The start of 2021 saw an accelerating of the COVID pandemic with countries engaged in a race to vaccinate which, once again, exposes the deep inequalities we live in.
With images of a Trump inspired mob storming The Capitol still fresh in the world’s retina, Biden’s inauguration was greeted with a sigh of relief. He quickly moved to issue multiple executive orders aimed to mitigate some of the damage done over the last 4 years.
The ones that most directly impact our work:
- Biden ended the global gag rule
- Biden guided the Secretary of State to re-start funding to UNFPA.
- A number of orders went towards improving contraceptive access in the US and protecting the LGBTQI+ community from discrimination.
That said, there seems to be little appetite in the new administration to recognise that abortion is health care.
As a result of the executive orders we are again being approached for specific RFAs and re-started dialogue with USAID in DC. We have created a position and hired specific US-based capacity to re-build our engagement.
Beyond the US, we saw Argentina finally offer access on demand within the first 14 weeks. But progress has been patchy. We watched in horror as Honduras – already completely restricted – sought to neutralise any future reforms. In Poland, we saw more violence by the state, with a near total ban on abortion and further violence and arrests against demonstrators. In all the above cases, we’ve continued to support our colleagues and amplify these stories through media and our informal networks.
From Asia and Africa, we received the positive news that Bhutan and Angola have decriminalised same sex relations, and in Gabon the house and the Senate also passed a law in this regard. A welcome move.
The lockdowns required to keep the coronavirus at bay have continued and even intensified in many places while we wait for the impact of a vaccine rollout. As a result, economies continue to contract, and the expected rebound gets delayed. Smaller industrialised economies are beginning to translate into smaller aid budgets and more of the available money is going to vaccine procurement. While aspects of health are, in general, being re-prioritised, a combination of tighter budgets (e.g. Japan, UK) and strategy changes (foundations) are impacting our income prospects for 2021 and beyond.
Worryingly, we are still awaiting a response to the WISH extension, which we submitted in June 2020 at FCDO request. The programme is now running out of time and it is too big for us to be able to bridge. If no WISH extension is agreed, it will have additional ramifications as it currently contributes resources to a number of key areas (data, safeguarding, procurement).
The Covid-19 Task Force continues to support Member Associations (MAs) in sustaining essential services during the pandemic. MAs facing severe impairment on their operations are being prioritised and guidelines on how to prepare for and access Covid-19 vaccines developed. While at the global level, we worked to ensure Governments committed to develop COVID-19 plans and policies that are gender responsive, include measures to prevent and combat SGBV and ensure access to SRH services, information and education, and that women and girls rights and SRHR are respected and fulfilled.
The Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) partnership launched at the London Summit in 2012 came to an end. It did not achieve its initial target of enabling 120 million additional women and girls to use contraceptives, but it did bend the curve slightly to reach half that number (60 m) and contributed to greatly increasing the quality of data available. We were part of the guiding Reference Group, our contribution recognised in the closing event. IPPF continues to engage closely as the partnership transitions to FP2030.
The beginning of the year also saw the first substantive meeting of the High-Level Commission on ICPD25. It has decided to focus on thematic issues that are more difficult for an intergovernmental organisation, but it is yet unclear what it will deliver and we will have to work hard to ensure the 1,200 national level commitments that were made in Nairobi remain in sight.
IPPF, in the spirit of the reform and of being an MAs-centric organization, is represented at the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) by MEXFAM and Le Planning Familial, our MAs from Mexico and France respectively, co-leading the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and SRHR.
IPPF has prioritised a (new) attempt to remedy the stark reality highlighted by the ECHO trial: hundreds of thousands of adolescent girls and young women are reaching family planning platforms to access contraception but we are failing to provide them with the necessary protection against HIV/STI infections.
New ARV prevention technologies (long-acting Prep; Dapivirine ring) in the pipeline will make this failure all the more outrageous. We have mobilised the Global Fund, UNFPA, UNAIDS and WHO and a joint plan of action seems to be coming together.The Special Session on HIV/AIDS and the adoption of a respective political declaration will certainly be a space to ensure strong commitments by member states on this important matter.
From an IPPF governance perspective, all Board committees are now constituted and have had their initial meetings following an engaged and interactive induction programme. Most of them are finalising objectives and timelines for the year ahead.
Deeply concerning, significant fraud and internal crises have MAs in Kenya, Liberia and Senegal close due to suspension and implosion, pointing to the inadequacy of national governance and fiduciary arrangements. More like these will no doubt risk donor disengagement.
The design of the new strategic framework is now under way, with oversight from the C-SIP as they find their feet. We’re also commissioning new research and look forward to continuing this journey with yourselves and the membership.
While yet un-audited numbers and final adjustments are still being made, we can anticipate final 2020 numbers showing a strong financial performance in spite of the coronavirus pandemic and WHR separation.
Alvaro and Kate