Across the Board, Most Americans Oppose the Global Gag Rule
Across the Board, Most Americans Oppose the Global Gag Rule
New Bipartisan Polling from CHANGE and PAI Reveals a Majority of Voters Oppose Banning U.S. Global Health Assistance to non-U.S. Organizations That Provide Abortion Care or Referrals to Women
A bipartisan poll commissioned by the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) and PAI released today reveals that across age, education level, gender, race, political party and even abortion stance, the majority of American voters are opposed to “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance,” also known as the Global Gag Rule. Nearly 60% of voters reject the policy, which prohibits non-U.S., nongovernmental organizations receiving global health assistance from using their own, non-U.S. funds to provide services, information or referrals for abortions, or to advocate for the legalization or liberalization of abortion services.
CHANGE and PAI engaged public opinion research firms American Viewpoint and Lake Research Partners to conduct a joint nationwide survey among voters to determine the favorability of the Global Gag Rule. The first-of-its-kind survey also measured opinions on the U.S.’s role in providing foreign assistance to other countries for medical care.
Findings include:
- Over half (59%) of voters oppose banning U.S. global health assistance to health care organizations in other countries that provide abortions or referrals to women even if they use their own funding. Three-in-ten (30%) favor banning assistance to these organizations.
- Compared to those in favor of it, nearly twice as many Democrats (58%), Independents (57%), and Republicans (60%) are opposed to the ban.
- A solid majority (60%) favor the U.S. providing foreign assistance to other countries for medical care.
“The Global Gag Rule interferes with access to life-saving medical care, including the prevention and treatment of HIV, and is clearly not reflective of American voter values and attitudes. Across party lines, the majority of voters agree: it is health providers—not U.S. politicians—that know what is best for their patients,” says Serra Sippel, president of CHANGE.
“This polling confirms what we’ve always known—access to quality medical care is a bipartisan issue, and letting health providers make decisions about what to do with their own money is common sense,” says Suzanne Ehlers, President and CEO of PAI.
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About CHANGE
CHANGE is a Washington, D.C.-based women’s rights organization that promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights as a means to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by shaping public discourse, elevating women’s voices, and influencing the U.S. government. To learn more, visit genderhealth.org.
About PAI
PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Last night, the Trump-Pence administration proposed restrictions on Title X funding akin to a domestic version of the Global Gag Rule—a move that would take away women’s basic health, rights, and freedoms. The new guidelines would prohibit recipients of federal family planning funding from providing abortion care, educating patients about abortion options, or making referrals to abortion providers. This would force providers to choose between receiving Title X funding and offering the full range of sexual and reproductive health information and services.
“As we have witnessed from three decades of the Global Gag Rule, senseless and cruel restrictions like the ones proposed for Title X would deprive women of their right to information and care they need, including contraception, cancer screenings, routine health exams and safe abortion services,” said Suzanne Ehlers, President and CEO of PAI.
“PAI has begun documenting preliminary impacts from President Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule in several countries, where health providers have had to cut back on staff, sever ties with key partners and close programs, limiting communities’ access to health care. Unfortunately, we can expect similar consequences under a domestic gag rule. The evidence is clear—whenever and wherever this policy has been imposed, women’s lives have been endangered.”
In PAI’s past documentation of the effects of the Global Gag Rule restrictions on international family planning assistance under President George W. Bush, the policy reduced access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and devastated health systems around the world by undermining the most effective and experienced health care providers and putting their services out of reach. Established providers were forced to close clinics and cut services, clients were deprived of contraceptives, rural and youth community distribution programs were cut back, HIV/AIDS prevention efforts were weakened and screenings and treatments for sexually transmitted infections were reduced.
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Letter to Secretary Tillerson Condemning U.S. State Department Directive
PAI joins more than 150 human rights, health and development organizations in raising our deep concern about the State Department’s decision to strike from its annual Human Rights Report the full range of abuses and human rights violations experienced by women, girls, LGBTQI people, and other marginalized communities around the world.
Historically, the report has put the force of the U.S. government behind the full human rights agenda, and has established solidarity with individuals, organizations and movements everywhere who seek to protect and advance these rights. Publishing this report without all human rights represented jeopardizes this. It will become an incomplete and inaccurate document that is silent on many of the human rights abuses the United States has previously condemned.
“It is deeply concerning but not surprising that an administration that has already taken extreme measures to diminish access to contraception and reproductive health care for women and girls around the world is now turning a blind eye to these issues as central human rights concerns,” said Suzanne Ehlers, President and CEO of PAI.
