (10-16 years) in low-income areas of Addis Ababa to lead advocacy initiatives to improve SRH services for school youth and break down existing norms that hinder access to information and services.
Marie Stopes Zambia	Zambia	Engaging with Zambia’s SRHR civil society to build a unified movement to advocate for the adoption of the GFF investment case by the government of Zambia. Informed stakeholders will actively work with the Parliament and Ministry of Finance to advance the plan which will create a sustainable financing mechanism for RMNCAH. The project will also strengthen the capacity of Zambia’s civil society to advocate for SRHR and build a strong network of advocates.
Associação Observatório do Cidadão para Transparência e Boa Governação no Sector Saúde	Mozambique	Working with civil society platforms and other stakeholders to engage with the Ministry of Health to enhance the approved GFF investment case. Focusing on improving the process for allocating public resources and having greater social accountability and monitoring to ensure health services respond to community RMNCAHN needs. Additionally, emphasiing the need to make adolescent sexual and reproductive health a priority.
Health and Rights Education Programme	Malawi	Building the capacity of Malawi’s civil society to conduct evidence-based advocacy with the government of Malawi to ensure RMNCAHN priorities are included in the GFF investment case, as well as strengthening political will for increasing domestic resource mobilization. Advancing the adoption of the GFF investment case with a strong accountability framework to monitor the implementation and results.
Youth Initiative for Community Development	Malawi	Strengthening the voices and capacities of Malawi’s SRMNCAH+N Youth Coalition members to influence SRHR decision-makers in policy and budget processes. Promoting social accountability and improving resource allocation, delivery of quality services, and public resource management for SRMNCAH+N.
Réseau Jeunesse Population Développement	Senegal	Strengthening the capacity of CSOs and community leaders to effectively communicate the RMNCAHN needs of communities and meaningfully engage with the government to have their views and recommendations reflected in the GFF investment case. Also developing an inclusive monitoring mechanism to hold the government accountable for its commitments.
Alliance Nationale des Jeunes pour la Sante de la Reproduction	Senegal	Building the capacity of young people to effectively engage with policy-makers and stakeholders to contribute to the GFF investment case and breaking down socio-cultural barriers to the discussion and promotion of sexual health and reproduction for young women and adolescent girls.
Organisation pour de Nouvelles Initiatives en Développement et Santé	Burkina Faso	Building strong partnerships with private sector companies that are well positioned to contribute to improving RMNCAH-N and pushing them to commitment to budget allocation as part of RMNCAH-N funding.
SOS Jeunesse et Defis	Burkina Faso	Strengthening the commitment and leadership of CSOs and young people in advancing the GFF investment case in Burkina Faso and improving the monitoring and accountability framework for its implementation.
Réseau Des Plateformes d’ONG d’Afrique De L’ouest	Regional (Senegal)	Strengthening and building the capacity of civil society in francophone Africa to identify neglected sectors in GFF investment cases and conduct evidence-based advocacy to enhance the plans and hold governments accountable for RMNCAH+N commitments.
Cellule de Liaison des Associations Féminines	Chad	Strengthening the capacity of the national coalition of CSOs to advocate for the prioritization of identified community needs in the GFF investment case and the development of a strong accountability mechanism for monitoring its implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of its interventions for improving RMNCAH.
Association Nationale des Jeunes Femmes Actives pour la Solidarité	Central African Republic	Building the capacity of civil society to monitor and analyze budgets for RMNCAH-N services to identify irregularities and improve budget management to avoid funding disruptions.
Mouvement d’Action des Jeunes de l’Association Centrafricaine pour le Bien-Être Familial	Central African Republic	Building the capacity of the Central African Republic’s (CAR) civil society to conduct advocacy, domestic resource mobilization, monitoring, and evaluation to support the National Health Development Plan (PNDS) as part of improving SRMNCAH-N in the Central African Republic, with an emphasis on improving conditions for women of childbearing age, children, adolescents, and young people.

 

PAI announces the election of Dr. Karla Berdichevsky Feldman, the director general of the National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health at the Mexico Ministry of Health, as a member of PAI’s board of directors. The board provides strategic support, fiduciary oversight and governance direction to help achieve PAI’s vision, mission and goals.

“PAI’s board of directors congratulates Dr. Berdichevsky on her election and is appreciative of her long-standing partnership with, guidance to and support of PAI,” said Neeraja Bhavaraju, board chair. “Dr. Berdichevsky is among the leading voices for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Mexico, the region and globally. We are excited for PAI to continue to benefit from her perspective.”

