EngenderHealth at the Forefront of Change

The third International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Addis Ababa brought together a diverse group of more than 3,300 participants from 120 countries to examine exactly what it will take to achieve this year’s theme of Full Access: Full Choice. EngenderHealth’s strong presence throughout all facets of the conference was undeniable. From our involvement in more than 25 panels, presentations, and posters to our recognition in numerous sessions for our research, tools, and programmatic work, our innovation and achievements were heralded as being at the forefront of change.

This year’s conference stood apart from past years as a result of a strengthened and unified commitment to ensuring quality of care, protecting rights and expanding choice, and reaching our collective scale-up goals. Increased youth attendance and a renewed emphasis on the urgency to protect adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights was a remarkable testament to the progress we continue to make.

Our EngenderHealth 70th Anniversary Reception at ICFP provided an opportunity to celebrate along with our peers our work to protect women’s rights and expand contraceptive choice by helping millions of women and couples access high-quality family planning and reproductive health services. On the heels of Addis, we move forward echoing a reaffirmed commitment to achieving family planning objectives to reach an additional 120 million women and girls by 2020 and achieve an even greater momentum to continue our leadership role in pioneering these efforts.