The Global Declaration on Abortion is also available in Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Preamble
Over the last 25 years, governments, health providers and civil society have taken major steps to advance women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights, in line with international human rights standards and public health guidance, including liberalizing abortion laws in over 50 countries. In addition, medical abortion has revolutionized access and improved safety of abortion around the world.
Yet more must be done. Globally, 1 in 4 women will access abortion care in their lifetime. Of the 56 million abortions that happen each year, 25 million are unsafe with a resulting 44,000 women and girls dying—roughly 8 percent of all global maternal deaths—and 7 million more women in developing countries suffering serious, often permanent, injuries. The vast majority of these deaths and injuries are preventable and occur where laws are most restrictive. Evidence shows that restricting access to abortion does not decrease women seeking abortion, it only makes it less safe, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable women and girls. The Sustainable Development Goals will not be met if access to safe abortion care is not urgently addressed.
We therefore urge governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, health providers, the private sector and the donor community to:
- Make abortion, including abortion self-care, safe, legal, available, accessible and affordable by eliminating all laws and policies that restrict or criminalize access.
- Ensure that universal health coverage integrates–and makes accessible and affordable–an essential package of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, and services, including abortion, post-abortion and contraception, into national strategies, budgets and programs.
- Provide children and young people—both in and out of school—with comprehensive sexuality education that supports their right to informed choice and autonomy, including evidence-based information on contraception and abortion, and connects them with sexual and reproductive health services that are free, accessible, age-responsive, nondiscriminatory, and do not require third-party authorization.
- Increase access to early, quality medical abortion to make abortions safer, particularly in low-resource settings, by training providers at all levels, and by providing information, funding and resources for out of clinic access through hotlines, telemedicine and self-care referral systems.
- Meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of marginalized groups such as young women, indigenous women, women with disabilities, unmarried women and girls, and trans men by addressing the multiple barriers that prevent them from accessing services, by training and sensitizing providers, and by designing intersectional interventions that address social, cultural and economic needs, and help to improve equity and ensure their access to contraception and abortion.
- Promote gender equality and women’s and girls’ autonomy by implementing interventions at all levels to change harmful social and gender norms and stereotypes around sexuality, pregnancy and abortion; and by engaging partners, relatives and community members as supportive advocates for sexual and reproductive rights and abortion.
- Provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare to those affected by sexual and gender- based violence, including access to emergency contraception, safe abortion services and psycho-social support as defined under CEDAW, ICCPR and CAT.
- Guarantee sexual and reproductive health information and services, including comprehensive abortion care and contraception, in humanitarian settings, especially for all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Signatories
Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Action Works Nepal
ActionAid
African Women Rising
African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
African Youth Safe Abortion Alliance (AYOSA)
Agrupación Ciudadana por la Despenalización del Aborto
AIDOS – Italian Association for Women in Development
Aidsfonds
Akina Mama wa Afrika
Albanian Center for Population and Development
Alianza por la Solidaridad
Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC)
Allliance for Choice
Amazone Advisors
AMICALE DU NID
Amnesty International
Área Salud, Economía y Sociedad, CEDES (Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad)
ARROW
Articulación Feminista Marcosur
ASFAMM-association pour la Sante des Femmes d’Afrique du Maghreb et du Moyen Orient
Asociación Ciudadana ACCEDER
Asociación Familia Sana
Associação Moçambicana de Obstetras e Ginecologistas (AMOG)
Association Congolaise pour les Droits et la Santé
Association de Lutte contre les Violences faites aux Femmes
ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES DE L EUROPE MERIDIONALE
Association européenne de la pensée libre AEPL-EU
Association for Human Rights and Active Citizenship PaRiter
Association for Research and Social Innovation (ADT)
Association of Belarusian Guides
Association of Women of Ukraine «DIYA/ACTION»
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
August Vermeylenfonds
Austrian Family Planning Association (Oegf)
AwazCDS-Pakistan
Balance Promoción para el Desarrollo y Juventud AC
Balanced Stewardship Development Association (BALSDA)
Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc.
Belarusian Organization of Working Women
Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC) Nepal
Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health at UCLA
BLAST
Bori se ženski! (Бори се женски!)
