For more than 70 years, the Population Council has delivered rigorous research and evidence-based solutions to improve the health and well-being of underserved populations globally. We are alarmed by the devastating impact of President Trump’s recent Executive Orders on our programs, our partners, and the populations we serve.
Through longstanding collaborations with United States (US) government agencies and many partners around the world, Population Council research strengthens programs and policies to deliver comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, keep adolescent girls in school, eliminate gender-based violence, and more. Our work is not optional—it is life-affirming and lifesaving.
The pause on US foreign development assistance, the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, among other harmful actions, endanger lives and livelihoods, undo decades of public health progress, and undermine US scientific integrity and leadership. By weakening global health systems and infrastructure, these measures will limit access to critical data and global coordination efforts, thus making the US more vulnerable to various health and other threats.
We therefore urge the US Administration to immediately reconsider these detrimental decisions.
At the Population Council, our commitment to the populations we serve will not waver. Now more than ever, we remain steadfast in our vision to create an equitable and sustainable world for everyone in the United States and all over the world.