A Just and Healthy Life: Every Woman's Right
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION A JUST AND HEALTHY LIFE: EVERY WOMAN’S RIGHT ANNUAL REPORT 2007 MISSION The International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) promotes and protects the sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH) of all women and young people, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, by helping to develop effective health and population policies, programs, and funding. VISION Social and economic justice, the foundations of global well-being, can only be achieved by ensuring women’s human rights, health, and equality. Accordingly, IWHC envisions a world in which women: • are equally and effectively engaged in decisions that concern their sexual and reproductive rights and health; • experience a healthy and satisfying sexual life free from discrimination, coercion, and violence; • can make free and informed choices about childbearing; • have access to the information and services they need to enhance and protect their health. THEORY OF CHANGE Global progress on SRRH requires effective participation by local leaders, advocates, service providers and, especially, women and young people. The Coalition bridges two worlds: the powerful global actors that determine policies and funding for health in low- and middle-income countries, and women and young people affected by their decisions. Persuading those who control global and national policies and budgets to invest in girls and women, particularly in vital but politically contentious matters of sexuality and gender equality, requires: • women and youth leaders with vision, skills, and strong organizational bases who can both access mainstream institutions and mobilize civil society; • multiple, powerful stakeholders from diverse constituencies who are willing and able to contribute to building consensus on actions for SRRH and to work together in pluralistic alliances; and • skilled, evidence- and experience-based advocacy to generate political will for action. S T 2007 ANNUAL REPORT From the Office of the President ....................................................................3 N Progress in 2007 ............................................................................................................4 E Raising New Generations Differently ..........................................................4 Expanding Access to Safe Abortion ..............................................................6 T Human Rights and Sexuality..................................................................................7 N Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health Policy ..........................9 Reshaping HIV/AIDS Policies and Programs O Providing Technical Expertise and Advocacy for Better Policy C Raising Awareness, Interpreting Evidence The Year Ahead ............................................................................................................12 O How You Can Help ....................................................................................................13 O APPENDICES O 1 Grants Awarded Fiscal Year 2007 ........................................................15 2 Financial Statements..........................................................................................17 3 IWHC Staff, Senior Consultants, Board ............................................19 4 Donor List Fiscal Year 2007 ......................................................................20 5 With Women Worldwide: ..............................................................................23 A Compact to End HIV/AIDS “When you are dealing with women, you discover the harshness of society. But, if we play our cards right, we can create another kind of world.” MUHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT, IWHC’S 2008 GALA 2 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION FROM THE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND HEALTH IN THE BALANCE In 2000, the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) set ambitious 10-year goals to advance women’s rights and health, just as George W. Bush was to become President of the United States (U.S.) and governments agreed on eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eliminate global poverty by 2015. If we approach the MDGs with a commitment to human rights and gender equality, all children, especially girls, will complete at least primary school. Tens of millions of women will be spared death or injury as a result of pregnancy and childbirth— and their children will survive and thrive. The number of HIV infections each year will be dramatically reduced. But, if we do not secure women’s rights and health, the world will fall far short of the MDGs. When nations violate or deny women’s health and human rights, they undermine the very fabric of society—families, communities, and social institutions, including democracy itself. Empowered, healthy women tend to protect the environment and natural resources, work for good governance at the local level, and demand better schools. Healthy, educated mothers ensure that their children are healthy and educated. Yet in the seven years since the MDGs were established and IWHC set its own goals, sexual and reproductive rights and health have faced—and faced down—significant assaults by a U.S. Administration that has prioritized demands from narrow constituencies over human rights. IWHC has been a fearless, unshakable voice for the world’s women and young people, and has achieved important gains. In the last year, we mobilized diverse coalitions and advocated with influential actors, including policymakers and the media, to move women’s rights and health closer to the center of HIV/AIDS and other health funding and policy decisions: I The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) decided to emphasize the empowerment of women and girls in their work. I With IWHC’s support, our partners worldwide produced groundbreaking new resources for teaching human rights, gender equality, and sexuality to young people, as well as effective programs to prevent HIV/AIDS, sex- ually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies. I We provided hands-on training for a strong and dedicated corps of advocates from around the world to negotiate for women’s health and human rights in regional policy debates, and at the United Nations (UN), through IWHC’s new Advocacy in Practice training sessions. We know that passionate, skilled leadership is crucial to solve the urgent health and rights challenges. Leaders among the world’s women and young people look to IWHC as an advocacy partner, thought leader, and donor for their work at home. They count on us to persuade international agencies and donors to prioritize human rights and achieve gender equality. Together, our global coalition will ensure a more just and healthy future for all. Adrienne Germain President 2007 ANNUAL REPORT 3 PROGRESS IN 2007 To advance sexual and reproductive rights and health worldwide, IWHC leads efforts to: I provide comprehensive sexuality education and health services to young people I secure safe, legal abortion services I protect the human rights of girls and women I persuade HIV/AIDS policymakers and funders to invest in women IWHC’s three programs span work in selected countries, in the global policy arena, and in communications. The Regional Programs provide financial support and professional partnership to 75 local organizations in ten countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that work with communities and governments. The International Policy Program develops and mobilizes international coalitions to negotiate with the UN, and advises donor governments and international agencies on designing policies and funding that promote and protect rights and health. The Communications Program enhances IWHC’s effectiveness as a thought leader and a substantive resource for our partners, health professionals and policymakers, advocates, media, and opinion leaders. IWHC’s budget for FY 2007 (October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007) was $6 million and is $7.35 million for FY 2008. Our 25 staff speak seven languages fluently and are based in New York. Program staff travel extensively to work with partners in-country and with global agencies, the UN, and donors in European capitals, Washington, and New York. Our international board includes leaders in health and human rights, philanthropists, and business leaders from seven countries. We are funded by private foundations, European governments, UN agencies, individuals, and corporations. We do not accept funds from the U.S. government. “Changes must be made in response to a real need and as a result of social dialogue, which includes the voices of young women. We must design programs and policies that give a voice to young women, and if this ruffles the feathers of the status quo, then so be it. The cost of not doing so will be far, far greater.” SOPHIE DILMITIS, YOUNG VISIONARY, ZIMBABWE RAISING NEW GENERATIONS DIFFERENTLY Today’s generation of youth is the largest ever: 1.2 billion people are between the ages of 10 and 19. Several thousand young people, the majority girls, are infected with HIV each day. In Sub-Saharan Africa, three- quarters of new infections in young people are in girls and young women. Early pregnancies often lead to death, unsafe abortions, or childbirth injuries, such as obstetric fistula, that persist for life. While various factors are responsible, among the most important is failure to provide comprehensive sexuality education and health services for young