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16 October 2025 - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been tracking the developing situation in Brussels, where the Trump administration is holding over $9.7 million of U.S.-funded contraceptives set to be destroyed. In August, IPPF shared that 77 percent of these resources were destined for five countries in the African region, with 1,031,400 injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants earmarked for Tanzania alone. These countries have specific rules for pharmaceutical imports, and as the U.S. government holds these resources, the risk of them becoming ineligible for import becomes imminent and critical. In addition to the cruel and ideological reasons for withholding these contraceptives, the U.S. government is exploiting import regulations to:Skirt around pressure from the Belgian government that would make incinerating these products in Belgium (Flanders) illegal while they are still eligible for import.Enact their initial plan to ensure these life-saving resources do not reach the communities who need them most by withholding them until they become ineligible for importation, and eligible for legal incineration.Use the import thresholds as a loophole to legally incinerate resources before their expiration dates in 2027 to 2029.“Destination countries, including Tanzania (the main recipient), as well as others such as Malawi, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Kenya, apply importation rules that limit entry to medicines with a specific percentage of remaining shelf life. In Tanzania, for example, products with an original shelf life of more than 24 months cannot be imported if less than 60% of the total shelf life remains,” says Marcel Van Valen, Head of Supply Chain at IPPF. “Unless a practical solution is found urgently, the U.S. government may exploit this gap, allowing the products to sit until they technically fall below import thresholds and then justifying their destruction under the pretext of regulatory compliance.”IPPF made continuous efforts to take ownership of these contraceptives and distribute them at no cost to the U.S. government, only to have offers denied. “There is no doubt we could have gone and collected the products in Belgium, processed them in the Netherlands and re-distributed them to where they were needed and/or destined for,” added Van Valen. “Since the start of the negotiations until this day, IPPF is in the position to release a budget (estimated to be max $1.5 million) to support the redistribution.”Instead, the Trump administration has chosen to pursue destroying these resources, a decision that will create catastrophe for women and girls in Africa. By Tanzania’s standards, some products are below threshold already and many others come close to it; the country would have to grant an exemption waiver to allow their importation at this stage.“Even if we were given the opportunity to push for a waiver to receive the contraceptives, because the Tanzanian government is restrictive around reproductive rights, we don’t know that such an exemption would be granted,” says Dr. Bakari Omary, Project Coordinator at Umati, IPPF's Member Association in Tanzania. “It’s urgent that we receive these resources before they become ineligible for import. The contraceptives being held represent 28% of the country’s total annual need, and not having them is already impacting clients’ reproductive health and family planning freedoms.”“African women have long led the fight for reproductive rights and freedoms. The deliberate destruction of contraceptives for the sake of a political agenda is an attempt to strip them of the very freedoms for which they’ve been global advocates,” says Mallah Tabot, SRHR Lead at IPPF Africa. “The Trump administration’s use of import rules to push the blame onto African countries is a waste of millions of dollars, a crisis for human rights, and a betrayal of women’s freedom globally.”Such a critical moment demands collective action. We call on the U.S. government to immediately distribute these resources to their destination countries, and on the European Union and European countries to champion SRHRJ by advocating for the release of the contraceptives. Just as the Belgian government has done in enforcing an incineration ban on these goods, leaders of the European Union have an opportunity to demonstrate their values in action. We call on the E.U. to rally Member States, negotiate with the U.S., and explore all legal and diplomatic avenues to release these contraceptives from their hold and ensure they reach their destination countries.For more information or to interview one of our staff, please contact media@ippf.org or +66628683089.