Dr. Berdichevsky trained as a medical doctor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and holds a master’s degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has led both qualitative and quantitative research and has also conducted projects in health communications, advocacy and multisectoral partnership building. She has collaborated with a variety of civil society organizations and United Nations agencies as well as pharmaceutical companies.

“I’m honored to join such an esteemed board of directors, and I look forward to supporting PAI’s mission of advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights through advocacy, partnerships and funding of changemakers,” said Dr. Berdichevsky. “As a former member of civil society and now serving the government of Mexico, I know how important a vibrant civic space is to advance policies and achieve health equity, equal rights and progress for all people.”

Dr. Berdichevsky has helped shape a new era in Mexico’s efforts to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. As PAI continues to advance its mission, it recognizes the importance of having leaders who center civil society in achieving and sustaining change.

“We are thrilled to have Karla and her 20+ years of experience as a physician, civil society advocate, researcher and national policymaker who has dedicated her career to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of PAI, who also serves on PAI’s board of directors. “Mexico is an example of progress for sexual and reproductive health and rights. There is much that we can learn from the experience of Mexico’s civil society, the responsiveness of Mexico’s leaders and the leadership of Dr. Berdichevsky to enable change and impact for communities at large.”

In addition, PAI congratulates longtime board member Luis Guardia in his election of PAI board treasurer. Mr. Guardia will serve a one-year term through December 2023.

Mr. Guardia serves as president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States. He has also served in top leadership roles in global philanthropy and international development organizations including Global Impact, The ONE Campaign and the International Center for Research on Women. Mr. Guardia began his nonprofit career working in arts and media organizations, including NPR, CPB, the Guggenheim Collection and the Phillips Collection.

Read more about PAI’s entire board of directors here.

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About PAI

PAI champions policies that put women, youth and at-risk communities in charge of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. We work with policymakers in Washington, D.C., and our network of more than 120 funded partners across 36 countries to remove roadblocks to access sexual and reproductive health services and support. For nearly six decades, PAI has helped communities succeed by upholding their basic rights.

To learn more, visit www.pai.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act would repeal the Helms amendment, which bars U.S. foreign assistance funding for abortion, and therefore expand abortion access globally.

Senator Cory Booker today introduced the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act. This is the first-ever legislation to repeal the Helms amendment, a 50-year-old policy that bans the use of U.S. foreign assistance for abortion, putting an arbitrary line between abortion care and all other global health services.

Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also lead this critical legislation, which has 21 original cosponsors.

Sen. Booker introduced the proposed legislation with bill co-leads earlier today.

“We know that in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Americans will be denied access to essential health care services across the United States; however, the repercussions also go beyond our borders. This disastrous decision will be felt around the world, setting back many countries who have long used Roe v. Wade as the basis to strengthen abortion rights protections in their own countries. We must take immediate action to mitigate the global impact of this decision,” said Sen. Booker. “For that reason, I am proud to introduce the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, which will repeal the Helms amendment and ensure that U.S. foreign assistance can be used for safe abortion services overseas.”

Enacted in 1973, the Helms amendment is found in the Foreign Assistance Act and has been passed as part of congressional appropriations bills every year for nearly five decades. It is an antiquated, neo-colonialist policy that has, for nearly 50 years, curbed global reproductive and economic freedom around the world.

The policy prohibits U.S. foreign aid from being used for “the performance of abortion as a method of family planning.” But in practice, Helms has banned all U.S. foreign assistance funds from being used for any abortion care. This policy exacerbates existing health disparities; and denies millions of mostly Black and Brown people in low-to-middle income countries the care they need and want.

“I am proud to lead the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act in the House, the first-ever legislation to repeal the racist 49-year-old Helms amendment. This harmful policy bars U.S. Foreign Assistance from being used to offer abortion care, even in countries where abortion is legal. That is wrong. The United States should not be standing in the way of health care in other countries,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “Now, for the first time in history, this legislation is being introduced in the U.S. Senate. I am grateful for Senator Booker’s leadership to repeal the Helms amendment and expand abortion access in this critical moment. Abortion is health care, and health care is a human right.”

The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act is an opportunity for the United States to fulfill its commitment to protecting and promoting the reproductive health and rights of people living overseas. There is no doubt the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will not only deny millions of people living in the United States their fundamental rights to health care, to bodily autonomy and to freedom, but it will also have a ripple effect around the world. Introducing the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act in the Senate is an opportunity for Congress to address negative global impacts of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, by protecting and promoting the reproductive health and rights of people living overseas.

