Abstract
Over the past several decades, the fundamental right to reproductive health has been recognized by world leaders as the key to healthy and productive families, communities and countries. An idea that would have raised eyebrows a generation ago has instead informed major global initiatives: Empowering women, girls, and families has far-reaching implications for health, poverty reduction and economic development.
Access to safe, effective, and affordable reproductive health supplies, including contraceptives, has long been inadequate—and the need continues to grow. It is estimated that at least 222 million women in developing countries lack access to family planning methods. The impact of this gap on health and development is devastating: Unmet need for family planning accounts for an estimated 63 million unintended pregnancies in developing countries each year and an estimated 104,000 pregnancy-related deaths.2 Furthermore, studies have shown that every $1 invested in family planning yields a $6 return.3
The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) has worked to increase access to family planning products and other reproductive health supplies since 2007. The effort to place reproductive health at the top of the global agenda has gained momentum over the past several years, and the London Summit on Family Planning in July of 2012 was pivotal in this movement. At this forum, world leaders committed to extend family planning services to an additional 120 million women and girls in the world’s poorest countries by 2020. The subsequent launch of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) and the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women’s and Children’s Health (UN Commission) has been critical for keeping this agenda on track and is focused in a number of key areas—from broad market-shaping interventions to targeted advocacy for policy and funding to ensure that specific medicines are more widely available in high-need regions.
