The IPPF Africa region is concerned by the Namibian High Court ruling on the application of non-Namibian same-sex spouses to live and work in the country. It is the latest legal battle to push for equal rights in the country. According to the High Court’s judge, Hannelie Prinsloo, the legal decision was based on an outdated law preventing the LGBTI+ community from enjoying equal human rights across the country. IPPFAR strongly encourages African Governments to review and adapt outdated laws to reflect today’s societal realities ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights for all.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) welcomes the news of Angola decriminalizing same sex relationships.  IPPF recognizes and congratulates activists, advocates and organizations that helped make this historic change in the law possible. On Thursday 10 February, Angola’s new penal code came into force, which decriminalized same-sex relations. It also introduces sexual orientation protections into some of Angola’s non-discrimination clauses and mentions sexual orientation in the hate speech clauses of the penal code. Angolans of all sexual orientations can finally live more freely and enjoy the same constitutional right to love and bodily autonomy. These changes are the first rewriting of colonial-era laws since Angola gained independence in 1975, which removed colonial-era clauses that have been in effect since the penal code introduced a ban in 1886. IPPF Africa Regional Office Director Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry stated: “The news coming from Angola breathes new life and gives renewed hope not only for the LGBTI community in Angola but Africa as a whole. The colonial-era anti-LGBTI laws have been a stain on our collective conscience, and this ruling marks a new era of inclusivity, hope and love. No one should be treated as a criminal for choosing who to love, and we hope this change in the law inspires other countries that have a similar colonial hangover to review their own laws.” The first step to change the penal code was announced in 2019, when the Parliament approved the proposed changes. However, only in November 2020 was it signed by President João Lourenço, with a 90 days delay until it came into force last week. The new penal code overturned the language of “vice against nature”, which was understood as a ban on same-sex relations. The new law includes several articles protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation, in relation to work or at public places and events, and includes imprisonment of up to two years for discrimination based on sexual orientation. After the decriminalization in Angola, the number of countries where homosexuality is decriminalized is now 72. This is a solid foundation for the work that lies ahead to enable a world where all people can make decisions about their sexuality and well-being free of discrimination, a fight that IPPF will be active in. Read this statement in Portuguese.

12 December 2020. Today, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Africa Region joins the rest of the world in celebrating the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) day. The goal of UHC is to ensure that all people have access to high-quality health services without suffering financial hardship. A critical step to achieving this goal is the full realization of people’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and more so, among women and girls. Owing to their unique needs and vulnerabilities, the success of UHC cannot be fully achieved until all women and girls can access the sexual reproductive health services they need. Each day, more than 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. According to the World Health Organization, 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. 218 million women in these countries have an unmet need for modern contraception according to the Guttmacher Institute, which also states that 35 million women have abortions in unsafe conditions. A further 133 million do not receive the treatment they need for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. Cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer among women globally is also a great challenge, with nearly 90% of the 311,000 deaths worldwide in 2018 occurring in these countries. These figures highlight the profound need to invest more in SRHR. Lack of high-quality sexual and reproductive health care undoubtedly puts women at risk for negative reproductive health outcomes. Weak health outcomes are strongly interrelated with gender inequalities, discrimination, violence and lack of SRHR information and services. It is therefore paramount that SRHR is integrated into UHC to protect gains and accelerate progress towards various goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The integration of SRHR into UHC requires addressing the multiple legal and sociocultural barriers that limit access to services and prevent women and girls from fulfilling their right to health. While governments are responsible for determining their own path towards UHC, this must be done in an accordance with agreed human rights treaties and commitments, including respecting and promoting SRHR. IPPF Africa Region is committed to addressing the challenges that impede the achievement of UHC, with particular focus on those pertaining to SRHR. On this day, we implore all African governments, donors and partners to call for greater investment in SRHR, and ensure that a comprehensive package of SRHR interventions is a fundamental part of national UHC policies, strategies and programmes. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Media Contacts: Maryanne Wanyama, Communications Officer, IPPFARO, Nairobi (Kenya) - Email: [email protected]

