Objective: To advance universal access to family planning and related health services, thus improving the lives of individual women and their families, while also slowing the world’s population growth, and strengthening efforts to reduce poverty.

Commitment: PAI pledges to act on the critical linkage between reproductive health and the reduction of poverty by advocating the benefits to be gained when governments make reproductive health and rights a development priority.

Background: At the heart of Population Action International’s mission is its commitment to advance universal access to family planning and related health services, and to educational and economic opportunities, especially for girls and women. Together, these strategies promise to improve the lives of individual women and their families, while also slowing the world’s population growth, helping preserve the environment, and strengthening efforts to reduce poverty. Additionally, family planning is highly cost effective. According to the World Bank, family planning is one of the best ways to improve maternal and child health at an annual cost of only $1 to $2 for each person in a country.

Reproductive illnesses and unintended pregnancies undermine economic development, whether by weakening and killing adults in the prime of their working lives, by disrupting and cutting short the lives of their children, or by placing heavy financial and social burdens on families. Much of the loss of life and human productivity that is due to poor reproductive health, of men as well as women, could be prevented. Maternal and child deaths in developing countries are unacceptably high. Every minute of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth — roughly 515,000 deaths every year. Maternal illness often keeps women and children locked in a vicious cycle of poverty. Early pregnancies undermine girls’ schooling, health and status. The death of a mother is devastating for her family. Studies show that when a mother dies after giving birth her baby has only a small chance of surviving until its first birthday. Slowing population growth is essential in reducing the outbreak of famine and achieving food security. More than 850 million people worldwide are classified as undernourished, and rapid population growth is intensifying food insecurity in part of the developing world. Social and biological factors cause a disproportionate number of new HIV infections among women. In many parts of the world, women’s low social status and lack of access to economic resources put them at increased risk of HIV infection.

Partnership Opportunity: PAI is funded solely through private foundations and individual donations, and as a result, the scope of PAI’s activities is limited by the availability of grant funds. PAI is continuously seeking foundation funding to support its programs.

Update:
November, 2005:
As part of its international advocacy work, PAI attended the 3rd Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health in Malaysia. PAI’s presence provided a great opportunity to work with policy makers, programme planners, service providers, NGOs, researchers, educators and funders, and to discuss and share experiences on important reproductive and sexual health issues.

December 2005:
Population Action International (PAI) planned and hosted a highly successful week-long strategic session to increase understanding of the role sexual and reproductive health has played and might play at the World Bank. Participants included representatives of sexual and reproductive health advocacy groups from around the world: Zambia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, India, Denmark, France, New Zealand, and Latin America.