Donors Delivering 2021 report sheds light on the worsening situation for women and girls around the world
Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) and the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) launched the 2021 Donors Delivering for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) report with a virtual panel discussion on 16 September. The report tracks and assesses donor support to SRHR, family planning (FP), and reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH), looking at the most recent available official data (2019).
COVID-19 has taken a severe toll on gender equality and SRHR across the world, reversing some of the important progress made in recent years. Some of the report’s findings regarding funding trends predating the pandemic are therefore all the more concerning. Despite the recent political will demonstrated by countries across the world, many are falling short on protecting and resourcing SRHR. The EU, the United Kingdom, and many other countries have reduced their contributions to SRHR in recent years.
Furthermore, large European donor countries are still outperformed by their smaller counterparts when it comes to prioritising SRHR disbursements as part of development assistance. For example, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Iceland are still far ahead of France and Germany when looking at SRHR disbursements as a percentage of total official development aid (ODA).
Speaking at the launch of the 2021 Donors Delivering Report, Lisa Goerlitz, Head of EU office for Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) Brussels Office, stated: “It is crucial that the health and rights of all are protected. While we welcome recent moves by the European Union to recognise the importance of SRHR for example as part of their new Gender Action Plan (GAPIII), it is vital that the EU now takes concrete steps to increase support to SRHR for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Given France’s leadership this year in putting gender equality at the center of foreign policy, we have high expectations for their upcoming EU Council Presidency. We look forward to seeing SRHR being prioritised in the EU’s external actions and see those different commitments translate into increased disbursements.”
EPF Secretary, Neil Datta added: “A number of concerning trends have emerged in SRHR disbursements with a number of European donor countries simply not prioritising SRHR in their ODA. The 2021 Donors Delivering for SRHR report will help to raise awareness of the critical nature of this issue, and it is imperative that SRHR disbursements are prioritised by donors, in both internal and external actions. This is all the more important as anti-gender and discriminatory advocacy is also on the rise and is threatening the progress that has been made in recent years in the area of SRHR”.
DSW and EPF welcome the recent adoption of a report by the European Parliament on the situation of SRHR in the EU but are eager to see greater concrete steps taken to reverse the damage caused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in both internal and external EU actions. A reversal of disbursement cuts by the EU and others will be critical to ensure that progress can continue to be made in the area of SRHR across the world.
