On Tuesday 11 July 2017, the UK hosted a major international summit on family planning, in partnership with UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Summit brought together leaders from around the world to work together to remove barriers to family planning services so that voluntary, modern contraception can be offered to many more millions of women in the world’s poorest countries across Africa and Asia.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel gave a key note speech, alongside Natalia Kanem, acting head of UNFPA, and Melinda Gates.
Ms Patel set out that the UK Government would boost and extend its annual support for family planning around the world until 2022.
In addition, the UK will be focusing its efforts on eliminating the stigma, cost and access issues associated with family planning, by supporting innovative technology, helping fix issues in supply chains so contraceptives make it onto the shelves and reach more women in emergency settings.