A broad coalition of global reproductive health, rights and justice advocacy, research and service-delivery organizations celebrates this historic introduction today. This group has been working to mitigate and address the harms caused by the Helms amendment for over a decade. Additionally, the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act is endorsed by more than 180 organizations and quotes from several groups can be found below for inclusion in media coverage.

More information can be found at repealhelms.org.

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Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO, PAI
“Globally, at least 35 million women have abortions in unsafe conditions every year. Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries where there are significant barriers to accessing quality abortion care.

“Restrictive U.S. foreign policies like the Helms amendment create an added burden and undermine country-led efforts to meet the needs of their own communities, reduce maternal mortality and bolster reproductive rights. As the largest donor of global health assistance, the U.S. government is compounding health inequities and amplifying a policy that harms people and their communities.

“The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, which permanently repeals the Helms amendment, would result in at least 19 million fewer unsafe abortions annually, leading to 17,000 fewer maternal deaths and 12 million fewer women needing medical treatment for complications from unsafe procedures. We welcome its introduction in the Senate and urge its swift passage through Congress so that U.S. policy is guided by science, embraces human rights and the autonomy and agency of all people and aligns with global public health institutions that recognize abortion as essential health care.”

Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG, President, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
“Following the catastrophic decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it is more important than ever that the United States promote the right to comprehensive, evidence-based medical care, including abortion, here and around the world. ACOG applauds Senator Booker for introducing the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act as our international partners turn to Congress for leadership as they witness the erosion of women’s rights on our own soil. This legislation is a bold step forward in the fight for global reproductive freedom and access to lifesaving care.”

Kelley Dennings, Campaigner, Center for Biological Diversity
“Universal access to abortion as part of reproductive healthcare is a basic human right. All of us should have agency over our bodies and our decisions about whether — and when — to have children. When safe, legal abortion is restricted, either in the United States or elsewhere in the world, it endangers patients and limits the ability of people to receive comprehensive medical services, make informed healthcare decisions and choose when to start a family. Now is the time to repeal the Helms amendment.”

Nadya Dutchin, Executive Director, American Humanist Association
“Humanists affirm that everyone, everywhere should be able to obtain a safe abortion and have the resources they need to access comprehensive reproductive health care; shamefully, however, the Helms amendment has stood in the way of many in the international community who seek such care and prosperity. The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act rightfully seeks to fix injustice in U.S. foreign assistance policy by making resources available that ensure abortions are safe and accessible, particularly to those who are most marginalized and need family planning services, and the American Humanist Association is proud to endorse this legislation for putting humanitarianism and health first.”

Christy Turlington Burns, Founder, Every Mother Counts
“Access to abortion care is central to the health and human rights of women and pregnant people, both in the United States and globally. Globally, unsafe abortion, which results from barriers to accessing safe, respectful abortion care, is a leading cause of maternal deaths and complications. Every Mother Counts supports the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, which would repeal the Helms amendment, a harmful abortion restriction that keeps maternal and reproductive health care, including abortion care, out of reach for people around the world, and prevents pregnant people and mothers from making decisions about whether, when, and how to give birth.”

Giselle Carino, CEO, Fòs Feminista
“The repeal of Helms amendment, which violates the basic right to self-determination, is long overdue. The U.S. must stop curtailing the life projects of Global South women, girls and people who can become pregnant. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, this is a key moment for global solidarity on advancing abortion rights and in particular to provide information, medication, and support to women and other pregnant people for self-managing an abortion. Feminist activism and movement building across the Global South are bringing about positive change, from the Green Wave in Latin America that successfully pressed for decriminalization of abortion in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, to the recent victories to dismantle colonial-area criminalization laws in Benin, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Now is the time to strengthen transnational connections to secure hard-won rights, hold governments accountable, and advance decriminalization of abortion in laws, policies, and social norms.”

Dr. Herminia Palacio, President and CEO, Guttmacher Institute
“Congress still has the opportunity to demonstrate with actions the US government’s commitment to global healthcare equity and women’s rights by repealing the harmful Helms amendment and passing the Abortion Is Health Care Everywhere Act. The Helms amendment is a deeply unjust and discriminatory policy that prohibits health care organizations abroad from using US global health assistance funds to support safe abortion services. Like other abortion restrictions, this funding ban most harshly impacts people with the fewest resources, including those who have low incomes, are young, or live in rural areas. The evidence is clear and irrefutable: Abortion is an experience shared by millions of people worldwide, both in places where abortion is highly restricted and where it is broadly legal. We urge Congress to recognize the basic human right of all people to decide freely whether and when to be pregnant, and whether and when to bear children.”

