The demographic dividend is the economic growth that may result from changes to a country’s age structure. The shifts in age structure are driven by a transition from people living short lives and having large families to living long lives … Continue reading »

The world’s population will reach 7 billion people on Oct. 31, 2011, and according to United Nations projections, we are on pace to add 3 billion or more by the end of this century. Already, millions of women in developing … Continue reading »

Pregnancy and childbirth are deadly to more than half a million women worldwide every year—a fact that is unacceptable, but not unavoidable. Despite twenty years of campaigning to improve their sexual and reproductive health, the risk of dying in pregnancy … Continue reading »

In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, 179 nations endorsed an approach to improving reproductive health based on meeting individual needs and respecting human rights. They pledged to share the costs needed to … Continue reading »

As global climate change unfolds, its effects are being felt disproportionately in the world’s poorest countries and among the groups of people least able to cope. Many of the countries hardest hit by the effects of climate change also face … Continue reading »

Drought, floods, severe weather and other effects of climate change have begun to threaten communities in many parts of the world. These impacts will worsen in the future, contributing to growing human migration as vulnerable people seek safer, more stable … Continue reading »

What does ‘Community-Based Population and Environment’ mean? The term—CBPE for short—refers to the linkages between services that combine aspects of natural resources conservation or similar environmental work and the provision of reproductive health services, including family planning. Why link reproductive health … Continue reading »

In 2007, more than 6,800 people became infected with HIV every day, and new HIV infections outnumbered persons receiving treatment by nearly 3 to 1. Comprehensive HIV prevention—including both condoms and contraceptives—must become a top priority in the continued fight against … Continue reading »

Nearly 80 million unintended pregnancies occur worldwide every year. More than half of these pregnancies end in abortion, often in countries where abortion is illegal and access to contraception is limited. Access to voluntary family planning services, including contraception, is … Continue reading »

The latest data shows an overwhelming number of Americans from every political party in every area of the country support international family planning and reproductive health. Surprised? The data speaks for itself: 91 percent of Americans believe “every woman on … Continue reading »