“In addition to ignoring basic rights of women and other marginalized groups, this move is yet another failure of the Trump administration to acknowledge the harmful impact and influence of its policies, and to exert authority on issues of human dignity and wellbeing.”
PAI joins the following organizations in calling on U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson to uphold the credibility of the Human Rights Report by immediately intervening and reversing course on this decision.
Endorsing Organizations
9to5, National Association of Working Women
Active Projectile Ltd
Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa
Advocates for Youth
Alliance for Peacebuilding
American Atheists
American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
American Psychological Association
Amnesty International USA
APEDDUB
Athlete Ally
Aube Nouvelle pour la Femme et le Développment
AVAC
Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament
Barnabas Charity Outreach
Better World Campaign
Beyond Beijing Committee
CADIRE CAMEROON ASSOCIATION
CARE USA
Catholics for Choice
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
Center for Reproductive Rights
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
CERPA (Centre d’Echanges et de Ressources pour la Promotion des Actions Communautaires)
ChildFund International
CHOICE for Youth & Sexuality
Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights
Council for Global Equality
EngenderHealth
Equality California
Equality Now
F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa
Family Equality Council
FORGE, Inc
Freedom House
Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Friends of UNFPA
Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer – FEIM
Futures Without Violence
Gender Equality Initiative, Elliott School, GW
GESTOS- HIV, Communication and Gender
Girl Rising
GirlForward
Global Fund for Children
Global Fund for Women
Global Health Justice Partnership, Yale University
Global Justice Institute, Metropolitan Community Churches
Global Network of Black People working in HIV
Global Progressive Hub
Global Rights for Women
Global Women’s Institute
Global Women’s Institute at the George Washington University
GreeneWorks
Haus of Khameleon
Heartland Alliance International
HIAS
Housing Works, Inc.
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
Ibis Reproductive Health
Inclusive Security
International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL)
International AIDS Society
International Center for Research on Women
International Fellowship of Reconciliation
International Rescue Committee
International Women’s Development Agency
International Women’s Health Coalition
International Women’s Rights Action Watch
International Youth Foundation
International-Curricula Educators Association
IntraHealth International
Ipas
Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
JAGO NARI (Fighting For Women Empowerment)
John Snow, Inc. (JSI)
Kazakhstan Feminist Initiative “Feminita”
Khalili Consulting
Landesa (Rural Development Institute)
Latinoamerican and Caribbean Afrodescendent Women Network
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Los Angeles LGBT Center
MADRE
Marie Stopes International
Mercy Corps
Milaan Foundation
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NASTAD
National Abortion Federation
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Jewish Women
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
National Women’s Health Network
National Women’s Law Center
NFBPWC-NYC
NFBPWC-USA
OutRight Action International
OutServe-SLDN
PAI
PARI o DISPARE
PaRiter
Pathfinder International
Peace X Peace
People For the American Way
Plan International USA
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Connection Action Fund
Population Council
Population Institute
Pride at Work
Promundo-US
PSI
Rainbow Pride Foundation
Refugees International
Regional Centre for international development cooperation
ReSista
Saferworld
Save the Children
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
Shadhika
Sierra Club
Simavi
Smash Strategies
Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies
Tahirih Justice Center
The Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS
The Employee Rights Advocacy Institute for Law & Policy
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF)
The HUBB bk
The Hunger Project
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL)
The United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
The Voices and Faces Project
Tonga Leitis Association
Too Young To Wed
U.S. National Committee for UN Women
Union for Reform Judaism
United Methodist Church
United Nations Association-USA
Universal Access Project
University of Pennsylvania
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
V-Day and One Billion Rising
Vision Spring Initiatives
Vital Voices Global Partnership
What Works Association
Witness to Mass Incarceration
Women Action for Gender Equality (WAGE)
Women Employed
Women Enabled International
Women for Afghan Women
Women for Peace
Women for Women International
Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS)
Women Thrive Alliance
Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
Women’s Refugee Commission
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, Moravian College
Woodhull Freedom Foundation
World Education
YWCA USA
Zonta International
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Qualifications for the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues U.S. Department of State
Empowering women and girls is central to U.S. foreign policy. Investing in gender equality advances the U.S. government’s standing as a moral leader, strengthens its national security, and creates economic opportunities both abroad and at home in the United States.
The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues (GWI) leads the Department of State’s work to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. The Office of Global Women’s Issues, which has had long-standing, bipartisan support, leads the Department’s efforts to include women and girls in U.S. diplomacy, partnerships and programs. This Senate-confirmed position is the highest-ranking official with this mandate in the State Department.
