IPPF’s Statement on the Violation of National Sovereignty and International Law by the United States in Venezuela

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8 January 2026

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) condemns the imperialist actions of the Trump administration and maintains an unwavering commitment to the Venezuelan people. 

The US bombardment of Venezuela on 3 January 2026 is yet another example of the invasion of a resource-rich nation by the US, further destabilizing Venezuela, a country that has been subjected to the militarised repression and violence of the Maduro regime, and now that of US forces. The Trump administration's imperialist actions constitute a gross violation of international laws, global coexistence agreements, and the national sovereignty of a sovereign State, further aggravated by threats of military actions that deepen the risk to the civilian population. Imposing political, economic, or territorial control through force is a damaging colonial and racist use of power that further distances us from peace, justice and liberation. In this context, we recall that the struggle for sexual and reproductive health,rights and justice (SRHRJ) cannot be separated from the fight against militarization, imperialism, and violence in all its forms.

IPPF stands firmly side-by-side with the human rights defenders and civil society who have worked to respond to the political, migratory, economic, and social crisis affecting Venezuela. Women, girls, and the most marginalized communities have borne the heaviest burden of the Maduro regime and this crisis.  Silencing dissent, ruling through fear, and concentrating power in the hands of the regime have dismantled democracy, fueled violence, and driven the country into economic collapse. According to UNHCR, approximately 7.9 million people have fled the country (nearly one-third of its total population), causing an unprecedented migratory crisis.

We have also seen the staggering rise of gender inequality, femicide, and violence against women and LGBTQI+ people and other marginalized populations. There is a lack of access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health, and restrictive abortion services, highlighting that the maintenance of the regime has been prioritized over the well-being of a population submerged in a humanitarian crisis. 

At IPPF, we have consistently highlighted the serious neglect of sexual and reproductive rights in Venezuela and denounced all forms of rights violations. Therefore, at this moment, we must not take our attention off the ongoing SRHR needs of the nation - rights which risk further erosion under the militarised and colonial intervention of the Trump administration, which has actively rolled back sexual and reproductive rights and committed human rights violations within its own borders and has enabled such violations through against-the-law interventions in other countries. This government cannot be trusted to protect these rights in Venezuela and elsewhere.  External control and imposed political outcomes will only deepen the internal crisis and further restrict access to essential sexual and reproductive health services. 

We join the international community against the invasion in Venezuela and: 

• Express our strongest condemnation and radical opposition to the invasion by US forces into Venezuelan territory for the violent detention and extraterritorial kidnapping/detention of the acting president, which has already claimed human lives, generated irreparable damage, and sowed a climate of fear and uncertainty among the population.
• We vehemently oppose this act of force by the U.S. government. As a Federation operating in 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and over 150 countries globally, we have provided direct humanitarian assistance in devastating crises across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East including in Gaza and Sudan.  Today, the Americas region, historically considered a zone of peace by the international community, now serves as the stage for imperialist interventions that the international community should have already overcome, such as those derived from the Monroe Doctrine, jeopardising the progress made towards justice and equity.
• We alert the international community to the evident geopolitical and economic interests underlying this intervention and call for the unity of the countries in the region to confront this crisis. Under no circumstances should the rule of force or the ambition for resources prevail over the sovereignty and dignity of a people. The right to self-determination must not be subordinated to external geopolitical agendas.
• We express profound solidarity with the Venezuelan people, who must not continue to be victims of this prolonged suffering. We demand the immediate reversal of this situation and call on the United States and those in power to stop actions that put civilian lives at risk and to allow humanitarian and civil society organizations to provide uninterrupted healthcare, including SRHRJ. The lives and dignity of women, girls, and marginalized communities must not be endangered by historical logics of domination.
• We demand a reconfiguration of U.S. foreign policy that prioritizes concerted diplomacy and respect for the sovereignty of all peoples and States. IPPF is calling for an immediate rethinking of the attacks on Venezuela in favor of an institutional and dialogued solution within the framework of international law and human rights.

At IPPF, we are committed to the rights of all people to live free from violence and ensuring that the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, girls, people on the move, and marginalized communities are met. To achieve this, we must confront and dismantle the legacies and ongoing manifestations of colonialism and imperialism.

We reiterate that it must be the people of Venezuela themselves who, in the exercise of their full freedom and without foreign tutelage, make decisions regarding their present and future, including their constitutional right to have their Vice President call for new democratic elections.