Press Release

Global Health Leaders Unite in Bogotá to Confront Rights and Funding Challenges

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The world’s largest sexual and reproductive health conference, ICFP 2025, will spotlight
evidence-based solutions advancing access, equity, and autonomy worldwide.

Amid the biggest crossroads for reproductive rights in a generation, world leaders, researchers, and advocates will converge in Bogotá for the Seventh International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025) — the world’s largest convening on family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

As reproductive rights face historic rollbacks and a projected US $1.5 billion shortfall in reproductive-health commodity financing by 2030 in the poorest countries, ICFP 2025 will serve as a global forum to chart a course from crisis to action.

A Historic Moment for Rights and Resolve

The first ICFP ever held in Latin America, the meeting comes at a pivotal moment. Two emergency side summits will address the global health-financing gap and the shifting political climate around reproductive rights. New multi-country reports on abortion access, adolescent health, and sustainable financing will debut, with governments expected to announce new commitments ahead of 2030 targets.

From the halls of the Bogotá convention center to community venues across the city, ICFP will bring local stories to global audiences, showcasing Colombia’s leadership in rights-based care and innovation. Colombia’s selection as host signals the region’s growing political influence in shaping the global reproductive-rights agenda.

This global gathering comes as over 250 million women still lack access to modern contraception according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Participants will debate how to close this gap, fund resilient systems, and safeguard hard-won rights amid political backlash and shrinking aid.

“Latin America has shown that progress is possible, even in the toughest contexts. We’re not just responding to global challenges — we’re shaping the solutions.” said Marta Royo, Executive Director of Profamilia. “From innovative models of care to bold new partnerships and financing approaches, our region is proving that rights can advance through resilience, creativity, and collective action.”

Hosted by William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Government of Colombia, Profamilia, and Fundación Valle del Lili, the conference brings together ministers, parliamentarians, researchers, and advocates to transform evidence into policy and measurable impact.

“For sixty years, Profamilia has proven that advancing sexual and reproductive

rights is not only necessary: it’s possible, and it’s transformative. Hosting ICFP

2025 is both a recognition of Latin America’s progress and a call to keep pushing for

health, equity, and wellbeing worldwide.” said Royo.

“Contraception saves lives. It’s the front line of defense against maternal mortality. We cannot afford complacency — women and girls are counting on us. Let’s use the evidence from Bogotá to shape policies that uphold their rights and enable them to forge a healthy, prosperous future,” said Ms. Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA.

Governments and Global Leaders at a Turning Point

Global progress toward universal access to family planning has stalled over the past five years, according to UNFPA — with millions of women still lacking modern contraceptive options or the freedom to use them. As gains slow and political pushback intensifies, policy leadership and institutional reform have taken on new urgency.

“Contraception saves lives. It’s the front line of defense against maternal mortality. We cannot afford complacency — women and girls are counting on us. Let’s use the evidence from Bogotá to shape policies that uphold their rights and enable them to forge a healthy, prosperous

future,” said Ms. Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA.

ICFP 2025 will host the largest ministerial delegation in conference history, welcoming ministers from more than 50 governments, parliamentary delegations, and a coalition of multilateral agencies, foundations, universities, private-sector actors, and civil society to examine how national reforms can be scaled, financed, and sustained amid shifting aid landscapes.

Science Driving Equity — Evidence That Pays Off

Under the theme Equity Through Action: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All, ICFP 2025 will feature 2,000+ scientific presentations demonstrating how investment in family planning accelerates progress across health, education, and economies.

“Evidence must outpace ideology,” said Dr. Philip Anglewicz, Director of the William H. Gates Sr. Institute and Chair of the ICFP 2025 International Steering Committee. “Bogotá will be where science, community, and political leadership align to protect rights and rebuild momentum.”

This year’s scientific program will unveil data and innovations reshaping the future of

reproductive health — from breakthrough technologies to rights-based care models. Key themes include:

1.    Innovation and Technology Transforming Access

  • New research from Kenya, Malawi, and Ethiopia highlights how AI platforms, digital health tools, and even drone delivery systems are strengthening contraceptive supply chains and bringing services to remote regions.

2.    Financing and Systems Resilience

  • Analyses from Ghana, Kenya, and global partners reveal the economic returns of domestic investment in family planning and the urgent need to close the $1.5 billion commodity-financing gap projected by UNFPA and the Global Financing Facility.

3.    Expanding Rights and Redefining Care

  • From Colombia’s MIA strategy for self-managed abortion to nurse-led models in the Philippines, rights-based approaches and workforce empowerment are transforming care — even in constrained settings.

