EWEN MACASKILL WRITES IN THE GUARDIAN that a summit is to be held in London on July 11, aimed at providing access to family planning to 120 million women in developing countries at an estimated cost of $4bn. The summit is organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the British government’s department for international development (DFID). Between 20 and 25 countries are scheduled to attend, including the US, India, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania.
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World leaders to meet in London in July to pour cash into family planning in the developing world
A major summit is being planned for July that aims to pour money into family planning in the developing world after almost two decades of neglect, particularly during the Bush years.
Parallel to this, millions of dollars are being spent by the Gates Foundation on developing more efficient forms of contraception, particularly injections that might only be required once every six months or annually.
The executive director of the UN Population Fund, Babatunde Osotimehin, in an interview with the Guardian, described proposals at the summit to turn family planning into a global movement as “transformational”.
Family planning can be political minefield, a taboo subject that attracts opposition from an array of opponents including American social conservatives and the Catholic church. There is widespread resistance, too, within many Muslim countries.
Family planning has also been tainted by its association with ‘population control’ – the discredited attempts by various countries to reduce their populations through coercion. READ MORE.