Open Access No Matter When or Where: Addressing the Need for Continuous Family Planning Services During Shocks and Stressors

Global progress on meeting voluntary family planning (FP) needs has been advancing. In 2022, 371 million women worldwide were using a modern contraceptive method, marking an increase of 87 million over the past decade, with expanded use observed in all regions.1 However, advances have been uneven across and within countries and demographic groups. Moreover, this hard-fought progress is threatened everywhere by worsening, intersecting crises that disrupt health systems and disproportionately affect women, girls, and historically marginalized people. No region or setting is immune to the risks posed by climate change and infectious disease outbreaks, and the growing number and severity of conflicts have drained resources for health in many countries.

In this commentary, Women’s Refugee Commission staff and our partners review evidence on the need for ongoing FP services during shocks and stressors, outline the benefits of and challenges to strengthening preparedness, discuss progress made to date, and offer recommendations for action to catalyze transformative changes in emergency preparedness for FP. The recommendations are aimed at stakeholders working across humanitarian, development, and fragile settings: governments, including health and disaster risk management stakeholders; donors; multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization; local, national, and international implementing agencies; researchers and academic institutions; and civil society organizations and advocates.