Sort By Alpha
|
Sort By Date
Educating Girls: Gender Gaps and Gains
February 5, 1998
The world has made remarkable progress towards expanding access to education over the past several decades, a formidable achievement given the growth of the school age population during this period. Historically, girls have lagged behind boys in school enrollment; women represent two-thirds of almost one billion illiterate adults worldwide. Although school enrollment rates have increased for both sexes, in many countries girls still lack equal access to education.
Emergency Contraception and the Global Gag Rule: An Unofficial Guide
January 1, 2003
While family planning opponents often misrepresent emergency contraception (EC) as medical abortion, in reality, EC is the only method of post-coital contraception. The purpose of this guide is to set the record straight: emergency contraception is just that - contraception - which can be used in an emergency situation,whether a condom breaks or circumstances lead to unprotected intercourse. As with other methods of contraception, emergency contraception is not subject to U.S. government restrictions that apply to abortion,including the global gag rule.
Family Planning - A Crucial Intervention for HIV-positive Women
May 1, 2007
Each year, over 600,000 children around the world are infected with HIV through mother-to-child-transmission, totaling 2.3 million children living with HIV or AIDS today. The majority of these infections is occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and are acquired from mothers during pregnancy, labor, delivery or breastfeeding. While programs to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child (PMTCT) are invaluable, they currently are reaching only an estimated five percent of the HIV-positive population.
Family Planning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Reducing Risks in the Era of AIDS
February 1, 2006
A recent report by an independent task force enlisted by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR, More Than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach toward Africa, 2005) recommends that the U.S. government step up funding to international family planning programs in sub-Saharan Africa as part of a strategy to increase U.S. engagement and prioritize assistance to that region (see p. 16, pp. 119-120).1
Fewer or More? The Real Story of Global Population
April 2, 2007
The phrase “population crisis” once roused fears of uncontrollable growth in human numbers. However, now that many societies have improved women's status and increased access to family planning, some analysts argue that if there is a population crisis it is because women are having too few children-a so-called “birth dearth.” A quick look at the demographic reality shows that the era of population growth is far from over-and high fertility rates are still prevalent in many developing countries.
Finding Balance - Forests and Family Planning in Madagascar
April 1, 2005
Filmed in Madagascar, this 9-minute documentary explores the linkages between population growth and environmental destruction in one of the world's most biologically unique places. Finding Balance profiles Voahary Salama, a local organization working to preserve the island's rainforest by integrating health and family planning into conservation efforts. This innovative approach to conservation and development addresses the needs of women in remote rural areas while offering hope for the sustainability of critical ecosystems and the biodiversity they shelter.
Forest Futures - Population, Consumption, and Wood
January 1, 1999
The accelerating loss of the world's forests presents one of the major environmental challenges of the next century. The growth of human population-from a few million people in prehistory to 6 billion today-looms large among the factors contributing to this loss. Yet many analyses of forest decline despair that population growth is an inevitable force that must be reckoned with but cannot be influenced. This publication challenges that view. Its purpose is not only to examine population's role in forest loss, but also to highlight the value of population policies that simultaneously improve human well-being and brighten the prospects for conserving the world's remaining forests.
Forging the Link
Getting Down to Business: Expanding the Private Commercial Sector's Role in Meeting Reproductive Health Needs
May 24, 1999
Governments in developing countries have an important role to play in making reproductive health products and services affordable for the poor and other under-served groups. Accordingly, efforts to improve access to family planning and other reproductive health care have focused primarily on the public sector.
How Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services is Key to the MDGs
September 1, 2005
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) offer precise targets for reducing poverty and promoting global development, but they remain incomplete if they do not build from and incorporate the objectives of other major international agreements, particularly those reached at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing). At the 2005 World Summit and in the years leading to the 2015 milestone, the sexual and reproductive health community is taking every opportunity to advance this message: universal access to sexual and reproductive health services is essential to achieving the MDGs.
