The UK Government is being urged to protect aid spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) after a new report reveals the devastating implications that further UK aid cuts will have on women and girls’ health, lives and bodily autonomy around the world.
The report produced by the Guttmacher Institute, MSI Reproductive Choices and Plan International UK warns of the increasingly dire consequences if cuts to sexual and reproductive healthcare are allowed to deepen.
- A 50% cut would deny 5.5 million people contraceptive services, leading to an additional 1.9 million unintended pregnancies and 1,960 maternal deaths.
- A 70% cut would deny 7.7 million people contraceptive services, leading to an additional 2.6 million unintended pregnancies and 2,740 maternal deaths.
The UK government has long been a global leader in supporting SRHR, with a strong track record of investing in high-impact cost-effective programmes for women and girls. This includes UK aid for contraception, via UNFPA Supplies (£274 million 2018-2024) and the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme (£252 million 2018 – 2022), which reached over 10 million women across 24 countries, contributing to gender equality and economic development and building resilience to the climate crisis.
The UK has also maintained a strong commitment to funding HIV programming and services and championed neglected issues such as abortion, comprehensive sexuality education and female genital mutilation (FGM).
Unless funding is protected, these investments are at grave risk following the recently announced cuts to Official Development Aid, from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.34% in 2027, estimated at £0.5 billion in 2025/6, £4.8 billion in 2026/27 and £6.5 billion in 2027/28 which will be the lowest aid budget in 25 years.
Sanou Gning, MSI director based in the Sahel said: “We are at a pivotal moment. The UK government’s decisions regarding its aid budget will have a lasting impact on generations to come. As an African woman, I have seen firsthand how the UK’s investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights have transformed lives across the continent and driven progress on many of the world’s most pressing goals, from maternal health to girls’ education and poverty reduction.
“Thanks to UK aid millions of women and girls have accessed contraception, received life-saving care, and been empowered to make informed choices about their futures. Any further UK cuts would compound the chaos created by the decimation of the US Agency for International Development. They would put lives at risk, forcing women into unsafe abortion and preventable maternal deaths. These services are not a luxury; they are a lifeline and must be protected.”