Nairobi, 28 September 2020. Today, International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Safe Abortion Day under the theme: “Telemedicine, self-managed abortion and access to safe abortion in the context of COVID-19 pandemic”.  According to WHO and Guttmacher, at least 25 million unsafe abortions occurred every year between 2010 and 2014. Majority (97%) of these were in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This is a major public health concern in these parts of the world where restrictive abortion laws and policies are the norm, resulting in preventable maternal deaths due to rampant incidences of unsafe abortion. Yet, restricting a woman’s ability to choose to end an unwanted pregnancy is a violation of her human rights. The unprecedented COVID-19 situation has severely impacted access to safe abortion in countries where favourable policies exist. With stretched health systems, diversion of resources to the COVID-19 response, disruptions in commodity supplies (including contraceptive products) and limited access to services, women's needs for sexual and reproductive health care, including contraception and safe abortion have been greatly affected. At IPPFAR, through our Member Associations, we are innovating with new service delivery models of telemedicine and self-care approaches that address women and girls’ contraception and safe abortion needs in this era of the pandemic. For example, our IPPF MA in Togo began booking clients and providing services through a toll-free teleconsultation service, which has facilitated clients’ access to services when they face challenges travelling to clinics owing to movement restrictions. The approach has further eased client flow in clinics at this time of social distancing. Additionally, the youth friendly ‘InfoAdoJeunes’ mobile application continues to provide information and remote counselling services for young people. The extensive usage of social media and other digital platforms, for example, in Cameroon, Kenya, Guinea, Ethiopia, and Togo have been effective in disseminating information about abortion and contraception, and to advertise other services available at the clinics. As the world celebrates this day, we call on African governments to domesticate, disseminate and implement provisions of the African Union Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Commonly known as the Maputo Protocol, this instrument remains one of the most progressive legal instruments providing a comprehensive set of human rights for African women. We also call on other member states who have not signed nor ratified to do so. IPPFAR and its Member Associations recommit to provide safe abortion services where permissible by law. Media Contacts: -Maryanne Wanyama, IPPFARO, Nairobi (Kenya) – Email: [email protected] -Sam Ntelamo, Resident Representative, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Liaison Office to the African Union & UNECA, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) – Phone: +251 (11) 667 0699/0761 - Mobile +251 (0) 944 73 2051- Email: [email protected]

Sunday, 11 July 2021. As we commemorate the World Population Day with a projected 7.9 billion people on the planet today, our thoughts also turn to what were the reproductive needs and wants of women and girls in Africa during this extraordinary year and whether were they fulfilled. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the provision of health care services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, often more so in countries in Africa that are already struggling to keep up with normal preventative and curative services, let alone COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. While fertility rates across the globe are shifting in both directions, and with Africa accounting for the top 23 highest total fertility rates (TFR)[1] in the world, the IPPF Women’s Integrated Sexual Health project (WISH2) provides SRH care to women, men and young people in 15 countries across the world - 12 of them being in Africa, including in fragile and conflict affected countries. The WISH2 program offers quality integrated and inclusive family planning and SRH services to marginalized and hard to reach populations: the poor, youth under 20 years and people living with disability. Within this framework, the WISH2 project recognized that many of these countries’ health services have been devastatingly affected by waves of the pandemic and adapted SRH services to ensure, wherever possible, continued access to SRH care to support women to achieve their reproductive intentions during the pandemic. In Malawi, we can focus in on young people against the backdrop of COVID-19 and a health system struggling to cope. Youth in Malawi face a myriad of challenges such as early marriages, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, high new HIV infections, early childbearing, drug and alcohol abuse, high illiteracy rate, poverty, and HIV and AIDS pandemic. (NSRHR Policy 2017–2022). While young people make up the largest and fastest growing proportion of population in Malawi with 51% of the population below 18 years, access to SRH care remains low among Malawian youth with 41% of adolescent women aged 15–19 having an unmet need for modern contraception. A Family Planning training in Lilongwe, Malawi, by Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM). As the world celebrates population day, the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM), which is IPPF's Member Association in the country, has increased effective strategies for providing access to information and SRH care to youth, including persons living with disabilities throughout the pandemic in the country. Some of these strategies include; Training of youth leaders to conduct peer learning programs and training of health care providers in Youth friendly services.  Establishing youth friendly spaces at service delivery points.   Conducting awareness creation and demand for SRH services to youth including conducting dialogue sessions, and engaging on WhatsApp and other social media platforms like Facebook.  Sensitizing parents and guardians to create an enabling environment for youth to access SRH services.  Coordinating with the Malawi Council for people with disabilities (MACOHA) - a government agency - to increase access to SRHR for persons with disabilities. Community Reproductive Health Promoters sensitization on engaging with young people with disabilities in the community.  