Commentary

Parents, educators and policymakers must stand up for the health, well-being, development and rights of young people. We must come together to advocate for sex education that supports young people to navigate a complex world while fostering inclusivity and respect. America’s youth is counting on it. Read More »

The importance of quality education for girls cannot be understated. And when global thought leaders, policymakers, gender advocates, and researchers convened in Rwanda in July at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, it was a chance to discuss a topic increasingly at the forefront of global conversation: How can quality education advance gender equality and empowerment worldwide? Read More »

This year, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation. China is expected to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy by 2035, but its population will likely continue to decline, while India’s will continue to grow. India is projected to surpass 1.5 billion people by the end of this decade, reaching 1.7 billion people by 2064. Goldman Sachs analysts recently predicted India will be the world’s second-largest economy by 2075. Read More »

World Population Day has been observed on July 11 each year since 1990. This year, as people across the globe experience record-breaking heat, wildfires, smoke, storms, and floods, it’s an opportune time to consider the often overlooked but profound connections between population and climate change. Read More »

The 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision left the abortion rights decision up to the states. But it is clear that constituents’ voices are not being heard by state governments. That is why it is up to Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and establish a national right to abortion. Without a federal law upholding access to reproductive healthcare as a human right, it will become a luxury reserved for those who can afford it, and a right denied to those who cannot.  Read More »

 International family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) are critical to achieving gender equity, but U.S. investment in them is not nearly sufficient to meet the moment. The Biden-Harris FY2024 budget request proposes to invest $619.43 million for bilateral FP/RH programs plus $57.5 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)– a total of $676.8 million. That’s 11% more than Congress appropriated last year, and it’s one of the only proposed funding increases in the global health sector this year, yet it’s still just a fraction of what’s needed. Read More »

In a post-Roe U.S., we should look to the reproductive justice movement led by Black women for the future we want and how to build it. A ruling banning mifepristone would only put it that much farther out of reach. Read More »

International Women’s Day, March 8, is a day for celebrating and building a future of gender equality and empowerment for women and girls around the world. But in terms of progress toward these goals, there isn’t much cause for celebration in many places within the U.S. On a recent national reproductive health and rights report card, 26 states earned a failing grade. And it’s not just on the state level that we are seeing attacks on reproductive rights. Key legislation that would expand access to reproductive health services internationally is languishing in Congress. Read More »

While reaching 8 billion doesn’t mean we are fated to keep adding a billion people to the population every decade—U.N. projections indicate population growth will level off later in this century—continued population growth is not without its challenges. Optimistic media takes on the 8 billion milestone tend to gloss over how continued growth could adversely affect people and the planet, including the climate and environment, food security, water, health, civil conflict, refugees, displacement and widening global inequity. For a more complete picture of how this might play out, it’s important keep six fundamental points in mind… Read More »

Global diplomats, researchers, and advocates are in Egypt today for the final stretch of the latest negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change amid increasingly deadly and damaging impacts of the climate crisis. At the same time, a different set of diplomats, researchers, and advocates are gathering in Thailand for the International Conference on Family Planning, … Read More »