Munya Mandipaza – Executive Director
The global SRHR community which connected in Bogotá, Columbia and online brought a lot of energy and collaborations among partners around the world. The seventh International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) held in Bogotá, Colombia, is a global platform and movement grounded in partnership, inclusivity, innovation, and science which took place from 1- 6 November 2025 united leaders,
advocates, scientists and innovators from across the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) community to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and drive progress to advance SRHR for all. (ICFP) was organised by William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health (WHGI) in response to the shifting landscape and at a time of major funding challenges as key donor governments reduced aid further heightening concerns about service disruptions and hundreds of millions of women in low- and middle-income countries face a high unmet need for contraception. The conference theme, Equity Through Action, underscored our shared responsibility to dismantle persistent barriers to FP/RH/SRHR services worldwide. It reinforced a fundamental principle that unites us: everyone has the right to full reproductive freedom and to be treated with dignity and respect.
The INERELA+ Executive Director Munya Mandipaza joined the conference virtually at a time when global support for FP/RH/SRHR has declined. Over the past year; USAID, the world’s largest multilateral supporter of family planning, has been dismantled; and anti-rights movements continue to gain momentum across regions, threatening hard-won progress. These shifts have profound implications for women, children, and families the very people that we serve. Participants engaged deeply with the region’s rich history of FP/RH/SRHR leadership, sparking meaningful cross-cultural exchange.
On the 4th of November 2025 discussions revolved around equity. The Equity plenary reminded us to step back, listen, and recommit to inclusion and justice for all. Removing financial and legal barriers was at centre stage. Equity meant looking for each age group and delivering with dignity. It was emphasised that data needed to service justice. Equity demands disaggregated data by age, disability geography. Equity is a discipline seeing the invisible, hearing the unheard and acting with precision and humility. It was highlighted that there was need to strengthen the work force. Intentional partnerships with men as allies in access to contraception, promoting gender equality, addressing violence is very important.
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Throughout the week, faith organizations emphasized their shared commitment to strengthening family planning understanding, access, and collaboration in communities that they serve.
The Faith Subcommittee made three core commitments at the closing ceremony:
- Acknowledgement of the challenges and the need for continuous education and advocacy to reduce stigma and promote access to family planning in faith communities.
- Commitment to working together between young people and faith leaders to challenge harmful misconceptions and uphold the dignity, health, and agency of young people.
- Commitment to partnering in advocacy to influence policies for sustained funding and equitable access to family planning supplies and services.
For INERELA+, this moment of change calls for creativity, solidarity, and bold thinking as we forge a future that reflects today’s realities. Together, we can ensure that FP/RH/SRHR remain central to global health, development, and human rights now and in the years to come. INERELA+ remains committed to advancing a bold, multi-dimensional agenda rooted in science, partnership, and community. At a time when reproductive health and rights, women’s rights, and environmental progress face serious threats, we will stand firm through our interconnected global programs of demographic futures, research, policy & advocacy, next generation of leaders, gender equity, and best practices scale-up- which are designed to drive impact through 2030 and beyond.