Ukraine: urgent Call to Action

March, 2022. An urgent Call to Action has been issued by over 60 global and national organizations from Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, calling on decision makers in Europe and internationally, to act swiftly to protect the human rights and address the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls and marginalized populations affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

The Call includes very specific and explicit demands regarding emergency contraception (EC). Specifically, the call demands to ensure that:

  • assistance includes coverage for the costs of menstrual hygiene products, emergency contraception and other contraceptive methods, and abortion care;
  • inter-agency reproductive health kits include emergency contraception, and are included in humanitarian packages;
  • financial assistance includes coverage for the costs of menstrual hygiene products, emergency contraception and other contraceptive methods, and abortion care;
  • ensure that emergency contraception can be provided without a prescription and free of charge without delay to all those fleeing Ukraine, including by moving national policies on emergency contraception into line with international and regional best practice and European Union guidelines.

The Call to Action is available in English here, and in Hungarian, Polish, Romanian and Slovak from the Center for Reproductive Rights website.

The European Consortium for Emergency Contraception has subscribed this demand to the international community to make sure that all humanitarian response plans, financing and assistance integrate actions designed to address the sexual and reproductive health of all women and girls and marginalized populations in Ukraine and in transit and refugee host countries, including in European Union member states.

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