4.    Shared Responsibility and Gender Transformation

  • Multi-country studies on male contraception reveal shifting attitudes, safety and acceptability evidence, and policy pathways — signaling a turning point for men’s and gender-diverse participation in family planning.

5.    Youth, Inclusion, and Voice

  • Work from Nepal and Nigeria shows how youth-led, disability-inclusive media (e.g., the Deaf Youth Podcast) is reshaping SRHR communication and demand.

Together, these studies reflect a global community harnessing innovation, evidence, and equity to transform the future of family planning. These scientific findings will frame the urgent policy conversations taking place across ministerial and multilateral sessions in Bogotá. Together, they underscore how investment in reproductive health is not only a public health necessity, but a proven economic and social driver.

Community Voices Rewrite the Global Story

Health workers, youth advocates, journalists, artists, and grassroots organizers are at the heart of this community. Through the ICFP LIVE Stage and Family Planning News Network, advocates will spotlight the stories behind the statistics: from youth-led solutions and digital advocacy to new reports on abortion access, climate disruption, and migration-affected communities. Their testimony underscores that family planning is more than a policy objective; it is a movement sustained by shared voices, creativity, and lived experience. ICFP LIVE will stream more than 30 hours of programming in English and Spanish to audiences worldwide.

With less than five years until 2030, ICFP 2025 aims to chart a clear course from evidence to action — and ensure every person can exercise their reproductive rights, free from fear or barriers.

Featured Voices at ICFP 2025

The ICFP 2025 stage will bring together some of the most influential voices shaping policy and advocacy for reproductive health worldwide.

Global Policy

  • Diene Keita, Executive Director of UNFPA — opening global dialogues on the future of family-planning financing.
  • Anita Zaidi, President for Gender Equality at the Gates Foundation — advancing gender-transformative approaches across global health.
  • Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General, IPPF — calling for coordinated action to safeguard rights amid shrinking civic space.

Science & Academia

  • Keisha Pollack Porter, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, globally recognized health equity scholar.
  • Jennifer Sciubba, President and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, and author of 8 Billion and Counting
  • Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, examining how demographic narratives and pronatalist policies influence global decision-making.

Regional & Community

  • Marta Royo, Executive Director of Profamilia (Colombia) — highlighting Colombia’s rights-based health model and local implementation.
  • Ejike Oji, President, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (Nigeria)
  • Marie Ba, Director, Ouagadougou Partnership — showcasing African regional collaboration and youth-centered innovation.
  • Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director, FP2030 — on mobilizing financing for youth and gender equity.
By the Numbers
  • Dates: November 3–6 2025
  • Location: Bogotá, Colombia
  • 800+ organizations represented from 120+ countries
  • 40+ Ministries of Health and parliamentary delegations
  • 60+ universities and research institutes
  • 100+ NGOs and foundations
  • 15+ UN and multilateral agencies
  • 50+ youth, feminist, and faith movements
  • 2,500+ journalists engaged through ICFP Media and FPNN
  • 100+ national and international reporters covering live from Bogotá

Media Access

Media registration is open. Accredited journalists may attend on-site or virtually via the Family Planning News Network (FPNN).

High-resolution photos, B-roll, and interview scheduling available in the FPNN Media Lab: https://theicfp.org/media-center

About the International Conference on Family Planning

Since 2009, ICFP has served as the world’s largest scientific and advocacy platform on family planning and reproductive health. The 2025 conference is organized by the William H. Gates Sr. Institute at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in partnership with the Government of Colombia, Profamilia, Fundación Valle del Lili, and more than 100 global partners.

ICFP partners with the Family Planning News Network (FPNN) to expand global media coverage of family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Journalists and content creators are invited to join the network for exclusive access to resources and coverage opportunities.

About the William H. Gates Sr. Institute

Based in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health accelerates locally-led progress in gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights through research, innovation, and partnership.

About Profamilia

Profamilia is Colombia’s leading private non-profit organization dedicated to advancing human, sexual and reproductive rights. With more than 50 clinics across the country, Profamilia provides comprehensive SRHR services, promotes sexuality education and champions autonomy and equality for all people.

About Fundación Valle del Lili

Fundación Valle del Lili is a high-complexity, non-profit university hospital in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and ranks among the world’s top hospitals. Through its “Hospital Padrino” strategy, it strengthens sexual and reproductive health and maternal-care capacity in more than 230 hospitals nationwide, combining excellence in care, research, and education.

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