Borisov women social public association “Provincia”
British Society of Abortion Care Providers
Business women club Southwest Pinsk
Catholics for Choice
Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir Perú
Center “Women’s perspectives”
Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)
Center for Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT)
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center Women and Modern World
Centre d’Action Laïque
Centre d’Initiatives et d’Actions pour le Développement durable au Burundi (CIAD Burundi)
Centre for Girls and Interaction (CEGI)
Centre for Solutions Journalism – Malawi
Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE)
Centre Ombre de la Femme du Burundi
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
Centro de Estudios y Capacitación Familiar (CEFA)
Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva
Centro de Promoción de la Mujer Micaela Bastidas – Trujillo
Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristán
Chambre Transversale des Jeunes Entrepreneurs du Burundi
CHANGE
Chipembere Community Development Oreganisation
CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality
Clopsy
Coalition for Prevention of Unsafe Abortion
COJET/PLATE-FORME
Colectiva Feminista MAPAS
Colectiva Matria
Colectivo por la Igualdad De Género Piura
Colectivo Rebeldía
Colectivo Sonqo Warmi Cusco
COLLECTIF DES ASSOCIATIONS FEMINIES POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT
Collective for Social Science Research
Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres (CLADEM)
Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres, CLADEM – Bolivia
Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres, CLADEM – Perú
Community Initiative for Social Empowerment (CISE Malawi)
Community Youth Development Foundation
Concept Foundation
CONSORTIUM FEMME ET JUSTICE
Coordinadora de la Mujer
Coordination française pour le Lobby Européen des Femmes
COPUA
Corporación Casa de la Mujer
CREA
Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University
CURE Foundation/Fondacija CURE
Dance4Life
DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era)
De Maakbare Mens
DEBOUT FILLE
deMens.nu
DEMUS
Department of Health
Development and Relief Solutions – DRESO
Deverlanges Blandine
DKT International FWACA
DKT WomanCare Global
Dynamic Femmes
Educating Girls and Young Women for Development (EGYD)
Ehsas Films Project
ELA – Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género
Ella vzw
Emthonjeni
EngenderHealth
Equality Fund
Equidad de Género, Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia – México
Equipop
Eugene Environmental FilmFestival
European College of Liberal Arts in Belarus (ECLAB, https://eclab.by)
Eyala
Fabs organization
Facultad de Psicología UMSNH
Family Health Options Kenya
Family planning Association of Nepal, palpa branch
Federación Planificación Familiar Estatal
Federation for Women and Family Planning
Federation of Women Lawyers-FIDA Kenya
Feminism UA
Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM)
FOKUS – Forum for Women and Development
FONDATION SOLIDARITÉ FAMILIALE, FOSOF
Fondo de Aborto para la Justicia Social MARIA
Fonds d’Entraide Georges Beernaerts / Onderling Steunfonds Georges Beernaerts
Fonds Lucien De Coninck
Food and Rural Development Foundation
Foro Regional por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de Arequipa
Fundación Arcoiris por el Respeto a la Diversidad Sexual
Fundación ESAR
Fundación Mexicana para la Planeación Familiar, AC MEXFAM
Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer (FEIM)
Fundación Si Mujer
Furia vzw
Gender-Centru
Genderise
Generation Initiative for Women and Youths Network (GIWYN)
Girls Go Green Initiative
Global Coalition of Women Against AIDS in Uganda (GCOWAU)
Golden Centre for Women’s Rights Uganda
Governance Links
Gracious Foundation in Uganda
GROOTS Kenya(Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood)
Groupement des femmes vivant avec le VIH, GFV-VIH
Guttmacher Institute
Hábitat Mujer Salud
Hablemos de Derechos Humanos
Hand in Hand with Educated and Labour People (HHELp)
Haurralde Fundazioa
Health Development Initiative (HDI)
HERA (Health Education and Research Association) Macedonia
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia
Hidden Pockets Collective
Hivos
Human Rights Law Network
Humanistisch Verbond
Humanists International
Humanists UK
Humanity Diaspo
Ibis Reproductive Health
ICRHM (Centro Internacional para Saúde Reprodutiva)
ICW Latina Comunidad Internacional de Mujeres viviendo con VIH
ILGA World
ILS Law College
Informational Legal Centre “VIALEX”
Insight Public Organization
Instituto de Salud Popular (INSAP)
Instituto Feminista Nísia Floresta
International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion
International Federation of Business and Professional Women
International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations
International Planned Parenthood Federation
International Planned Parenthood Federation – Western Hemisphere (IPPF-WHR)
International Public Association “Gender Perspectives”
International Women’s Health Coalition
International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP)
International Youth Alliance for Family Planning Uganda
Ipas
Irshad Ahmed Junejo
Julius Vuylstekefonds
Justice and Rights Institute-Nepal (JuRI-Nepal)
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Kijiji Afrika
Kuza Livelihood Improvement Projects
Kyrgyz Family Planning Alliance (KFPA)
La Cadejos – Comunicación Feminista
La Mujer en Africa Austral Mozambique (WLSAMOZ em ingles)
Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network
Le Planning Familial
LeadAfrica
LGBTI Support Center
Ligue pour la solidarité congolaise
Local Democracy Agency Mostar
London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign
Love Matters India
LUNA vzw
MANAB UNNAYAN KENDRA MUK
Marie Stopes International
Materské centeum Slniečko
Mauritius Council of Social Service
Médecins du monde France
Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Kirketon Road Centre
Medical Rights Watch
Medical Student for Choice Malawi Chapter
Medical Students for Choice
MenEngage Global Alliance
Moldovan A.O. Liceum
Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico (MAMPR)
Movimiento Manuela Ramos
Moyo the journalist
Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center
Nalane for Reproductive Justice
Naripokkho
Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa
Network for Building Peace
NGO Center “RESONANCE”
Non-commercial partnership ” Woman today”
Nyale Institute
Observatorio de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de la Personas con Discapacidad, (ODISEX Perú)
Office for European Expertise and Communications
Organisation For Health in Substainble development (OHISD)
OutRight Action International
PARI o DISPARE
Partners in Sexual Health
Pathfinder International
People’s Health Movement
PIAI “Region 119”
Plan International
Planned Parenthood Global
Plateforme RHRN SÉNÉGAL
Population Connection Action Fund
Population Services International
Population, Health and Development Group (PHD Group)
POSITIVE WOMEN
Private citizen of Australia
Profamilia
Prokiti Jubo Sangsad (Bangladesh Model Youth Parliment)
Promundo-US
Queer Youth Group
Radanar Ayar Association
Radha Paudel Foundation
Red de Educación Popular entre Mujeres – REPEM
Red de Mujeres por una Opinión Pública con Perspectiva de Género AC
Red de Mujeres Trabajadoras Sexuales LAC (RedTraSex)
Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir
REDAAS – Red de Acceso al Aborto Seguro Argentina
Reproductive Health Uganda
Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ)
Réussir l’Égalité Femmes-Hommes (REFH)
RFSL, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights
RFSU
Right Here Right Now
RNW Media
ROSHNI Foundation
Rutgers
SafeHands
SAMSARA
Sarajevo Open Centre
SARChI Chair in Gender Politics
School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape
Sensoa
Servicios Humanitarios en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, ac
Sex og Politikk
Sexual and Reproductive Rights Network
SEXUAL HEALTH Switzerland
Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance Uganda
SFBSP-Burundi(Solidarité des Femmes Burundaises pour le bien être et le progrès)
Simavi
Societatea de Planificare a Familiei din Moldova/Family Planning Association of Moldova
Solidarité avec les Victimes et pour la Paix-SOVIP
Solidarité des Femmes pour le Développement Intégral “SOFEDI”
Solidarité des jeunes filles pour l’éducation et l’intégration socioprofessionnelle, SOJFEP
Solidarité Femmes Burundaises pour le Bien Etre social et le Progrès au Buruni
Sonke Gender Justice
SOS SEXUALITÉ POUR TOUS
SOUTHERN AFRICA LITIGATION CENTRE
Space Allies
SPECTRA
SRJC
Stella Network
Sukaar welfare organization
Surkuna – Centro de apoyo y protección de los derechos humanos
Swaziland Women’s Land Rights Alliance
Swichi uganda
Taller Salud
TERRE DES JEUNES Du Burundi
The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)
The Community Health Rights Network (COHERINET)
The Lotus Identity
Tusitukirewamu Group Bwaise
Udruženje “Ženska Vizija” Association “Womens Vision “
Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije (UDIK)
Uganda Youth Alliance for Family Planning and Adolescent Health
Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum
Uitstraling Permanente Vorming
Ujala Network
Ujima Doula Services
unis pour le developpement et la communication
United for a Purpose Brigade (Up Brigade)
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
UNIVERSIDAD MICHOACANA DE SAN NICOLÁS DE HIDALGO
Universitair Centrum voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (UCOS)
University of Benin
University of California Irvine/Independent
Uplift International
UPV kern denderdstreek
UŽ “SEKA” Goražde
Väestöliitto – The Family Federation of Finland
Vecinas Feministas por la Justicia Sexual y Reproductiva de America Latina y el Caribe
Vishakha
Vision Spring Initiatives
Voice for Choice Malta
Vrijzinnig Centrum De Fakkel
Wanawake Wavuvi Kenya
Woman Health & Family Planning
WomanHealth Philippines
Women and Law in Southern Africa – Lesotho
Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust Malawi
Women Deliver
Women for Women’s Human Rights – New ways
Women Law and Development Association
Women Spaces Africa
Women Spaces Africa
Women’s Probono Initiative (WPI)
Women’s Energy Club of Ukraine” (WECU)
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights Africa (WGNRR AFRICA)
Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group
Women’s Legal Centre
Women’s March Global
Women’s Rights Center NGO
World Health Organization
WREPA
YOSHAN
YouAct – European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights
Young Feminists
Young Men Engage For Equality 2030
Young Women For Change
Youth Action Movement
Youth Changers Kenya
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
Youth for Change Action Group
Youth Network for Community and Sustainable Development (YNCSD)
Youth Nexus
Youth Task Force
Youth For Change Action Group
YouthNet for Climate Justice
Zamara Foundation
ŽENY POMÁHAJÚ ŽENÁM
Хмельницька обласна ГО Подільський центр “Гендерна рада”