The Commission on Population and Development (CPD57) is underway, and Population Matters plans to make a strong showing! In this blog post, our Content and Campaigns Specialist, Florence Blondel, shows how we’ve already established ourselves as one of the leading voices in population and development through collaborative efforts. Earlier in March during CSW68, we had an opportunity to attend the first preparatory consultancy meeting with the Chair in New York where I raised the importance of making interconnections between our current crises and the importance of investing in women and girls ..read more

It’s that time of the year again – glorious spring! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re welcoming the longer, warmer days, and nature beginning to blossom once more. Population Matters Fundraising Officer, Anthony, suggests three key Spring Actions we would love our supporters to consider. Spring Action 1: Support local biodiversity Population Matters’ core focus remains our ever-increasing global population. Intrinsic to this is for those of us already here to be responsible and make sustainable efforts for our shared natural environments. Spring is the perfect time to be aware of this and ..read more

Population Health Environment (PHE) is an integrated approach to environmental conservation, family planning, and sustainable development. Population Matters campaigns to secure wider adoption of PHE by the UK government and other international NGOs. Find out more about PHE and join our campaign. What is PHE? PHE stands for Population Health Environment – it’s a development approach that recognises the interdependent links between local communities, their health, and the natural resources upon which they depend. PHE projects focus on providing voluntary family planning information and services ..read more

Planned obsolescence is a strategy where companies intentionally create products with a limited lifespan. From smartphones to household appliances and even lightbulbs, it’s a practice that’s intended to maximise corporate profits at the expense of consumers and at great cost to the natural world.  What is planned obsolescence?  Put simply, planned obsolescence is where products are designed with certain limitations meaning they break down and necessitate the purchase of a replacement. It aims to stimulate repetitive consumption and ensure continued demand for products, consequently d ..read more

The UN Population Projections are generally considered to be the premier forecast for future population changes, with a pretty strong history of getting it right and are the most widely cited. But there are others out there, and some would argue that these alternatives are based on stronger data and more robust modelling. Digital and Communications Manager, Ben Stallworthy, takes a look. If you have a previously held interest in population, you’ll probably be aware of the UN Population Projections. Usually updated every two years, they are generally considered to be the top dog of the (admitte ..read more

The 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) ended last week with a call from UN leaders to accelerate poverty eradication by 26 times. They stressed the need for an extra $360 billion annually for a gender-focused stimulus package to achieve gender equality. Population Matters participated in the event for the first time, with our Content and Campaigns Specialist Florence Blondel distributing materials to UN officials and other delegates. This year, the focus of CSW68 was on the intersection of poverty eradication and financing through a gender lens. At the event’s commen ..read more

In the last 50 years resource use has tripled, just as the world’s population has grown from 3.6 billion people in 1970 to over 8 billion today. Climate change, accelerating animal extinctions, increasing water scarcity and drought, the result of the unsustainable demand our growing numbers and overconsumption place upon the earth’s resources, under pressure like never before. Planet under pressure The UN recently released its Global Resources Outlook 2024, and its message is clear – we’re consuming more resources than the Earth can sustainably provide, with demand set to rise further. Accordi ..read more

Positive news can sometimes feel in short supply, but France enshrining abortion access into their constitution earlier this month was a genuine moment to celebrate. We thought we’d take the opportunity to look at the general abortion access picture across the world. The reality Firstly, before we look at countries and regions that offer some optimism, it’s important to set the shocking international context. Comprehensive abortion care is included in the list of essential health care services published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020. Despite that, an estimated 257 mi ..read more

Empower to Plan, our small grants programme, supports grassroots projects on family planning, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and related themes. As we open the application cycle for this year, join us as we look at some of the fantastic partnerships we’ve forged in recent years. In a world where access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) remains a challenge for many and environmental sustainability feels distant, our Empower to Plan programme supports grassroots organisations tirelessly addressing these pressing issues. Over the y ..read more

Access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, plays a pivotal role in shaping population dynamics and breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Florence Blondel, our Content and Campaigns Specialist, delves into the transformative impact of addressing the reproductive needs of young girls and women ahead of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) next week.  “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institution ..read more