Advancing Leadership for Women’s Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in the WHO African Region

27 August 2025
World Health Organization

Lusaka, Zambia - Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegation from Member States attended a high-level meeting, titled "Advancing Leadership for Women's Health and SRHR in the WHO African Region", as part of the 75th Session of the Regional Committee of the WHO African Region. Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, Director of Programme Management, representing the WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Mohamed Janabi. chaired the meeting with countries participating in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Initiative. Dr. Diallo commended the Ministers of Health for their dedication and efforts to promote SRHR. He also expressed appreciation to the large anonymous donor, whose support has been instrumental in promoting government-led strategies and in building resilient health systems capable of delivering equitable SRHR services through primary healthcare.

“This initiative shows what is possible when governments lead with vision and determination” said Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, Director of Programme Management at WHO Regional Office for Africa. “The leadership of African Ministers of Health is the most critical determinant of progress for women’s health and rights in our Region.”

Continued: https://www.afro.who.int/news/advancing-leadership-womens-health-and-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-srhr-who

27.08.2025

Commentary

Advancing Leadership for Women's Health and SRHR in the WHO African Region

Dr Austin Demby

Dr Mohamed Janabi

Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo

World Health Organization

How a network of women in Latin America transformed safe, self-managed abortions

June 8, 2025
By Marta Martínez, Liana Simstrom
Podcast: 41-Minute Listen

In November 1990, more than 3,000 women descended on the sleepy beach town of San Bernardo del Tuyú, Argentina, for what was becoming a legendary event.

Activists, doctors, academics, social workers and lawyers from across the Americas traveled all the way to attend a feminist gathering known as an Encuentro.

While they publicly debated their political demands, the piece of information that made the biggest impact on the future of abortion was exchanged in private, in whispers.

Continued; https://www.npr.org/2025/06/08/g-s1-68729/latin-america-abortion-activism

08.06.2025

Interviews/Podcasts

'La Escuela Socorrista

abortion accompaniment workshop

abortion manual

abortion pills

abortion support networks

Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe

First Responders Network

Gabriela Luchetti

green bandana

green wave

Ibis Reproductive Health

Kelly Blanchard

Las Libres

Lesbianas y Feministas por la Descriminalización del Aborto

Lesbians and Feminists for Abortion Decriminalization

self-managed abortion

self-managed abortion manual

Socorristas En Red

Veronica Cruz

Women on Waves

World Health Organization

Malawi: NGO Hails Malawi Government for Reducing Maternal Mortality

13 March 2025
Centre for Solutions Journalism (Blantyre)

Centre for Solutions Journalism (CSJ) has described government's post-abortion care programme as 'life-saving and extremely important,' in ensuring that no single woman or girl suffers or dies due to pregnancy related-causes.

CSJ Executive Director Brian Ligomeka said while access to abortion services remain restricted, it was important to appreciate the success of Malawi's post-abortion care unit.

"While our wish is that no single woman or girl should suffer or die from the consequences of unsafe abortions through provision of abortion services, we need to appreciate some of the current interventions of the government," he said recently, on the sidelines of the training sessions.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202503140033.html

13.03.2025

News

Brian Ligomeka

Centre for Solutions Journalism

Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion

Dr Francis Makiya

Malawi

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

unsafe abortion

World Health Organization

Why US abortion restrictions matter beyond borders

To restore its position as a global advocate for human rights, the United States must ensure access to abortion within its borders.

March 10, 2025
By Jena Merritt

Abortion is healthcare—essential, life-saving, and fundamental to bodily autonomy. However, access to this critical service has become increasingly uncertain in the United States. Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, state-level restrictions have created a patchwork of access, leaving many without options. While the immediate effects are felt domestically, the ramifications extend far beyond US borders, influencing global attitudes toward reproductive rights.

Continued: https://www.openglobalrights.org/why-US-abortion-restrictions-matter-beyond-borders/

Why foreigners in Czechia face hidden barriers to abortion

Despite legal abortion access, foreign women—especially non-EU nationals—face bureaucratic, financial, and legal hurdles that can delay or deny care.