Peggy Clark, President and CEO, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
“The International Center for Research on Women applauds the Senate introduction of the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, repealing the Helms amendment. For over four decades, the Helms amendment has limited access to essential sexual and reproductive health services worldwide by restricting funding for abortion care. Abortion is an essential health care service and should be upheld as such, and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and wellness services is a human right. Our research shows that people of all genders who have bodily autonomy are healthier, are more financially secure and are more empowered in their decision-making and participation in social and political life. So we are thankful to the sponsors and co-sponsors of this bill to moving the U.S. one step closer to removing restrictions on foreign assistance so that it can fully support comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights and enable people that get pregnant to have healthier lives with their human rights respected.”

Anu Kumar, President and CEO, Ipas
“Abortion is health care. Everyone, no matter who, no matter where, must have access. When people don’t have access to abortion, they face greater economic struggles, their children have fewer resources; women, pregnant people and providers can go to jail; many people are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term; and being pregnant and giving birth is riskier than having an abortion. Everyone has less freedom.

“For the last 50 years, the Helms amendment has denied people — in low-to-middle income countries — their reproductive rights and the care they want and need. This neo-colonialist policy has played politics with people’s lives in countries thousands of miles away. And now we see the same thing happening in the US.

“The time to act is now. Passing the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act would save the lives of millions of people around the world. This would move us closer to a vision of reproductive justice and a world where everyone can make their own decisions about their future and health with dignity and respect.”

Macarena Sáez, Executive Director, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
“Reproductive rights are human rights. This means that access to reproductive health, including access to abortion services, should be guaranteed to women and pregnant people throughout the United States. We’ve extensively documented how abortion bans across the globe increase unsafe abortion, leading to higher maternal mortality and morbidity rates. The Helms amendment goes against Human Rights Watch’s consistent and yearslong evidence that accessible and safe abortion is essential to protect the rights to life, health, and privacy, among others”.

Mini Timmaraju, President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
“For more than four decades, the Helms amendment has blocked access to abortion care for people around the world. That is, simply put, unacceptable. As anti-choice extremists wage attack after attack on abortion rights in our country, the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act reaffirms our commitment to reproductive freedom for everybody — here and around the world. We applaud Sen. Booker for introducing the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and his commitment to ensuring that communities across the globe have the freedom to make their own decisions about their lives, families, and futures.” 

Jody Rabhan, Chief Policy Officer, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)
“At the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), we know that abortion is safe, essential, time-sensitive health care and that health care is a basic human right. Our Jewish values teach us that every single person’s health is unassailable and that all deserve fair treatment and access to the resources necessary to make their own decisions about abortion without political interference or economic coercion. The Helms amendment has long turned this principle on its head, denying care to millions of individuals around the world and hindering the exercise of their fundamental reproductive rights by blocking use of U.S. foreign assistance funds for abortions services. NCJW is proud to endorse the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act to repeal this dangerous policy and to support access to high-quality, comprehensive reproductive health care services worldwide.”

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, Executive Director, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
“Abortion and access to reproductive medicine is healthcare. And access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, something we all must do our part to provide and guarantee if we are to live up to the teaching that all people are created in God’s image. All people must be afforded the dignity, honor and basic needs to live healthy and whole lives. And abortion care is a central comnent of a dignified human life.”

Christian F. Nunes, President, National Organization for Women (NOW)
“The National Organization for Women fully supports the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and calls on Congress to swiftly pass this critical legislation. The Helms amendment is an antiquated, blatantly racist policy that puts the world’s most vulnerable women at risk by denying them the reproductive health services they so desperately need. This cruel and arbitrary amendment prevents women — particularly Black and Brown women — from becoming leaders in their communities and uplifting economies, leaving them with few options. The United States has long positioned itself as a global leader that fosters equity and equality across borders; the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act will help restore our commitment to advancing gender equality around the world.”

Rev. Katey Zeh, CEO, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC)
“No matter where someone lives, access to comprehensive reproductive health care and family planning measures — including abortion — is one of the most powerful determining factors in their level of education, economic security, health, and overall quality of life. For nearly five decades, the Helms amendment has worked to block people around the globe from receiving this essential care.

