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Clic aquí para leer el comunicado en español.8 January 2026The 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.

It is with deep despair and outrage that we announced yesterday the killing of Dr Thabat Salim. Dr Salim was a 30 year old woman who had only recently begun her career with the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), a Member Association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), but who had become a much loved and respected member of our team. Her death is more than a tragedy; it is a devastating indictment of the conditions under which women health care providers live and work. She was Palestinian. She was living in Gaza. She was a woman of reproductive age. She was a doctor. She worked in a hospital. She cared for Palestine’s next generation; newborn babies. These factors should have made her a symbol of hope and healing. Instead, they culminated in her murder. No woman should be afraid to go to work. Yet, this is the daily reality for many of our healthcare workers — most of them women — in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and beyond. Since October 8, 2023, when our health site in Gaza was destroyed, and our staff forced to flee, we have spoken out. We have joined others in echoing #HealthcareWorkersAreNotATarget. But we must also confront a truth that is far more uncomfortable for me to say, and you to read: The Israeli Government is not acting alone in its targeting and killing of women and healthcare workers. The US government - of which we are a recipient of their aid - supplied more than $18 billion in military aid last year. Under the current Administration, they pledged $8 billion more. These funds, meant for military support, translate into more murdered doctors, and many more murdered women and children. They translate to more men killed, injured or incarcerated, and more families shattered. I can of course speak to other Western powers, but as I write this, the U.S. remains one of the biggest suppliers of weapons used in this genocide. Perversely, they are also the biggest funder of global health, including reproductive health programs - programs that will increasingly be designed to “mop up” what remains of our colleagues, patients, clinics and communities.  Civilians – and particularly health workers – are being denied their rightful legal protections. For reasons too improbable to untangle here, the United States, and others continuing to supply weapons to the Israeli army, are colluding in the massacre of civilians, colluding in the massacre of Palestinian women of reproductive age, colluding in the massacre of health workers. And in this last act of violence, destroying our humanity.   We are urging an end to this violence. An end to the supply of weapons that kill our colleagues and patients. An end to impunity on sexual violence. An end to this genocide. If you stand for women. For peace. For the right to sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, then stand with us. Stand for Dr Thabat Salim. Stand for the 17 year old who was killed in our Sudanese Family Planning Association clinic in Darfur last week because he dared buy condoms. Stand for our colleagues in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Syria, Sudan and Yemen who have been killed and injured in this last year. Stand for our surviving colleagues on the frontlines of sexual and reproductive healthcare who no longer have a place to go to work, or a place to call home, because in this era of an undeclared war on women’s bodies, on young people’s bodies, a few powerful men felt emboldened enough to consider them collateral damage.   It is time to come together, to stand for sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice for ALL. You can stand for IPPF by donating here. All donations will go to where our healthcare workers are providing front line services under conflict.

El Fasher, Sudan: The Abu Shouk Centre, affiliated with the North Darfur State Branch of the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was directly targeted by the Rapid Support Forces militia on the morning of 28 December 2024. The centre was providing humanitarian services at the time of the attack. This tragic incident resulted in the death of a 17-year-old client and injuries to three others, with varying degrees of severity. The centre’s buildings sustained partial destruction, significantly reducing its ability to deliver essential healthcare and humanitarian services to the local community. This latest attack adds to a series of devastating assaults on our clinics in Sudan. In September 2023, facilities in Khartoum and El Fasher, along with several health centres run by SFPA, were destroyed. On 2 July 2024, another horrendous attack targeted one of our healthcare clinics in Khartoum, further compromising our ability to deliver life-saving services to those in need. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached catastrophic level and is now the world’s largest humanitarian emergency. After nearly 20 months of war, over 12 million people have been displaced from their homes. The country’s healthcare system has collapsed, with an estimated 70–80% of hospitals in conflict-affected areas no longer functioning. Women and girls are experiencing a sharp increase in sexual and conflict-related violence and our staff have witnessed the devastating impact of these crimes on women, girls, and other marginalised groups. SFPA is actively supporting its North Darfur State branch in responding to this urgent situation. We remain committed to the safety and security of our staff and beneficiaries and to continuing the provision of vital family planning and healthcare services to communities in this critically insecure region. Fadoua Bakhadda, Arab World Regional Director for IPPF said, "IPPF AWRO condemns the attack on the Abu Shouk Centre as a heartbreaking reminder of the escalating violence against healthcare providers in Sudan. This assault targets the basic rights of women, girls, and communities relying on life-saving services. We stand in solidarity with SFPA and call on all parties to respect the neutrality of healthcare facilities and prioritize civilian safety and dignity."   About the Sudan Family Planning Association The Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was established in 1965 by pioneers in obstetrics and gynaecology in response to increases in maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. As the statistics show, Sudan is a country in great need of frontline sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Advocacy, and undertaking information, education and communication (IEC) programs are critical. In 2023, SFPA provided 38 million services through 25 clinics, 272 associated clinics, 39 mobile clinics, 1494 CBD/CBS, and digital/Virtual channels. Since the start of the crisis on 15 April 2023, the association teams were successful in providing 8 million services through 25 SDPs and 10 million services through non damaged associated and mobile clinics. SFPA was able to assist 1,183 deliveries under bombardment and provided 170 943 treatments of HIV in its static clinics.   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation 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. We are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Building on a proud history of 70 years of achievement, we commit to lead a locally owned, globally connected civil society movement that provides and enables services and champions sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, especially the under-served. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights, and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.

In light of the ongoing conflict in Sudan since April 15, 2023, the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) has re-launched its electronic platform to provide essential rights-based reproductive health services. Current technical challenges in Sudan, caused by the ongoing conflict, has disrupted many essential services, including access to family planning and reproductive health care. The e-platform is being relaunched to ensure that we can continue providing rights-based, essential services to those in need, particularly women and youth, even during these difficult times. Since the platform’s inception, it has already reached over one thousand clients, many of whom are in rural or conflict-affected areas. It has also provided psychological support and legal advice to women suffering from abuse in conflict areas, which demonstrates the platform’s vital role. This initiative, supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and state ministries, aims to strengthen the affected health system and improve access to vital services during this challenging period. Key services available through the phone number 1700 include: Comprehensive reproductive health consultations. Response to gender-based violence (GBV) with psychological and legal support. Secure and confidential remote consultations via video calls. The project aims to: Enhance access to reproductive health services, particularly in conflict-affected areas. Support vulnerable groups such as women and youth with comprehensive health consultations. Strengthen the national health system in partnership with the Ministry of Health and international partners. Elshafie Muhammed Ali, Executive Director, Sudan Family Planning Association, said:  "We hope this initiative will contribute to alleviating the impact of the crisis and improving the quality of life for the Sudanese population. The lack of reaction from the UN and the international community is heartbreaking. So much is left for the Sudanese people to deal with. SFPA and IPPF stand by the women and girls of Sudan, even if the world looks away." The total number of people who fled their homes since mid-April 2023 is 10.3 million - or every fifth person in the country - making this the largest displacement crisis in the world. This includes about 8 million people displaced within Sudan and another 2.3 million who crossed into neighbouring countries. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), estimates that 6.7 million Sudanese people, mostly women, are at risk of gender-based violence (GBV).