Global experts at the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025) have warned that widening funding gaps and uneven political commitment threaten progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The warning was issued on Wednesday in Bogotá, Colombia, where experts noted that low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, risk losing hard-won gains if urgent action is not taken.
The four-day conference has brought together more than 3,500 delegates from 120 countries, including policymakers, donors, researchers, and advocates.
Recent research from the World Health Organization (WHO), The Lancet, the Guttmacher Institute, and Rutgers University highlights that global SRHR progress is at a crossroads, where innovation and inequality collide.
A Guttmacher analysis revealed that over 70 percent of global family planning funding relies on a small number of donors, with nearly 40 percent coming from the United States. Donor disbursements fell by 27 percent in 2023 to $10.77 billion, representing just 4.3 percent of total official development assistance (ODA).
Experts say this decline in external support is particularly concerning for countries like Nigeria, which rely heavily on donor funding for reproductive health commodities and supplies. According to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, domestic financing for family planning covers less than 30 percent of the required budget, leaving critical gaps in procurement, logistics, and service delivery.
Dr. Philip Anglewicz, Director of the William H. Gates Sr. Institute and Chair of the ICFP 2025 International Steering Committee, emphasized the need to translate evidence into action.
“Evidence is only as powerful as the action it inspires. This week, the SRHR community is proving that research can do more than describe the world—it can change it,” he said.
Dr. Saifuddin Ahmed, who led The Lancet/WHO Global SRHR Analysis, noted that sustained investment in reproductive health not only saves lives but also boosts economic growth and gender equality.
“Investment in SRHR strengthens economies, protects rights, and builds resilience in times of crisis,” Ahmed said.
New evidence from Guttmacher’s Adding It Up and FP-Impact studies presented at the ICFP 2025 shows that meeting all SRHR needs in low- and middle-income countries would cost $104 billion annually but could save $2.48 in health costs for every dollar spent. In countries like Nigeria and Kenya, access to contraception has been linked to a 12 percent increase in women’s participation in paid employment.
FP2030 Executive Director Dr. Samukeliso Dube highlighted that several African countries, including Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, have renewed commitments to expand access to modern contraception and increase domestic financing toward the 2030 targets.
“Family planning remains a development best buy. It’s worth prioritizing,” Dube said.
Under FP2030, Nigeria aims to increase its modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) to 27 percent by 2030 and integrate family planning services into universal health coverage (UHC) plans. However, experts cautioned that inconsistent domestic funding and commodity stock-outs could undermine progress if donor support continues to decline.
Beyond research, ICFP’s Media and Accountability track is fostering collaboration among over 50 international journalists and advocates through the Family Planning News Network (FPNN), aimed at strengthening evidence-based reporting and combating misinformation in SRHR.
Ms. Eszter Kismodi of Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) described the session as the start of a global community of journalists and advocates committed to advancing transparency and accountability in SRHR reporting.
Ms. Marta Royo, Executive Director of Profamilia, stressed that the next decade would be defined not just by available evidence but by bold action.
“We have more data than ever before. But what will define the next decade is not how much we know, but how boldly we act. Evidence must drive equity, and equity must drive everything else,” she said.
The ICFP, organized by the William H. Gates Sr. Institute at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in partnership with the Government of Colombia and Profamilia, remains the world’s largest platform for advancing reproductive health and family planning policy and practice.
