In the midst of continuing challenges to health systems due to the global pandemic and rollback of women’s rights globally, the importance of increased UK support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) cannot be overstated.
The UK has a long track record of promoting global SRHR, both as an important donor and advocate. But these gains, which the UK has been such a positive force in attaining, are at serious risk of stalling or even being reversed as a result of the UK Government’s decision to reduce official development assistance (ODA). In this report, the RCOG makes the case for urgent reinvestment in global SRHR.
To reprise its role as a leading advocate of SRHR globally and deliver on the ambitions of the Women and Girls Strategy, the RCOG is calling on the UK Government to:
- Increase investment in SRHR, including making a financial commitment to spending £500 million per year for the next three years on programing and supplies.
- Invest in new and existing global partnerships and collaborations, particularly on stigmatised issues such as abortion care, FGM and gynaecological health.
- Target investment in evidence-based scalable interventions to increase access to comprehensive SRHR.
- Invest in task-shifting and task-sharing for health workers to support the delivery of integrated SRHR services.
Read the full report