PMNCH Letter Template

RMNCH in the news: Family Planning Summit Media coverage in lead up to the London Summit on Family Planning, taking place 11 July 2012

INTERNATIONAL:

Family planning is planning to save lives Reuters AlertNet – 2 July 2012 As we approach the London Summit on Family Planning, it is estimated that every year 287,000 women and girls die from complications in pregnancy and/or childbirth. The vast majority of these deaths occur where poverty, conflict and natural disaster make everyday life a challenge …

The case for family planning that Rio+20 forgot People & the Planet – Now, in a new effort to tackle the family planning issue, developing country leaders, donors and NGOs will be meeting in London on July 11 for the London Family Planning Summit at the invitation of the UK Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates ...

UNFPA to Work with UK Government and Gates Foundation to Give 120 Million More ... DigitalJournal.com (press release) – UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is calling on governments around the world to commit more resources to the critical issue of voluntary family planning. On World Population Day, 11 July, the London Summit on Family Planning will launch an ...

London Summit On Family Planning Poised To Provide 'Staggering’ Results Global Health Hub (Kaiser GH Update) – 29 June 2012 The “gro ndbreaking” London S mmit on Fami P anning, sched ed for , “aims to provide an additiona mi ion women … ifesaving contraceptives, information, and services b ,” Gar Darmstadt, who heads the Family Health Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the fo ndation’s “Impatient Optimists” blog. If that goal is reached, the health and economic benefits wo d be “staggering,” he sa s …

Melinda Gates on Colbert Report, family planning and 'going to hell’ Humanosphere – 29 June 2012 … Melinda holds her own, repeatedly refuses to take Colbert's bait and makes the case for family planning. Here's more info about the philanthropy's upcoming events and plans in this arena from the Gates Foundation's Impatient Optimists b og …

UN aims to put family planning back on 'radar' Businessweek – 26 June, GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that "family planning seems to have fallen off the radar" in the past two ...

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Secretariat hosted by the World Health Organization 20 avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, tel: +41 22 791 2595 fax: +41 22 791 5854 www.pmnch.org

UN aims to put family planning back on 'radar' The ssociated Press - n , GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that "family planning seems to have fallen off the radar" in the past two ...

Examining the 'domino effect' of family planning New-Medical.net – 22 June 2012 In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Megan Averill and Tricia Petruney, senior technical officers with FHI 360's Global Health, Population and Nutrition Group, and Ward Cates, president emeritus at FHI 360, discuss the "domino effect" of family planning ...

AFRICA:

Family Planning On the International Agenda AllAfrica.com – 26 June 2012 In order not to be disappointed again, NGOs being led by International Planned Parenthood Federation ahead of London family Planning Summit in early July has coordinated a civil society response to the summit before it kicks up. It produced a 2 page declaration for civil societies which represents the combined views of more than 220 respondents from 57 countries and will be submitted during the summit to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Melinda Gates ...

Millions of Women Have Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning Vibe Ghana – 25 June 2012 A new study by the Guttmacher Institute and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) finds that the number of women in developing countries who want to ...

Millions of women have unmet need for modern family planning Ghana News Agency – 22 June 2012 A new study by the Guttmacher Institute and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) finds that the number of women in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception declined only slightly between 2008 and 2012, from 226 to 222 million. However, in the 69 poorest countries, where 73% of all women with unmet need for modern contraceptives reside, the number increased, from 53 to mi ion women …

ASIA-PACIFIC:

Children having children — and dying — a 'global scandal' The Hindu – 28 June In this context, the NGO is urging world leaders — who are congregating in London next month for a family planning summit hosted by the UK government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — to increase global availability of contraceptives and ...

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Secretariat hosted by the World Health Organization Room V103, 20 avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, tel: +41 22 791 2595 fax: +41 22 791 5854 www.pmnch.org

Charity alarmed at 50000 teenage pregnancy deaths New Zealand Herald – 27 June It's a global scandal that 50,000 teenagers die each year due to pregnancy and childbirth complications, says British charity Save the Children ...

Teenage regnan y deat s a glo al s andal Courier Mail – 27 June 2012 In a report entitled, How Family Planning Saves Children's Lives, Save the Children also cited official data which reveals that nearly one million babies born to teenage mothers die each year before their first birthda …

EUROPE:

Global development podcast: focus on family planning The Guardian (UK) – 2 July 2012 On 11 July London is to host a global summit on family planning. Here, our panel discusses how and why such a controversial issue has become a worldwide priority, what are the political and practical challenges – and what is at stake in such debates?

