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Family Planning Around the World and in the U.S. One of the most effective ways to address population growth and work to achieve larger global sustainable development goals is to increase access to voluntary family planning programs and services - around the world and in the U.S. When women and men can choose the size and spacing of their families, they tend to have smaller, healthier families. This has a ripple effect that benefits communities socially, economically, and environmentally. Family Planning Around the World Population, Health and Environment Study Tours The Cairo Consensus United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Projects United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Family Planning in the US The National Family Planning Program: Title X Take Action! The REAL (Responsible Education About Life) Act Family Planning Around the World In 1994, 179 nations- including the U.S.- met in Cairo, Egypt, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). At this meeting, a worldwide consensus was reached to invest in and strive for goals such as universal access to family planning, reproductive health services, and education for women and girls. In line with these international goals, known as the "Cairo Consensus", the Sierra Club supports the highest levels of funding without restrictions for voluntary international family planning programs, including the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Family Planning Programs and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works in over 60 countries to provide economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. USAID works to support global health and is one of the main contributors to family planning and reproductive health services worldwide. USAID also implements integrated Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Projects in the field, which acknowledge and address the complex connections between humans, their health, and their environment. Find out more about how the Sierra Club has conducted international study tours since 2003 to visit and learn from integrated PHE projects in the field. Why Environmentalists Care About Family Planning Around the World Factsheet [PDF] Family Planning in the US Title X ("ten"), the National Family Planning Program established in 1970 that provides high quality reproductive healthcare and contraceptive services to American women, has been under-funded for many years. It is the only federal program dedicated solely to funding family planning services for people who do not have health insurance or cannot afford reproductive healthcare and contraceptives. Why Environmentalists Care About Family Planning in the U.S. Factsheet [PDF] To improve the health of families and ensure a more sustainable environmental future, our policies and funding must support voluntary family planning programs and comprehensive sex education programs around the world and in the U.S. Family Planning in the US The The REAL (Responsible Education About Life) Act would set up the first-ever federal program to provide responsible, comprehensive sex education to young people. This education would include science-based, medically accurate, and age appropriate public health information, and would supply young people with the tools to make informed decisions about their lives. "Statement on U.S. Funding Decision," United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 22 July 2002. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club