Global health experts have raised alarm over the worsening financial shortfall confronting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) despite increases in international aid commitments.
Speaking at the 2025 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bogotá, Colombia, on Wednesday, the experts cautioned that low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, risk losing years of progress if decisive actions are not taken to bridge the widening funding gaps.
The four-day conference drew over 3,500 participants from 120 countries, including policymakers, researchers, donors, and advocates, all focused on advancing family planning and reproductive health globally.
Fresh reports released by the World Health Organization (WHO), The Lancet, Guttmacher Institute, and Rutgers revealed that the global SRHR movement stands at a critical crossroads where innovation meets inequality.
According to Guttmacher’s latest analysis, more than 70 percent of global family planning funds come from a few key donors, with nearly 40 percent originating from the United States.
However, donor contributions dropped by 27 percent in 2023 to 10.77 billion dollars, accounting for only 4.3 percent of total official development assistance (ODA).
Experts expressed concern that the fall in external funding poses a grave threat to countries such as Nigeria, which depend heavily on donors for reproductive health supplies and services.
Data from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shows that domestic contributions to family planning remain under 30 percent of required needs, creating gaps in procurement, logistics, and service delivery.
Dr. Philip Anglewicz, Director of the William H. Gates Sr. Institute and Chair of the ICFP 2025 International Steering Committee, urged that research findings must inspire meaningful policy changes.
“Evidence is only as powerful as the action it inspires. This week, the SRHR community is proving that research can do more than describe the world, it can change it,” he said.
