International Center for Research on Women

10/09/2026

Across Latin America, feminist mobilization has led to a significant transformation in abortion policies. Concurrently, the United States has pushed abortion policies backwards, and this has accelerated following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision.

Yet, despite these divergent political and legal contexts, abortion advocacy movements across both regions face shared challenges, shaped by their distinct movement traditions, political realities, and histories of state-society relations.

Our recently published findings challenge the notion that abortion advocacy movements are too contextually distinct for meaningful comparison. Instead, we show how examining movements across contexts can surface commonalities, create opportunities for learning, and strengthen advocacy strategies.

By bringing movements into conversation and grounding research in participatory approaches, we can build stronger connections between abortion rights and reproductive justice efforts across borders.

Learn more below or here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/global-womens-health/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2026.1852517/full

BackgroundFeminist mobilization throughout Latin America has led a significant transformation in abortion policies, most widely known through the Marea Verde...

10/02/2026

Reflections from : Accelerating Menopause Research, Policy, and Care

Menopause has long been treated as a private health issue rather than a public health priority. That is beginning to change.

At , we joined advocates, clinicians, and policymakers to discuss advancing menopause research, policy, and care—and to learn what is working across countries.

One message came through clearly: awareness is necessary, but it is not enough. We need to turn awareness into action.

That means:
• Investing in research and generating rigorous evidence
• Strengthening health systems and provider education
• Integrating menopause into broader women's health and healthy aging agendas
• Addressing its economic and workplace implications
• Developing policies that reflect the realities of women across communities and countries

Making an invisible issue visible is the first step. Building the evidence, changing the conversation, and bringing decision-makers to the table is how we turn visibility into progress.

09/30/2026

Across Latin America, care is increasingly recognized as essential social infrastructure, with growing attention to its role in gender equality, social protection, aging, disability, labor markets, and economic development. But translating national commitments into effective care systems requires strong partnerships across levels of government and with other local stakeholders.

In a new report, ICRW-Americas' Dr. Caroline Ferraz Ignacio reviews care system experiences in Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina, offering lessons and recommendations for subnational governments and advocates seeking to build and/or implement care policy: https://www.icrw.org/publications/implementing-care-systems-in-subnational-contexts-in-latin-america/?

09/28/2026

🌍 Nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe.

Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, deserves access to safe, quality reproductive health care.

On , we're calling for policies that expand access to care, not restrict it. Repealing the Helms Amendment would help ensure that U.S. foreign assistance can support safe abortion care and comprehensive reproductive health services around the world.

This is why Senator Booker and Representative Jan Schakowsky reintroduced the Abortion Is Healthcare Everywhere Act. Join us in urging Congress to pass the Act that will help advance access to comprehensive reproductive health services globally.

09/25/2026

How can we move beyond measuring access and outcomes to better understand whether family planning systems uphold people’s rights, agency, and dignity?

Join us for a virtual conversation on September 30 to find out.

Our ICRW Africa Executive Director, Evelyne Opondo, will join a thoughtful group of experts to share reflections and explore the opportunities and challenges of advancing a family planning measurement agenda grounded in reproductive rights, justice, and lived realities.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5M83N9mLQhSMvlFiRjCByA #/registration

09/23/2026

Menopause is one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s life. Yet it is often left out of public health discourse, research, and policy.

For millions of women in India, menopause comes at a life stage already shaped by work, caregiving, family responsibilities, and community roles—while symptoms such as fatigue, sleeplessness, anxiety, and mood changes are too often normalized or dismissed as “just aging.”

In his latest article for Hindustan Times, Dr. Abhishek Gautam, Director, Gender and Health at International Center for Research on Women-Asia , makes the case for treating menopause as a public health priority—with stronger healthcare systems, better data, and more informed providers. He also highlights the need to pay greater attention to women’s health across the life course.

Read the article and join the conversation on why women's health cannot stop at 49: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-insight/public-health/menopause-in-india-health-crisis-hiding-in-plain-sight-101789551685568.html

09/21/2026

We are proud to endorse the Copenhagen Call to Action for Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' Rights.

Learn more and join ICRW and our movement partners as we work together to push for progress: https://pub.norden.org/us2026-429/index.html

International Center for Research on Women - Asia ICRW Africa

09/18/2026

Our team will be in New York next week for .

We look forward to bringing evidence and lived experience to conversations on gender equality and the rights and well-being of women and girls.

We're eager to connect with partners and allies to push for action that translates global commitments into meaningful change and advances a more just and equitable world.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

ICRW Africa International Center for Research on Women - Asia

09/05/2026

Have you listened to the latest episode of our podcast, 𝑼𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅. 𝑼𝒏𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑼𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. yet?

ICRW-Africa's Executive Director, Evelyne Opondo, sits with FP2030's Executive Director, Dr Samukeliso Dube, to talk about advancing reproductive justice. Together, they challenge us to think beyond protecting hard-won gains and toward building systems that put reproductive autonomy, equity, and power where they belong: in the hands of women, girls, and the communities closest to the issues.

Listen to a snippet below and the full episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4BS3HqWE7IU0VaHfFm7OQo?si=u2y308T8RgyYuXzB0fMDVg or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/advancing-reproductive-justice-with-dr-samukeliso-dube/id1881766526?i=1000786966842

08/31/2026

Today, progress on reproductive justice is unfolding in an increasingly challenging landscape—one shaped by shrinking development assistance, shifting geopolitical priorities, and coordinated attacks on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality.

So, what does it take to advance reproductive justice in this moment? And how can we harness the courage and collective power to act on what the evidence tells us women and girls need to thrive?

In the latest episode of our podcast, Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030, joins ICRW-Africa Executive Director Evelyne Opondo for a timely conversation about exactly that.

Listen to a snippet below and tune in to the full episode on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4ydIWdq or Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4qSInU4