Advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights; supporting demographic developments

Context

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow by two billion people. Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) will greatly impact how large this increase will actually be.

When women can decide freely about their lives, it improves their opportunities for education and employment. They then often opt for more conscious family planning, have fewer children or wait until later in life.

These demographic changes influence global challenges such as poverty reduction, food security, the provision of infrastructure, environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

Objective

Access to SRHR services is improved and population dynamics are integrated into development policy strategies and measures.

Approach

The project supports the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in designing and implementing development policies that promote SRHR and take demographic trends into account.

The priority areas of advisory services include:

• Advancing the sexual and reproductive rights of women and other vulnerable groups
• Promoting rights-based family planning
• Improving the range of, and access to, sexual and reproductive health services

To this end, the project works with partners from politics, civil society and international organisations including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF).

Moreover, the project gathers practical experiences from other projects and incorporates them into its advisory services.

In order to enhance the right to bodily autonomy, reproductive health and gender equality in the long run, the project also supports BMZ with representing its evidence-based positions in international negotiations.

Last update: March 2025