Canada champions sexual and reproductive health and rights at Family Planning Summit in London

July 11, 2017 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

With its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada is taking a leadership role by championing the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and girls at the Family Planning Summit in London, United Kingdom.

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced up to $241.5 million in funding for projects supporting SRHR. This investment is part of Canada’s $650-million comprehensive approach to address gaps in funding for SRHR.  

Canada’s approach to SRHR recognizes the vital role of family planning in empowering women and girls, including in humanitarian settings. Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy applies a human rights approach that advances gender equality and promotes equal rights for women and girls as the most effective way to reduce poverty.

Projects supported by today’s announcement will provide comprehensive sexuality education, strengthen reproductive health services and invest in family planning and contraceptives. They will also help prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence and to child, early and forced marriage; support the right to choose safe and legal abortion; and increase access to post-abortion care. Organizations receiving funding will also work with local women's groups’ ‎to carry out their respective projects successfully.

Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy will also address the unique needs of adolescent girls and target the hardest to reach, including women and girls in humanitarian crises, and regions of significant need such as Africa, which will receive over 65% of the $241.5 million.

Canada will join Family Planning 2020, the Ouagadougou Partnership, and the global She Decides movement to leverage resources with a broad range of partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and respond to the funding gap in SRHR for adolescents. Together, these initiatives will enable 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives by 2020 and accelerate progress in the use of family planning services in targeted countries.