We are pleased to announce the launch of FIGO’s first podcast series, which aims to disseminate clinical recommendations to obstetricians and gynaecologists to improve women and girls’ health outcomes around the globe.

FIGO’s Division of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing made the Declaration on 5 November 2022.

The joint statement of support for the inclusion of contraception and abortion in sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing education for all medical students is the culmination of a collaborative effort between the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (

We are proud to announce the latest impact factor for FIGO’s official journal, the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics (IJGO). IJGO has achieved a 2021 impact factor of 4.447 – its highest to date – ranking 17 of 85 indexed journals in obstetrics and gynaecology. 

Honduras is one of the few countries in the world that still has a total ban on abortion. This ban has been further intensified by the introduction of a constitutional reform that seeks to prevent any type of decriminalisation in the future. 

Currently, women and girls in Honduras live under a serious threat. If they decide to have an abortion, they must do so clandestinely and often unsafely – even if they have been raped or motherhood poses a risk to their life – and they risk going to jail for up to 10 years. 

Speaking on the landmark ruling, FIGO President, Dr Jeanne Conry, stated:

This ruling undermines our commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls around the world, and is a threat to gender equality and the bodily autonomy of millions. The United States now is out of step with the rest of the world, and fails to take into account the overwhelming global medical evidence that supports abortion as essential health care.

On 5 April 2022, FIGO joined the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), IPAS Partners for Reproductive Justice (IPAS), and MSI Reproductive Choices (MSI) in the launch of a joint initiative “Defending the Frontline Defenders of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”. 

The landmark 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling has since allowed women in the USA to seek an abortion without excessive government restrictions. Recent news indicates that SCOTUS is likely to overturn the ruling. The final decision on this ruling is due in June 2022.

If made official, such a decision would have a catastrophic impact on a national and global scale, threatening the lives of women and girls every year. 

From 9–11 March 2022, in Cotonou, Benin, FIGO’s Advocating for Safe Abortion Project worked with the National College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Benin (CNGOB) to organise a capacity building workshop for their counterparts visiting from Mali alongside the Youth Health Workers for Safe Abortion (YHW4SA) – a Beninese network of young pro-choice health professionals set-up in 2021 by CNGOB.