Making the Case

Five former directors of the Population and Reproductive Health Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) urged the new Obama administration to move quickly to restore U.S. leadership in global family planning.

The former directors issued a joint report, Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance, as Barack Obama takes office as president. The report argues that U.S. investment in family planning assistance programs overseas must more than double as soon as possible if global anti-poverty and development goals are to be achieved amidst the worldwide economic downturn.

In their report, the five development experts documented "enormous pent-up and growing unmet need" for family planning information and services in developing countries, where governments are already struggling to provide enough jobs, education, health care and other services for their populations and poverty is rising.

Full report: Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance

This report was published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

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