Any nominee for this post should, at a minimum, be a champion for the equality, rights and empowerment of women and girls. Candidates for this important post should be carefully considered throughout the nomination and confirmation process, and should have at least the following qualifications:
Qualifications and Experience
Commitment to gender equality and advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls
- Commitment to working with a broad range of governments, civil society, private sector, grassroots women’s and community-based organizations that represent various backgrounds and perspectives
- Experience working in international affairs
- Track record of advancing women’s empowerment
- Commitment to opposing all forms of discrimination and violence, and to empowering vulnerable populations, including religious, racial and ethnic minorities; indigenous peoples; people with disabilities; LGBTQI; people living with HIV or AIDS; migrants, refugees and internally displaced people; older persons, married or unmarried adolescents and youth; widows; or people who are economically disadvantaged
Understanding of U.S. foreign policy and mechanisms used to implement commitments to gender equality
- Knowledge of the Global Women’s Issues Office and a commitment to the Office’s mission and role within the U.S. Department of State
- Understanding of the suite of current U.S. government strategies for women and girls empowerment, such as the National Action Plan on Women
- Peace and Security, the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence, U.S. Department of State Strategy for Women’s Economic
- Empowerment, the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, and a willingness to implement and leverage those strategies within U.S. foreign policy
- Commitment to U.S. government leadership in the global community and leveraging the UN system and other multinational institutions as a positive force for change for women and girls
- Experience in applying non-partisan research, evidence and data as the basis of setting priorities and making decisions
- Commitment to holistic and human-rights based programming approaches that advance the policy imperative of gender equality and female empowerment
- Commitment to supporting and promoting women’s autonomous decision making over their bodies and their lives
- Ability to bring about consensus to advance shared values and interests
Endorsing Organizations
Action for Women and Children Concern (AWCC) Somalia
Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa
Advocacy, Research, Training and Services (ARTS) Foundation
Advocates for Youth
AJWS
Alliance for Peace and Human Rights
American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel on Violence
ART WORKS Projects
Ba Futuru
CARE USA
Catholics for Choice
Coalition pour le Développement et la Réhabilitation Sociale, CODR UBUNTU
Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD)
Council for Global Equality
Development Action Association
Equality Now
Femmes- Sante-Developpement (FESADE)
Forum for African Women Educationalist Kenya Chapter
Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Futures Without Violence
Girl Up
Global Rights for Women
Global Women’s Institute
GreeneWorks
Heartland Alliance International
U.S. National Committee for UN Women
Himiza Social Justice
Hope for the Needy Association (HOFNA) Cameroon
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
The Hunger Project
Inclusive Security
Institute for International Law and Human Rights
InterAction
International Action Network for Gender Equity and Law
International Center for Research on Women
International Rescue Committee
International Women’s Health Coalition
International Youth Foundation
Islamic Relief USA
Malkia Foundation
Men’s Story Project
Mercy Corps
MSASI
National Organization for Women
OutRight Action International
Oxfam America
PAI
Peace is Loud
Plan International USA
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Council
Population Institute
Project Concern International
Promundo-US
Regional Alliance for Fostering Youth – RAFY
Sahiyo
Save the Children
Shamwariyemwanasikana
Solidarity Center
Too Young To Wed
United States International Council on Disabilities
U.S. National Committee for UN Women
Vanuatu Young Women For Change
V-Day
Vision Spring Initiatives
Vital Voices
Global Partnership
VOICE 4 Girls
The Voices and Faces Project
Women for Women International
Women LEAD Nepal
Women-Concern Liberia
Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON)
Women Graduates-USA
Women’s Refugee Commission
Women Thrive Alliance
WOUGNET
Youth Coalition Against Gender-based Violence – SEMERERA
Youth Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (YELI-Burundi)
YWCA USA
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
President Trump’s Budget Would Cause Millions of Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions around the World
Elimination of international family planning assistance escalates the Trump administration’s ruthless assault on women and compounds deadly effects of expanded Global Gag Rule.
Today, President Trump unveiled a budget plan for the coming year that would inflict unprecedented and destructive cuts targeted at the poor and most vulnerable, including a complete elimination of international family planning assistance from $607.5 million in FY 2017. Trump’s radical budget threatens women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services that help improve maternal and child health, reduce unintended pregnancies, lower HIV infection rates, and promote women’s rights and empowerment.
