At Women Deliver, we always say that access to modern contraception and reproductive health is the bedrock of gender equality — and progess for all. 

A woman's access to and use of voluntary and modern contraception gives her the ability to control her own fertility, and this is imperative for her chances to finalize an education, get and keep a job, and realize her full potential.
 
The new numbers from Guttmacher show that the number of girls and women who want to postpone their next pregnancy, but who are not using any from of modern contraception is declining - from 225 million women three years ago to 214 million women today. While this progress is encouraging, providing every girl and woman with the contraception they need and deserve is still a huge task, not least in a time where conservative forces are marching and preventing women from deciding what to do with their own bodies.
 
As the global Family Planning Summit kicks off and gathers influencers and world leaders in London today, we will raise our collective voice to amplify that gender equality should be the norm, and that women everywhere have a right to decide whether and how many children to have, when, and with whom to have them. We will keep that voice going strong all the way throughout the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) where Women Deliver will be calling on world leaders to keep girls and women at the center of development efforts.

There is so much that we can accomplish together, and so many good examples of solutions and of what works —the below stories are a testament to that. Share these tools, leverage data, advocate for funding, and for change, and together, let's make sure the world will meet the demand for modern contraception and reproductive health.

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