Anti-‘global gag rule’ campaign seeks private sector, philanthropic support
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
The She Decides fund for family planning — launched by the Dutch government as a reaction against the U.S. “global gag rule” — is continuing to attract support ahead of a change of leadership in the Netherlands.
Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation who made headlines after creating the fund in January, told Devex that Europe will be “a beacon of stability” on women’s issues in the coming years. The project aims to replace family planning funding withdrawn by the U.S., and has attracted broad support from governments and other stakeholders.
She expects the new Dutch government to continue to support the initiative after her party suffered heavy losses in last month’s elections, she said. Ploumen is preparing to step down from her government role but will retain her seat in parliament.
Two new government funders — Slovenia and Iceland — have recently joined the campaign, which announced initial resources of $190 million at a conference in early March. The new donors will contribute an additional $190,000 between them, Ploumen said, which will be directed toward nonprofit organizations working in reproductive health.
Source: Devex (link opens in a new window)
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