Abandoning investments in international family planning would be felt by women and girls who are left without recourse to find alternative means to protect themselves against unplanned pregnancies—many of which will now result in unsafe abortions. Eliminating U.S. assistance for international family planning and reproductive health programs would result in 3.3 million more abortions; 15,000 more maternal deaths, 8 million more unintended pregnancies, and 26 million fewer women and couples receiving services.
The budget follows the Trump administration’s announcement last week of a devastating Global Gag Rule expansion by fifteen orders of magnitude, which would for the first time also impact funding for HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, malaria, global health security and other global health programs. At the time, officials declared that “the United States remains deeply committed to supporting health programs around the world. This change will have no impact on the total amount of U.S. Government funding for health programs around the world.”
Today’s budget request patently contradicts these assertions. “By zeroing out international family planning, the Trump administration demonstrates its flagrant disregard for human lives,” said Jonathan Rucks, PAI’s director of advocacy. “It wasn’t enough to cut off providers of comprehensive services with Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule—this budget would ensure that millions more will be left without access to care, imperiling global health systems.”
Investments in sexual and reproductive health programs lead to healthier communities and greater economic potential and security abroad. U.S. investments in family planning and reproductive health programs are cost-effective and save lives. Every $1 invested in contraception saves $1.47 in pregnancy-related care and up to $150 for every dollar invested in other development areas.
Learn more about how Trump’s Global Gag Rule and budget cuts will harm women and communities.
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Trump Administration Makes Expanded Global Gag Rule Even More Deadly, Renames it “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance”
Today, the U.S. State Department announced plans for implementing President Trump’s vastly expanded Global Gag Rule. All foreign NGOs receiving any U.S. global health assistance will now be forced to choose between receiving U.S. funding and providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care.
In addition to burdening organizations receiving family planning and reproductive health assistance, for the first time, providers implementing programs for maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS (including PEPFAR), malaria, tuberculosis, infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, and water sanitation and hygiene will now be subject to oppressive Global Gag Rule restrictions. This impacts nearly $9 billion in global health assistance for programs at USAID, the Department of State and the Department of Defense.
Trump’s Global Gag Rule impacts about 15 times more U.S. funding and also extends the reach of restrictions beyond NGO grants and cooperative agreements to contracts. This will also broaden the reach of the policy’s already deadly effects, including increasing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal and child mortality. Previously known within the U.S. government as the Mexico City Policy, Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule has been deceptively re-branded “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance.”
“In his campaign to stifle women’s autonomy, Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule will cause unspeakable damage to integrated care efforts across all health sectors. It will cost many around the world their lives—especially women,” said Suzanne Ehlers, President and CEO of PAI. “Despite the Trump administration’s ludicrous rebranding of the policy, the Global Gag Rule is unmistakably deadlier than ever.”
The expansion of the Global Gag Rule by President Trump threatens to exclude some of the most effective—and in some cases, only—local health providers in 60 low- and middle-income countries. Without funding, these organizations will be unable to provide integrated maternal health care with contraceptive services, HIV prevention, care and treatment services, or counsel women on their potential risks of Zika infection, among many other services, leaving communities and entire health systems devastated.
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Just two days after President Trump vowed that the United States would “continue to fight for women’s rights and equality across the country and around the world” the Trump-Pence administration commemorated Women’s History Month by doubling down on policies intended to reverse progress on reproductive rights.
The release of the Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Nongovernmental Organizations outlines the administration’s initial guidance for the implementation of its harmful Global Gag Rule. (This guidance is identical to the March 2001 standard provision.) Although Trump’s Global Gag Rule dramatically expands the scope of the policy to all global health assistance, today’s guidance singles out only those programs that include U.S. family planning assistance. The prioritization of reproductive health programs in this initial guidance makes clear the Trump-Pence administration’s continued efforts to treat women as pawns in its anti-choice game of politics.
Trump’s Global Gag Rule risks women’s health and lives by forcing foreign NGOs to choose between receiving U.S. global health assistance and providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care. Providers must agree to not offer—with their own money—legal abortion services, and information or even referrals for abortion services or to advocate for abortion law reform in order to remain eligible to receive U.S. family planning funds.
“In the Trump-Pence administration’s haste to place women in the first line of fire of a grotesque and deadly policy, today’s piecemeal and incomplete guidance will generate disorder and inefficiency among both U.S. and foreign NGOs,” said Jonathan Rucks, Director of Advocacy at PAI.
