MSI congratulates James Cleverly and Vicky Ford on their appointments as the UK’s new Foreign Secretary and Minister of State for Development.
“MSI Reproductive Choices congratulates James Cleverly and Vicky Ford on their new roles. We look forward to continuing to work together to champion the rights of women and girls across the world.
“We are proud of what MSI and the UK Government have achieved together over the last decade and are grateful for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s support for the ground-breaking Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme which, to date, has averted 28,584 maternal deaths, 5.7 million unintended pregnancies and 2.5 million unsafe abortions.
“We were also delighted to see the empowerment of women and girls is a major priority of the UK’s new International Development Strategy, with the commitment to drive progress on universal, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. Access to reproductive healthcare is foundational to so many areas of global development, reducing preventable deaths, supporting girls to stay in school, and providing women and girls with the freedom they need to succeed.
“Prior to the pandemic, UK spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) constituted around 4% of the aid budget, or around £500 million per year. As the impact of last year’s cuts is felt in some of the world’s poorest communities, we cannot work fast enough to restore this funding and to ensure women and girls are able to gain access to the lifesaving services they need.”