“We see this as an ongoing example of U.S. white patriarchal Christian imperialism and a direct attack on religious liberty and individual rights, health, and dignity. People across faith traditions all over the world seek abortion care, and we each possess the sacred human right to exercise our own moral conscience in making decisions about our bodies. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) is honored to be part of the efforts to support the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and bring an end to the unjust Helms amendment, and we thank Senator Hirono for leading this much-needed bill.”

Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)
“Ending the Helms amendment is a powerful step toward ensuring that U.S. foreign policy expands access to quality, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services beyond its borders, including abortion. For far too long, the Helms amendment has denied people of their reproductive rights, kept them from the essential health care they want and need, and reduced the availability of safe, legal abortion. It’s a coercive policy that forces the extreme ideology of a vocal minority in the U.S. on people in many of the lowest-income countries in the world. The policy is a stark example of neocolonialism and deeply rooted in white supremacy, designed to take advantage of the uneven relationship between the U.S. and the countries that receive aid.

“We thank Senators Booker, Duckworth, Hirono, Blumenthal, and Smith for introducing this critical legislation as an important step to protecting abortion access globally.”

Karl Hofmann, President and CEO, Population Services International (PSI)
“Repeal of the Helms amendment is long overdue. We support the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act as a critical first step in a long journey to address the damage the U.S. has caused to the reproductive rights of people in other countries. The Helms amendment has hypocritically and systematically stifled free speech in sovereign countries, impeded the provision of legal abortion allowable under their laws, and in the process contributed to avoidable maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion and a scarcity of post-abortion care. The Helms amendment has been undermining independent partner nations since the Nixon administration. It’s well past the time to end this discriminatory and harmful statute. “

Erin Matson, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Reproaction
“Abortion access is a human right, and the Helms amendment has caused harm and suffering to people around the world. Reproaction strongly supports the passage of the Abortion Is Health Care Everywhere Act. The U.S.-based anti-abortion agenda is a significant driver of maternal mortality and worse outcomes for babies around the world, it’s far from ‘pro life.’ The time to end this is now.”

Jocelyn Foye, Executive Director, The Womxn Project
“There is a dangerous and calculated agenda to take away all access to abortion. Whether it is abortion bans pushed through the US or the harmful policies we export across the globe, politicians are trying to deny us the agency and autonomy in our own reproductive lives. And like other political games, these policies fall hardest on marginalized communities who already struggle to get healthcare. We are proud to work with our partners to get rid of the Helms amendment and take on any attempt to take away our most personal decisions.”

Sonja Spoo, Director of Reproductive Rights Campaigns, UltraViolet
“Bodily autonomy and access to reproductive healthcare is the foundation of a better future for all people. The fight for reproductive freedom is a global fight that we must continue both at home and in solidarity with people around the world as they work to advance reproductive freedom. Critically, that means doing our part to ensure reproductive oppression is not a rote part of our global policy and aid. As we continue to fight back against the loss of constitutional protections for abortion in the United States, we cannot forget the broader fight for reproductive health, rights, and justice. We must continue to advocate to dismantle the policies implemented that deny the world’s most vulnerable communities the right to abortion and other critical forms of reproductive healthcare. We urge Congress to work to pass the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act as part of the overall work to expand access to abortion around the world and in the U.S.”

Renee Bracey Sherman, Founder and Executive Director, We Testify
“In this moment, we need abortion access at any time, for any reason, anywhere and everywhere. The Helms amendment is an outdated, xenophobic and racist policy that forces people of other nations to abide by horrific American anti-abortion beliefs. The Helms amendment is unjust and colonialist at its core. What’s happening right now in the United States cannot continue to spread globally. The We Testify abortion storytellers have had abortions and we know the powerful impact safe access has had on our lives. It’s time for the United States to end its imperialist reign and repeal the Helms amendment to ensure everyone has access to abortion care, no matter where they live.”

North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
“Adolescents and young adults both in the US and abroad deserve access to health systems which acknowledge their reproductive rights. For 47 years, the Helms amendment has stood in the way of ensuring support globally for adolescents and young adults to receive confidential and comprehensive sexual and reproductive care, infringing on this human right on an international scale. Abortion care is essential health care, and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology applauds and endorses the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act in its aim to repeal Helms and remove this barrier to much needed health care for our patients worldwide.”

Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center
“With the devastating decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the US is facing a crisis moment for abortion access domestically. Globally, the US has been exporting its ideology for nearly five decades through policies like the Helms amendment which denies essential medical care and has been interpreted as a total ban on abortion services and information, even in countries where abortion is legal. This harmful policy puts the US in violation of its human rights obligations, denies access to hard fought rights around the world, and it is long past time for its repeal.”

Dr. Marcelle Cedars, President, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
“As we saw with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, expanding access to reproductive care is more important now than ever, especially in developing countries where access to safe care is even more difficult to receive. Abortion access is part of reproductive health care and that is why the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act (AHCE) is so important. We applaud the introduction of this legislation and encourage Congress to do everything in its power to ensure access to comprehensive reproductive health care services is available in the US and in developing countries.”

Shannon Russell, Director of Policy, Catholics for Choice
“Catholics for Choice is proud to join with moral leaders like Sen. Cory Booker in support of the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, which would permanently end the Helms amendment. For decades, Helms has endangered the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world — particularly Black and Brown women, trans men, and non-binary people— by denying them access to basic, life-saving reproductive healthcare. It is a grave affront to our values as faithful Catholics and American citizens, which compel us to advocate for free speech, freedom of religion, and care for the most marginalized in society. The Senate must swiftly pass the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and end this racist, unconscionable policy once and for all.”

Kathleen Mogelgaard, President and CEO, Population Institute
“For almost 50 years the United States has exported a harmful anti-abortion policy with the Helms amendment. The Helms amendment is a racist, colonialist policy that has put at risk the health, lives, and reproductive freedom of people across the world who have no say in U.S. policies. On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever that we fight to eliminate harmful barriers to abortion care for everyone. The Population Institute strongly supports the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, that would repeal the Helms amendment, and we thank Senator Booker for leading this bill along with co-leads Senators Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Mazie Hirono, and Tina Smith. Now is the time to end this harmful and imperialist policy, because abortion is a human right and everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to abortion care.”

Tammy Tibbetts, Co-Founder and CEO, She’s the First
“Every girl has the right to choose her own future. Restrictions on abortion care impact girls’ health and agency at this moment, but these regulations also drastically narrow girls’ ability to choose their path as they grow into adulthood. Abortion restrictions diminish everyone’s freedom.

“She’s the First supports the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act because all pregnant people should be able to access the care they need. This legislation would repeal the Helms amendment, allowing U.S. foreign aid to fund life-saving health care. We support everyone’s right to bodily autonomy, critical healthcare, and privacy. To create a world where girls are respected, we must establish policies that protect their rights.”

Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy, American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
“American Jewish World Service applauds the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, historic legislation which makes clear that abortion is an essential form of health care and that access to abortion is a fundamental human right. For nearly 50 years, the racist Helms amendment has imposed arbitrary and harmful restrictions on abortion services, allowing the United States to control the bodily autonomy and dignity of vulnerable communities around the world, especially Black and brown individuals, LGBTQI+ people and sex workers.

“As a faith-based organization committed to upholding the reproductive rights of all people, AJWS is grateful to the leadership of U.S. Senator Cory Booker and his colleagues — Sens. Blumenthal, Duckworth, Hirono, and Smith – for their commitment to upholding abortion as a human right for all people.”

Nancy Northup, President and CEO, Center for Reproductive Rights
“The Helms amendment has long contributed to the erosion of people’s bodily autonomy and fundamental human rights by stripping them of the ability to make informed decisions about their health and denying access to abortion care. It prevents U.S.-funded health care providers from offering comprehensive and essential reproductive healthcare, even when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. Access to abortion is recognized as an international human right obligation and over 60 countries across all regions of the world have liberalized their abortion laws in the last 30 years. The U.S. is the only country in the world to have taken such an extreme and retrogressive step to end constitutional protections for abortion access and exports these harms via anti-abortion foreign policies. Congress must pass the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and eliminate the Helms amendment once and for all.”

 Tara Romano, Executive Director, Pro-Choice North Carolina
“The overwhelming majority of North Carolinians believe in abortion access and that abortion is healthcare. Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms was extremely out of touch with North Carolinians and the world, and he imposed his anti-abortion beliefs on people across the globe with the Helms amendment, which prohibits foreign government and non-governmental organizations who receive U.S. foreign assistance from using that money to provide abortion care, even if abortion is legal in their country. These kinds of abortion bans disproportionately impact the lives and health of women of color, people of color, and Indigenous people, and run counter to the basic human right of all people to access healthcare and to access abortion. As a North Carolina organization, we call for a full and permanent repeal of the Helms amendment!”