In a newly published op-ed in Think Global Health, Council Program Director Thoai Ngo underscores the importance of a United States national response to the COVID-19 pandemic that addresses persistent health and economic inequalities faced by Black and Latinx communities.

As the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths climb in Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin—a researcher and demographer known for her work on child marriage—shared her perspective in a commentary published in Netra News on the disproportionate burden of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on Bangladeshi women and girls. In the piece, she calls on the world to recognize that women and girls are especially vulnerable to this pandemic and the conditions of these unprecedented times, but also have the potential to help support effective response strategies.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape our lives and health systems, Council Program Director Thoai Ngo and President of Ibis Reproductive Health Kelly Blanchard share their views on abortion care during these unprecedented times in an opinion piece for Thomson Reuters Foundation News. Citing two new evidence reviews on women’s ability to manage abortions with safe and effective medicines during early pregnancy, the authors support self-managed abortion during – and after – this pandemic as a method that puts less strain on health systems and allows women access who might be hampered by isolation and distancing mandated in response to COVID-19.

The life and legacy of Dr. C. Wayne Bardin, former director of the Population Council’s Center for Biomedical Research (CBR) and chairman of the International Committee for Contraception Research at the Population Council, was honored at the New York Times. James Sailer, CBR’s current Executive Director, spoke about Dr. Bardin’s groundbreaking work.

In a video at Bloomberg's Tic Toc, Jim Sailer, Executive Director of the Population Council's Center for Biomedical Research (CBR), explains how the Council's Nestorone®/Testosterone (NES/T) transdermal male contraceptive gel works and speaks about the importance of gender equality in preventing pregnancy.

The Population Council has been conducting high-quality research to determine what works and what doesn’t work to empower girls and prevent child marriage for years. That expertise and our research in Ethiopia took center stage in a BBC World Service feature, in a featured piece at Voice of America, and in a blog post featuring Malala Yousafzai and her girls’ education advocacy organization, the Malala Fund.

A recent feature at Reuters highlights Annovera, the one-year contraceptive vaginal ring developed by the Population Council, and the potential it has to give women more control over their contraceptive choices.

In response to a New York Times report on the dearth of women enrolled in H.I.V. clinical trials, Ruth Merkatz, director of clinical development at the Population Council’s Center for Biomedical Research and former director of the Office of Women’s Health at the FDA, wrote a letter to the editor about the essential need for gender equality in clinical trials.

This week, the world comes together at the world’s largest conference on gender equality and health, Women Deliver 2019, to power progress for girls and women. It couldn’t come at a more critical time. As women’s rights are being eroded in the U.S. and around the world, it is the rising generation of girls who will feel the greatest burden.  

In an op-ed at Dawn, Population Council’s Pakistan Country Director Zeba Sathar illuminates the need to care more for women not just as mothers, but for the value they bring in every capacity including the home, family, and society.