Why adolescent contraceptive access and use is a global issue
Stefanie Howard On July 11, 2017, governments, the United Nations, foundations, the private sector and civil society gather at the Family Planning Summit in London to galvanize progress toward the Family Planning 2020 goal of enabling 120 million additional women and girls to use modern contraception by 2020 and to strengthen the foundation for universal access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, by 2030, a vision set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this Q&A, we spoke with Cate Lane (USAID), Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli (World Health Organization), Matti Parry (World Health Organization), and Pooja Subramanian Parameshwar (World Health Organization) on why improving adolescents’ access to contraceptives and ensuring their correct use is of major importance to global health. Q: What makes adolescent contraceptive use a significant global health issue? A: The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 16 million adolescents aged 15-19 gi