By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The U.N. Population Fund’s top official have said contraceptives save lives and bring significant economic benefits, but warned that global funding shortfalls are putting access to them under threat.
The comments from Diene Keita, the executive director of UNFPA, came on the eve of the International Conference on Family Planning, (ICFP 2025) which runs from Nov. 1-6 in Bogotá. It is the first time the conference is being held in Latin America.
“Contraceptives save lives,” Keita said. “For almost 50 years, global health authorities have recognized contraception as essential medicine. People want them, use them, and rely on them every day.”
She said the evidence is clear that when women and adolescent girls have access to contraceptives, they are more likely to have planned and safe pregnancies, complete their education, find employment and fulfill their potential.
“The truth is that contraceptives reduce abortion rates and lower the incidence of death and disability related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth,” Keita said.
She also highlighted the economic benefits, noting that every $1 spent on ending the unmet need for contraception yields nearly $27 in economic returns.
Despite this, Keita said UNFPA is seeing contraceptive stocks dwindle in communities that rely on international family planning funding. She warned that health systems are preparing for a rise in unintended pregnancies, which are linked to higher rates of maternal death, including from unsafe abortions.
The impacts, she said, are likely to extend far beyond health care. “We can expect to see adolescent pregnancies, school dropouts, and even increased risk of gender-based violence.”
Keita stressed that UNFPA and its partners have worked for decades to strengthen supply chains and ensure the availability of affordable contraceptives, even in hard-to-reach communities.
“That infrastructure and those investments have been life-changing and lifesaving for millions of people around the world, and need to be protected and enhanced,” she said.
She called for a collective effort to “keep our promise to women and adolescent girls, uphold their rights and choices, and ensure they have access to the contraceptives they need.”
The ICFP 2025 conference, hosted by the Gates Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the Government of Colombia, Profamilia, and Fundación Valle del Lili, will feature the largest ministerial delegation in its history, with officials from more than 50 governments.
Under the theme “Equity Through Action,” the ICFP 2025 will feature more than 2,000 scientific presentations on how investment in family planning accelerates progress across health, education and economies.