“It’s hard to overstate how severely the Global Gag Rule will damage local health systems and undercut the work of our foreign NGO partners who provide vital health services to communities. Singling out family planning assistance from the rest of global health assistance will magnify the Global Gag Rule’s dangerous chilling effect and broaden the burden and harm to integrated health efforts.”
Family planning is a vital part of basic health care services and family planning clinics often serve as the entry point for women to access the entire health system. Whether here in the United States or abroad, attacks on family planning under the erroneous pretense of curbing legal abortions puts lifesaving services out of reach for the most vulnerable women. Evidence shows that restrictions imposed by the Global Gag Rule on family planning assistance do not decrease the number of abortions in developing countries, but reduces access to contraception and leads to more unwanted and high-risk pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal illness, injury and death.
With President Trump’s unprecedented expansion of the policy to all global health assistance funding, the Global Gag Rule’s impact on health systems will be more severe and leave countries less able to respond to basic health needs and emerging crises. It remains to be seen how it will apply the policy to other sectors, but one thing is abundantly clear—the Trump-Pence administration is set on attacking women everywhere, no matter the cost.
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Today, President Trump signaled his intention to put anti-choice politics ahead of women’s lives by imposing the Global Gag Rule, a policy that will leave millions of women and their families in the developing world without access to the critical health services that they need.
The Global Gag Rule causes irreparable harm by forcing organizations that provide information, referrals and services for legal abortion to choose between receiving U.S. family planning funding and providing high-quality reproductive health services and counseling to women.
Trump’s Global Gag Rule will not only severely restrict access to legal abortion, but will also have more insidious and damaging effects on women’s health overall. Health care providers will be forced to cut services, increase fees, and even close clinics altogether as a result of severe funding cuts. There are 225 million women in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception, but this policy will put birth control even farther from their reach.
One thing is clear: Trump’s Global Gag Rule is consistent with the Trump-Pence administration’s strategy of attacking the most-trusted and experienced health providers—whether in the United States or overseas—as a means of putting critical women’s health care out of reach—and dismantling women’s fundamental human rights.
“Trump’s Global Gag Rule will obstruct and destroy the work of health care providers who are often women’s main—and sometimes only—source for reproductive health care, and their entry point for receiving a wide range of primary health care services,” said Suzanne Ehlers, President and CEO of PAI. “To be clear, this policy is an attack on women’s bodily autonomy and freedom, and we will see an increase in unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions as a result.”
The world has made incredible progress in improving women’s health and advancing reproductive rights. Many countries have both increased domestic funding for family planning and liberalized abortion laws. Trump’s Global Gag Rule will reverse decades of progress and have a devastating negative impact on reproductive, maternal and child health. The only goal the policy will achieve is to punish women in already challenging circumstances by blocking access to essential care.
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
PAI is launching RHAP—Reproductive Health Advocacy Partnership—a multi-year initiative to build stronger advocacy institutions that can effectively influence funding and policy decisions on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Malawi and Zambia. The initiative is now seeking applicants. Four grants are available. Two will be awarded in Zambia and Malawi respectively for an initial six-month period. Qualifying organizations will be eligible for further funding at the end of the initial grant period. The deadline for applications is September 23, 2016.
PAI’s country-level work is predicated on building the capacities of local civil society organizations to create positive change for sexual and reproductive health and rights in their country contexts and beyond. Access to quality, affordable family planning and reproductive health services cannot be accomplished without strong civil society organizations.
“PAI understands the importance of collaborating with local organizations because we believe in sparking and developing indigenous movements,” said Allie Doody, PAI international advocacy associate and project manager of RHAP.
“We recognize that they are best positioned to identify opportunities in their communities. PAI takes pride in supporting local programs that improve family planning and reproductive health information, supplies and services for women and girls.”
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
PAI has selected the six grant recipients under its new YOUAccess Fund, which provides capital and seed funding to youth-led organizations in the Global South to advance access to and use of contraception. The YOUAccess grants provide flexible funding that allows for risk-taking and provides a platform for youth ownership of projects. The awardees will contribute to building family planning champions among policymakers, leaders, and organizations at national, district and community levels. The grants offer the opportunity for innovative project development, knowledge sharing, and evidence-building for the best course for future initiatives to meet youth contraceptive needs.
Grant recipients are as follows:
- My Age Zimbabwe Trust will advocate for the provision of two mobile family planning clinics in three IDP camps in the Marondera Rural district.
- Personal Initiative for Positive Empowerment Kenya (PIPE Kenya) aims to engage service providers and policymakers to ensure that family planning programs enable young women living with HIV access to contraception.
