Kenya was among the countries honored last week during the World Health Organization's annual World Health Assembly for its contributions to enhancing respectful maternity care. The celebration, hosted by the East, Central and Southern African Health Community, followed years of research, partnership, and advocacy spearheaded by the Population Council.
On May 22, 2017, the Population Council will continue its long-standing commitment to reducing preventable maternal deaths from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, by co-sponsoring the first-ever World Preeclampsia Day.
Last week FP2020, the global partnership dedicated to empowering women to access high-quality, voluntary family planning, announced new members to its Reference Group, which provides strategic direction to the partnership.
The Population Council mourns the passing of David Rockefeller, a visionary philanthropist and long-time supporter of the Population Council.
Family planning programs have traditionally assumed that women are responsible for contraceptive use, so that men's job is to support them or at least get out of the way.
But a new recently published analysis "Are Men Well Served by Family Planning Programs" (Reproductive Health) by the Evidence Project found that adolescent boys and men also have a desire for sexual and reproductive health information and services. When information and services are made available they respond with greater contraceptive use. But they aren't very well served by existing programs.
In times of political turbulence, it is often hard to turn away from the breaking news to focus on bedrock understandings and long-range goals.
No matter what political announcements and policy shifts arise, we are still accountable to 225 million women and girls who want to delay, space or prevent a pregnancy and deserve access to voluntary family planning information, services and supplies.
The Population Council, The Girl Generation, and the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme collaborated on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to highlight progress and the remaining gaps in the effort to end the practice by 2030. In a joint commentary, the authors, including the Council’s Jacinta Muteshi, argue for an increased emphasis on strong partnerships and access to greater human and financial resources.
The Population Council has always supported the fundamental right of women and girls worldwide to exercise their full, free and informed choice about if, when, and how many children to have. The U.S. Government’s reinstated Mexico City Policy, often referred to as the “Global Gag Rule,” represents a step back in the global progress to protect women’s rights and reduce maternal deaths and unintended pregnancies.
Dr. Ubaidur Rob, Senior Associate and Country Director, Bangladesh received a prestigious award from the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB) during their 25th International Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting on December 17, 2016. The award is in recognition of Dr. Rob’s leadership in maternal health research particularly as it relates to a reduction in maternal mortality rates due to eclampsia.
