>>Available in PDF

Summary: By Adrienne Germain, President, International Women's Health Coalition, and Ruth Dixon-Mueller, Consultant for the International Women's Health Coalition (Studies in Family Planning, Vol. 36, No. 2, June 2005, pp. 137-140). Outlines connections and gaps between the achievement of sexual and reproductive health and rights as defined by the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action and subsequent global agreements, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (4 pages).

The New York Times, March 5, 2005

Editorial

At a moment when the United States should be leading the world on advancing women's equality, the Bush administration chose instead to alienate government ministers and 6,000 other delegates at an important United Nations conference on that issue with a burst of anti-abortion zealotry this week.

In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, the world's governments and civil society committed to an action plan to ensure universal access to reproductive health information and services, uphold fundamental human rights including sexual and reproductive rights, alleviate poverty, secure gender equality, and protect the environment.

>>Available in French and Spanish

Summary: By Adrienne Germain (Our Planet Magazine, October 2004). Explains why empowering women is the key to solving a range of global health, development, and environmental challenges, reviews commitments made on improving women's health and advancing women's rights at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, Cairo, 1994) and summarizes achievements made in the last decade.

Science, Vol 305, Issue 5680, 17, 2 July 2004

By Adrienne Germain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision in May 2004 not to allow over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, Plan B, is but one troubling example of the increasing impact of politics and ideology on science and health policy. The agency's ruling, contrary to recommendations from an external advisory panel and its own scientific staff, is indicative of the growing gap between common sense and U.S. policies affecting the well-being of women and girls worldwide.