6 August 2025 - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has learned that over $9.7 million worth of US-funded contraceptives are now set to be incinerated in France. Seventy-seven percent of these essential supplies were earmarked for five countries in the Africa Region - including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mali — many of which are already facing severe humanitarian crises. The incineration of these contraceptives will deny more than 1.4 million women and girls access to life-saving care. Rather than reaching the communities who need them most, these essential medical supplies - many of which don’t expire until 2027 to 2029 - are being needlessly and egregiously destroyed.IPPF Member Associations in the affected countries were due to receive a share of these contraceptive stocks. Instead, they are now facing a sharp decline in supply following the decision to incinerate them. More than 40% of the total value of the contraceptive stockpiled in Brussels was allocated for shipment to Tanzania alone. Dr Bakari Omary, Project Coordinator at UMATI, IPPF’s Member Association in Tanzania, said:  “We are facing a major challenge. The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania - leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients' choices regarding family planning uptake.”This development adds a new layer of outrage to what is already a cruel political decision. These contraceptives were already manufactured, packaged, and ready for distribution. IPPF offered to take them for redistribution at no cost to the US taxpayer, but this offer was declined. The actions of the U.S. administration make it clear that politics trump economics, given the additional costs necessary for transportation, storage, and incineration of these products. “This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful. These life-saving medical supplies were destined to countries where access to reproductive care is already limited, and in some cases, part of a broader humanitarian response, such as in the DRC. The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable and undermines efforts to protect the health and rights of women and girls,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Africa Regional Director of IPPF.IPPF's local partners in Africa will now face increased challenges to deliver essential and life-saving care. According to RHSC, the loss of these supplies is projected to result in 362,000 unintended pregnancies and 110,000 unsafe abortions:  Tanzania: 1,031,400 injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants will not be distributed. These products represent over 50% of USAID annual support to Tanzania's health system and a terrifying 28% of the total annual need of the country.Mali: 1,100,880 oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants will be denied, 24% of Mali’s annual need.Zambia: 48,400 implants and 295,000 injectable contraceptives will be denied to women.Kenya: 108,000 women will not have access to contraceptive implants, 13.5% of its annual need. Nelly Munyasia, Executive Director for the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya (IPPF Member Association): “In Kenya, the effects of US funding disruptions are already being felt. The funding freeze has caused stockouts of contraceptives, leaving facilities with less than five months' supply instead of the required 15 months; reduced capacity building for health workers; disrupted digital logistics and health information systems, and caused a 46% funding gap in Kenya’s national family planning program. These systemic setbacks come at a time when unmet need for contraception remains high. Nearly 1 in 5 girls aged 15–19 is already pregnant or has given birth. Unsafe abortions remain among the five leading causes of maternal deaths in Kenya.” Sarah Durocher, President of Le Planning familial (IPPF’s French Member Association): “We call on the French government to take responsibility and act urgently to prevent the destruction of USAID-funded contraceptives. It is unacceptable that France, a country that champions feminist diplomacy, has remained silent while others, like Belgium, have stepped in to engage with the US government. In the face of this injustice, solidarity with the people who were counting on these life-saving supplies is not optional: it is a moral imperative.”“We will not stay silent while essential care is destroyed by ideology”, continued Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry.Notes: IPPF’s local partners in the countries affected include Reproductive Health Network Kenya, Chama cha Uzazi na Malezi Bora Tanzania, Association Malienne pour la Protection et la Promotion de la Famille, Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia, Association Burkinabé pour le Bien-Etre Familial and the Association pour le Bien-Etre Familial/Naissances Désirables.For more information or to interview one of our staff, please contact media@ippf.org or +66628683089. About the International Planned Parenthood Federation  IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 158 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 153 countries.  Our work is wide-ranging, and includes services for sexual health and well-being, contraception, abortion care, sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infections, HIV, obstetrics and gynecology, fertility support, sexual and gender-based violence, comprehensive sex education, and responding to humanitarian crises. We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and, crucially, no matter how remote. 

On International Women's Day 2022, Guatemala's Congress passed a law which triples the prison sentences for women seeking abortion care, prohibits same-sex marriage and further bans the teaching of comprehensive sexuality education and sexual diversity in schools, saying that teaching "anything other than heterosexuality is normal" is against the law.  The "Life and Family Protection Law" was passed by an overwhelming majority of 160 - 8 in the conservative-led Congress, but still needs to be signed by Guatemala's president, Alejandro Giammattei, in order to come into force. Under the new law, women who "have induced their own abortion or given their consent to another person to carry it out" will face a minimum of five years in jail, but the sentences could reach a maximum of 25 years. Abortion is illegal in Guatemala except in cases where the woman's life is at risk. This law is the latest of a series of laws to attack human rights across the country, including gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. The initiative goes against human rights agreements, especially for women and LGBTI+ people and condemns and denies the diversity of families including mono-parental homes.  Eugenia Lopez Uribe, IPPF's Regional Director for Americas and the Caribbean Region, said: "It is disturbing that on International Women's Day 2022, the Guatemalan Congress passed a law that completely violates the human, sexual and reproductive rights of women, girls and marginalized people. "While countries across Latin America were celebrating the lives and rights of women, Guatemala has chosen to criminalize those making the best decision for themselves and their families, while also risking imprisoning vulnerable women and girls who have experienced sexual violence or suffered pregnancy loss. By severely limiting access to safe and post-abortion care, the law will undoubtedly lead to an increase in unsafe abortions and a decrease in prenatal care, resulting in life-long disabilities for some women and a rise in maternal deaths. "At the same time, by prohibiting same-sex marriage, limiting comprehensive sexuality education and enabling the discrimination of sexual diversity, the Guatemalan government is creating a society that fosters miseducation, stigma, intolerance and homophobia and fuelling the persecution of LGBTI and non-binary people. "IPPF strongly condemns the passing of this archaic law and demands that the Guatemalan government fulfils international human rights agreements. We stand in solidarity with affected people across Guatemala and the organizations working tirelessly to ensure that all people have the freedom to make their own choices." For media enquiries, please contact Karmen Ivey on kivey@ippf.org or media@ippf.org