Joan Smith: When philanthropy endangers women's health The Independent (Opinion) – 1 July 2012 The summit's ambitions are laudable. Around 215 million women in developing countries aren't able to make choices about when to have children, and the aim is to deliver safe contraception to 120 million of them by 2020. DfID is expecting "global leaders" to attend the event, although it hasn't released names as yet ...

Babies born to younger mothers at greater risk ITV News – 27 ne World leaders will meet in London next month for a family planning summit hosted by the UK government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Save the Children is urging them to increase the global availability of contraceptives and empower girls and ...

Pregnan y ' iggest iller' ITV News – 27 June 2012 Save the Children published a major report on family planning around the world today in which it argues that more widespread contraception could take a big chunk out of the number of babies and mothers who die d ring pregnanc …

Teenage pregnancy deaths a 'global scandal': charity AFP – 26 June In a report entitled "How family planning saves children's lives", Save the Children also cited official data which revealed that nearly one million babies born to teenage mothers die each year before their first birthday. "The issue of children having ...

Summit to pledge £1.5bn The Independent (UK) – 24 June 2012 Last summer Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, was reduced to tears as he watched the joy of Claudine, a Rwandan mother of five, when she was told she was not going to have another child. It was this moment that inspired Mr Mitchell to set up a summit, to be held in London next month, that aims to halve the number of women in the world's poorest countries with no access to contraception ...

When teenage pregnancy is a death sentence The Independent (UK) – 24 June 2012 The need for money – and awareness campaigns – to help these women is so critical that the British government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are holding a summit on family planning in London next month. They aim to provide 120 million of the world's poorest women with access to contraception over the next eight years, at an estimated cost of almost £2.6bn ...

NORTH AMERICA:

London Summit On Family Planning Poised To Provide 'Staggering' Results Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health News – 29 June 2012 The "groundbreaking" London Summit on Family Planning, scheduled for July 11, "aims to provide an additional 120 million women ... lifesaving contraceptives, information, and services by 2020," Gary Darmstadt, who heads the Family Health Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog. If that goal is reached, the health and economic benefits would be "staggering," he says …

Recognizing The Role Of The Health Care Worker In Providing Family Planning ... Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health News – 28 June 2012 In this post in the RH Reality Check blog, Laura Hoemeke, director of communications and knowledge management at IntraHealth International, writes that it "take[s] a health worker, or more accurately millions of health workers, to meet the need that hundreds of millions of couples worldwide have for family planning," adding, "A new report [.pdf] issued by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA this week, Adding It Up: Costs and Benefits of Contraceptive Services -- Estimates for 2012, supports that notion." She concludes …

Despite New Constitution, Much Work Remains To Bring Reproductive Health Care to All Kenyans Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health News – 27 June 2012 In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, editor Amie Newman, a communications officer at the foundation, notes that in 2007, "Kenya enacted a new constitution which ... declares reproductive health care the right of all citizens," and writes, "Kenya's climb towards broad contraceptive coverage, and with that the hope for increased empowerment for women and girls and an improved economic situation for all, seems steep but scalable." She discusses ongoing efforts in the country, highlights the upcoming London Family Planning Summit, and concludes, "Despite a new constitution, there's a lot that needs to be done to meet the goal" ...

Can London Summit Broaden Discussion of Family Planning to Include Needs of Young Women? Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health News – 27 June 2012 The upcoming London summit on family planning, co-sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.K. Department for International Development, "will hopefully be a golden moment," she writes. The sponsors "want it to be the launch of a global movement for family planning," Boseley continues, adding, "That will have to encompass the needs and lack of empowerment of girls as well as older mothers, and the solutions lie way beyond the family planning clinic." She concludes ...

UN aims to put family planning back on 'radar' CBS News – 27 June GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that "family planning seems to have fallen off the radar" in the past two decades ...

UN Aims to Put Family Planning Back on 'Radar' ABC News – 26 June GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that "family planning seems to have fallen off the radar" in the past two decades ...

UN Aims To Put Family Planning Back On 'Radar' NPR – 26 June GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that "family planning seems to have fallen off the radar" in the past ...