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas
March 7, 2025

Abortion is legal in Czechia, but foreign women, particularly those from outside the EU, face numerous obstacles when seeking safe and timely abortion care.

The latest report from The Abortion Support Alliance Prague (ASAP), found that nearly half of the 70-plus state hospitals surveyed were uncertain about providing abortions to non-citizens, while 43 percent of hospitals refused to provide abortion services to EU citizens, either due to legal uncertainty or restrictive internal policies.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/legal-but-inaccessible-the-hidden-barriers-to-abortion-for-foreigners-in-czechia

Right wing policies threaten gender equality and health security

Young people call for all sexual and reproductive health services including safe abortion rights

SHOBHA SHUKLA – CNS
08 Feb 2025

Donald Trump’s presidency is likely to have far-reaching consequences for sexual and reproductive health, bodily autonomy and human rights worldwide. He has already withdrawn USA’s financial support to the UN health agency World Health Organization (WHO), and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer share its invaluable expertise with the WHO.

Also all ongoing (as well as future) projects funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been put on immediate hold. Many of these are lifesaving health programmes, including those directly related to sexual and reproductive health services.

Continued: https://kashmirtimes.com/opinion/comment-articles/right-wing-policies-threaten-gender-equality-and-health-security

United States Blocks Global Funding for Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Again.

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Jan 27, 2025

In his first week in office, Donald Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule, re-igniting a crisis for global health and reproductive rights. This policy restricts non-US organizations from receiving US international assistance if they provide, educate, refer or advocate for safe abortion, even with resources from other donors.

First introduced in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, the Global Gag Rule is a policy that has been repeatedly repealed and reinstated depending on the U.S. administration. Research shows that this policy increases maternal mortality, reduces access to contraception, and pushes people toward unsafe abortions.

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2025-01-27-united-states-blocks-global-funding-sexual-and-reproductive-rights-again

How Trump’s ban on funding for overseas abortion groups will transform global health

By Gabriela Galvin
25/01/2025

The US tends to ping-pong on the rule based on the president’s political party, but Trump’s version goes further than previous bans.

US President Donald Trump has reinstated a funding ban that targets international abortion services with it likely to have ripple effects across the world.

Health clinics and nonprofits in developing countries are preparing for whiplash as the so-called Mexico City Policy comes into effect, which will curb access to contraception, abortion, and other sexual health services.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/01/25/how-trumps-ban-on-funding-for-overseas-abortion-groups-will-transform-global-health

Self-managed abortion: A global human rights imperative

To safeguard individuals’ control over their reproductive health and protect human rights, governments must remove legal barriers that hinder access to self-managed abortion.

November 26, 2024
By Andrés Constantin & Katherine Mayall, Open Global Rights

In the ongoing struggle for reproductive justice, self-managed abortion has emerged as a vital tool for ensuring reproductive autonomy, privacy, and health. Self-managed abortion is the process of ending a pregnancy without direct clinical supervision, often by using medications such as mifepristone and misoprostol. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that people can safely self-manage abortion using medication abortion pills during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, making this an essential aspect of advancing reproductive rights globally.

Yet, although this practice offers a critical pathway for individuals to exercise control over their reproductive health, legal and policy barriers remain entrenched worldwide, obstructing access to self-managed abortion. This is not simply a health issue—it is a profound human rights violation that demands urgent attention.

Continued: https://www.openglobalrights.org/self-managed-abortion-a-global-human-rights-imperative/

Cayman Islands – End to abortion ban recommended by Law Reform Commission

By Norma Connolly
November 22, 2024

The Law Reform Commission has recommended legalising abortion in the Cayman Islands.

Procuring an abortion is currently against the law in Cayman, unless done to save the life of the mother, and is listed as an offence in the Penal Code – a situation that the commission members described as “draconian”.

The Law Reform Commission, which had been tasked with reviewing the Penal Code to ensure it aligns with the Bill of Rights, has recommended that the offence of procuring an abortion should be repealed and replaced with standalone legislation “to provide access to and regulate abortion”.

Continued: https://www.caymancompass.com/2024/11/22/end-to-abortion-ban-recommended-by-law-reform-commission/

22.11.2024