WHO HRP Receives $7.2M Funding Commitment for Sexual and Reproductive Rights

WHO News

Published March 25th, 2026

Detected March 25th, 2026

Summary

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has committed US$ 7.2 million to the WHO's HRP programme for research in human reproduction. This funding aims to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, particularly in light of cuts to development assistance.

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What changed

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has committed US$ 7.2 million to the UN's HRP programme, a joint initiative by UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank focused on research in human reproduction. This multi-year funding is intended to support HRP's scientific leadership and its ability to provide evidence-based guidance and solutions for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally. The commitment comes at a time when health and development assistance funding is facing significant cuts, potentially reversing progress in SRHR.

This funding will enable HRP to conduct priority research and develop scalable, evidence-based guidance across areas such as contraception, infertility, safe abortion care, adolescent health, and gender-based violence. Regulated entities and partners, including governments, civil society, and health workers, will benefit from the tools and solutions generated. While philanthropy cannot fully compensate for aid cuts, this strategic partnership highlights the role of catalytic investments in advancing global standards for sexual health and rights.

What to do next

Review internal policies related to sexual and reproductive health research funding.
Monitor WHO and HRP publications for new guidance and research findings.
Assess potential for collaboration with HRP or similar research initiatives.

Source document (simplified)

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation backs science with funding commitment for sexual and reproductive rights

25 March 2026 Departmental update Reading time:
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The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), a long-standing partner of the World Health Organization (WHO) and HRP (the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction), has committed US$ 7.2 million to the UN’s flagship programme for research in human reproduction. The investment comes at a critical time, as sharp cuts to health and development assistance threaten to stall, and in some cases reverse, hard-won progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights.

CIFF’s support reflects a shared commitment to protecting and advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. Multi-year flexible funding is rare in today’s landscape, and CIFF’s new support to HRP signals strong confidence in HRP’s scientific leadership, mandate, and ability to stay responsive, independent and impactful as a United Nations (UN) co-sponsored special programme.

Partnership with HRP is vital for the wider SRHR ecosystem as it sets normative guidance and conducts significant SRHR research. CIFF’s support to HRP will enable the programme to plan and deliver priority research and scalable evidence-based guidance and solutions that respond to the needs of communities and health systems, and support the UN ecosystem to work with countries in adopting and implementing that guidance across a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda.

“In the face of increasingly complex challenges to sexual and reproductive health and rights, CIFF’s support strengthens HRP’s ability to drive the latest in science and evidence-backed action globally, respond to new needs and equip UN partners, governments, civil society, research partners and health workers with powerful tools and scalable solutions,” said Pascale Allotey, Director of HRP and WHO’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing.

This strategic partnership pairs HRP’s scientific authority with CIFF’s catalytic, evidence‑driven approach, helping accelerate and scale real-world impact through robust science-based guidance across contraception, infertility, safe abortion care, self‑care, adolescent health, gender‑based violence and more.

CIFF is glad to support HRP as it persists in its core mandate as a generator of evidence and a convenor of partnerships for establishing and championing global standards in sexual health and sexual rights.
Miles Kemplay / Director of SRHR at CIFF “Whilst philanthropy cannot fill the significant gaps left by ongoing cuts to global aid and development budgets, strategic partnerships for development investments can play an invaluable role in allowing important initiatives such as this to continue to operate,” said Miles Kemplay, Executive Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

“CIFF is glad to support HRP as it persists in its core mandate as a generator of evidence and a convenor of partnerships for establishing and championing global standards in sexual health and sexual rights.”

CIFF has been a committed partner to the WHO and HRP for nearly a decade, with shared work spanning HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health and rights, ending violence against children, nutrition, and health equity. CFF has been a long-standing partner to WHO, including HRP, and currently has US$ 26 million in active investments in WHO across SRHR, HIV prevention, nutrition and violence against children.

Children's Investment Fund Foundation

Human Reproduction Special Programme (HRP)

WHO's work on sexual and reproduction health and rights