- Rayons des Initiatives Culturelles, Musicales et des Arts Oraux (RICMAO ASSO) seeks to advocate with national, municipal, and private-sector decision-makers to secure free contraceptives and access to contraceptive information for 2,000 youth in the city of Porto-Novo.
- ZOE-MED Organization will train staff in three clinics in the Northwest region of Cameroon on how to counsel young people with disabilities on family planning.
- Association Lead Santé plans to increase family planning and reproductive health resources, information, and services for students in three schools in rural Madagascar.
- Women Promotion Centre will pursue abolishing forceful pregnancy tests for girls in 15 schools in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PAI awarded the six grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 based on strength of application, feasibility of advocacy opportunities, innovative programmatic design, and demonstrated leadership.
Youth access to contraceptives is critical because more than one in four girls in the developing world gives birth by the age of 19, and maternal mortality is the second-leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15-19.
“PAI has long recognized the significant potential of young leaders in advocating for their right to lead healthy lives and determine their own futures,” said Katelyn Bryant-Comstock, PAI Research Associate and project manager of the YOUAccess fund.
“We are proud to support these promising programs at youth-led organizations committed to advancing contraceptive access and use among young people who need it—we believe our investment will go far.”
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
PAI Named a Finalist for the 6th Annual Classy Awards
PAI has been selected as a finalist for the 6th Annual Classy Awards—the largest social impact awards ceremony of its kind, celebrating the greatest champions of social progress. This honor recognizes the innovation of PAI’s quality-focused QUEST initiative in the human rights and social justice category. QUEST: Quality Upheld, Every Service, Every Time assists local advocates in Ethiopia, Myanmar, India, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pakistan in strengthening their abilities to assess and monitor the quality of family planning programs and make the case for quality and rights to be a national priority.
Around the world, 225 million women and girls want to prevent pregnancy but need modern contraception. While national and international interest in expanding access to reproductive health is on the rise, policymakers often don’t place adequate emphasis on the quality of care delivered and the rights of the women and girls receiving that care. That’s why PAI launched QUEST. Through this initiative, PAI and its partners will deliver original analysis to inform a broader understanding of the gaps, opportunities, and challenges affecting quality and rights at the national and sub-national levels.
Classy reviewed over 1,300 program submissions from 1,100 global organizations. Eligible programs needed to address a social problem, have at least one year of measurable results, and have at least one headquarter in the US or Canada. Of the 100 finalists, 10 winners will be selected by the Leadership Council and announced onsite at the awards in Boston on June 16th.
“The Classy Awards team spends a year extensively researching social innovations from around the world. We’ve been fortunate to discover some incredible organizations over the past few years, but this year’s pool of nominees is one of the strongest we’ve ever seen! We’re honored to play a role in convening leaders throughout the sector to recognize their efforts,” said Pat Walsh, Co-Founder and CIO of Classy.org.
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About Classy
Classy is the world’s first social impact platform with the goal of helping organizations solve social problems more effectively and efficiently. Since launching in 2011, Classy has helped more than 2,500 social enterprises including Oxfam, World Food Program USA, and National Geographic to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Classy also hosts the Collaborative and Classy Awards to recognize excellence in social innovation. Based in San Diego, CA, Classy employs a staff of over 150 people and was recently recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s 10 Most Innovative Companies for Social Good. Classy is backed by investors including Mithril and Salesforce Ventures.
About PAI
PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.
Statement from Jonathan Rucks, Director of Advocacy
This morning, Secretary Kerry announced the launch of the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, which will unite the State Department (including PEPFAR), USAID, Peace Corps, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation in a strategic response to challenges that adolescent girls face around the world.
The strategy emphasizes the rights of girls, including their right to quality education in safe environments, and aims to prevent and address child, early and forced marriage, gender-based violence, and female genital mutilation (FGM) and their consequences. It also critically recognizes the important role girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights plays in their empowerment and the need to address the barriers that limit their ability to exercise these rights and access comprehensive, quality health information and services.
“PAI applauds this commitment to advancing the health, safety, and prosperity of young women and girls as a strategic U.S. foreign policy priority,” said PAI’s Director of Advocacy Jonathan Rucks.
“We have shown that we can help girls and women succeed by upholding their rights and championing policies that put them in charge of their reproductive health. We are energized by the coordinated effort to empower girls and increase awareness of their rights—a critical first step toward self-determination and opportunity.”
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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.