UN agency chief sees need to put family planning back on global 'radar' Washington Post – 26 June GENEVA (AP) — The head of the United Nations Population Fund wants the world to pay more attention to family planning issues. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin told The Associated Press that “fami p anning seems to have fa en off the radar” in the past two ...

Family Planning Summit Offers Opportunity to Integrate Reproductive Services With HIV, Other Health Initiatives Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health News – 20 June 2012 Noting that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.K. government will co-host an international family planning summit in London in July, Gavin Yamey of the Global Health Group at the University of California, San Francisco; Craig Cohen, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive services at the University of California; and Elizabeth Bukusi, chief research officer and deputy director of research and training at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, write in a BMJ commentary, "More than 120 million women worldwide aged 15-49 years have an unmet need for family planning, which is due a renaissance after years of neglect" …

BLOGS:

Family Planning: Reaching for the Summit Huffington Post (blog by Director of Family Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) – 29 June 2012 The global community has the chance to achieve transformational results that will save millions of lives. This is not b siness as s a …

What Intervention Can Save the Lives of Women, Babies and Adolescent Girls? Care2.com (blog) – 28 June 2012 On top of saving those lives, family planning gives women the ability to time and space their births, which allows for healthier babies and children. Babies who are born less than two years after a sibling are twice as likely to die as babies who are ...

Reproductive Health: It Takes a Health Worker — and Saves Money and Lives RH Reality Check (blog) – 27 June 2012 A new report issued by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA this week, Adding It Up: Costs and Benefits of Contraceptive Services—Estimates for 2012, supports that notion. Guttmacher and UNFP re eased the report in preparation for next month’s Fami P anning S mmit to be held on July 11 in London with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom and …

Frontline Health Workers Are Key to Meeting Family Planning Needs Worldwide Frontline Health Workers.org (blog by Oying Rimon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) – 27 June 2012 In just a few short weeks, the foundation, together with the UK government and other partners, will host the London Summit on Family Planning. It will be a groundbreaking global convening of developed and developing country government and civil society leaders, who will pledge to address the contraceptive needs of an additiona mi ion women in the wor d’s poorest co ntries b 2020. The summit will also focus on tackling cultural barriers to contraception and encourage countries to adopt a rights-based approach, which enables women to decide whether, when, and how many children to have ...

No girl should die giving birth The Guardian (Sarah Bose e ’s G oba Hea th blog) – 27 June 2012 Another report on family planning – in what I suspect will become a deluge as the London summit nears – is published today. This one is by Save the Children and I find it particularly interesting because it broadens the debate ...

A Global Scandal: Pregnancy Leading Cause of Death in Teenage Girls Babble (blog) – ne The report will garner much attention in London on July 11 at a family planning summit hosted by the British government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. savethechildren A Global Scandal : Pregnancy Leading Ca se of Death in Teenage Gir s …

The 2012 Global Family Planning Summit: Will Issues Be Adequately Addressed? Huffington Post (blog by Marianne Møllmann, Amnesty International) – 25 June 2012 Importantly, both the Global Family Planning Summit and research published in The Lancet potentially obscure the fact that adequate access to contraceptives and health services is a question of income rather than geography. To be blunt, a wealthy woman in a poor country is likely …

Family Planning: A Key to Prosperity RH Reality Check (blog by John Bongaarts, Population Council) – 25 June Family planning programs are highly cost-effective, have demonstrable poverty-reducing effects, and provide important health and human rights benefits to those who would otherwise have trouble achieving them …

The 2012 Global Family Planning Summit: Will Issues Be Adequately Addressed? The Reality Check (blog by Marianne Møllmann, Amnesty International) – 22 June 2012 In mid-July, world leaders will gather in London to discuss a real and urgent need: increased funding for family planning. Over the past 15 years, the United States—one of the largest foreign aid donors in the world—has cut its funding level for family planning by at least 25 percent. Meanwhile …

Counting the cost of family planning The G ardian (Sarah Bose e ’s G oba Hea th) – 20 June 2012 A new report from the Guttmacher Institute in the US ahead of the family planning summit next month in London assesses the scale of the unmet need for contraception. Pretty huge, is the bottom line ...

Family lanning summit ould mar turning oint or maternal ealt The Guardian (Global Health Blog) – 7 June 2012 It is an ambitious target but one that is desperately needed. The inability of women to control the number and spacing of their children is one of the main reasons why reducing maternal deaths remains the millennium development goal we are f rthest from achieving …