Use of the growing mobile phone market in Malawi as a new avenue for reaching young clients by working with a local mobile service operator to promote SRHR messaging on the 3-2-1 platform (a free to use mobile subscription app). These strategies can be found in full here. “Our work complements Government efforts. Through the WISH project and other projects, FPAM has been able to reach out to young women particularly in the hard-to-reach areas with SRH information and services which otherwise could not be available if FPAM was not present in those areas”, said Donald Makwakwa, Executive Director at the Family Planning Association of Malawi. A community training activity by FPAM. In this coming year, despite reduced funding, the project will aim to continue maintaining its innovative adaptations to support access to quality SRH services and rights for women and men living in the most difficult of circumstances. Joyce Ayong, IPPF Board of Trustee member and President of the Youth Action Movement (YAM) at the Cameroon National Planning Association for Family Welfare (CAMNAFAW) highlighted the importance of youth outreach and inclusion especially in the most difficult of circumstances. “We campaign for the cause of young people so that they are taken into account. Young persons with disabilities and youth living in hard to reach areas also need to access SRH care and information and it is our duty to continue to find ways to provide these lifesaving services to them”, said Ayong. The WISH2 program will continue to find adaptive strategies ensuring that the much-needed SRH care in some of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic is delivered to the most marginalized, leaving no one behind when it comes to family planning needs. About the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Project 2 The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme offers quality integrated and inclusive family planning and sexual and reproductive health services to marginalized and hard to reach populations: the poor, youth under 20 years and people living with disability. WISH is the UK Government’s flagship programme to support integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in a range of countries across Africa and Asia by 2021. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) manages the WISH programme through a consortium arrangement (Lot 2) with 10 IPPF Member Associations and hand - picked partners chosen for their expertise to maximise access and reach for people in 15 countries: Development Media International (DMI), Humanity and Inclusion UK (HI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Marie Stopes International (MSI), and Options Consultancy Services (Options). The countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. For more updates on our work, follow IPPF Africa Region on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.   [1] Total Fertility Rate 2021 (worldpopulationreview.com)

Addis Ababa, 12 August 2021 – In commemoration of the International Youth Day, The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region, through its Sub-Office to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa hosted a virtual panel discussion on Youth, Gender Equality and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights in Transforming African Food Systems on 12 August 2021. The virtual panel discussion focused on the role of youth in advocacy towards gender equality and sustainable healthy food systems. The event also aimed at sharing recommendations to support young people's meaningful engagement in advocacy on inclusive food systems for the realization of sexual reproductive health rights on the African continent. Africa has the youngest population in the world with more than 400 million people between the ages of 15 and 35 years, which requires increased investment in economic and social development factors to improve the Development Index of its countries.   This year’s International Youth Day, celebrated under the theme: “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, offers an opportunity to reflect on the interlinkages between sexual reproductive health and rights and nutrition, and on the intersectional aspects of food systems in the context of gender. “The International Youth Day helps bring attention to our issues. Young people are increasingly interested in sexual reproductive health and rights and understand, now more than ever, the importance of sexual health knowledge”, said Ms. Rosa Ayong, moderator of the panel discussion and a youth member of the IPPF Global Board of Trustees. The virtual round table panelists included Mr. Kassoum Coulibaly, President of the Global Institute for Women’s Empowerment Group, who spoke about the role of young people in promoting an inclusive food system. ‘’The International Youth Day, is a moment to evaluate our progress, empower young girls and boys, and strengthen their leadership role in the world's transformation with a gender equality vision," said Mr. Coulibaly. Panelists also included Ms. Chantal Umuhoza, who addressed the intersectional aspects of food systems in the context of gender and age, and Mr. Joshua Atabinore Akharigeya, who highlighted the impact of sexual reproductive health and rights on the food value chain from production to marketing. “Discussing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights within the context of food value chain is ever critical. A healthy community ensures productivity and success across the food value chain, and in return, individuals and communities are economically empowered to access quality sexual reproductive health and rights services, seek justice and reduce their vulnerabilities - especially for girls and women - against sexual and gender-based violence”, said Mr. Akharigeya. Keynote speaker and Deputy Director of the UN World Food Program African Union Global Office, Ms. Magdalena Moshi, said that “actions should be taken by all stakeholders, to promote and advocate for the consumption of wholesome, nutrient dense foods for the realisation of sexual reproductive health, particularly for the female youth, as consumers". The discussions enabled youth participants to learn about their role in promoting an inclusive food system by advocating for sexual health rights through regional advocacy policies and frameworks. Giving youth a voice is a prerequisite for Africa’s transformation. Expanding opportunities for youth, women, and girls is an obligation that is essential in realizing everyone’s right to food security, nutrition, and sexual reproductive health. END Media Contacts: -Mahmoud Garga, Lead Specialist - Strategic Communication, Media Relations and Digital Campaigning, IPPF Africa Regional Office (IPPFARO) – email: [email protected] -Phone +254 704 626 920 Maryanne Wanyama, Communications Office, IPPFARO, Nairobi (Kenya) - Email: [email protected] – Phone: +254 707 952 990   ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is the leading sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service delivery organization in Africa, and the leading sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent’s growing SRHR challenges through a network of Member Associations (MAs) in 39 countries. We do this by developing our MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high quality, youth focused and gender sensitive services. We work with governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, United Nations bodies among others to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.