Global Advocates Warn: Anti-Gender Backlash Threatens Abortion Rights and Equality

By Iyojo Ameh

At the SHE & Rights session hosted jointly by the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and partners at the Women Deliver Conference 2026, global women’s rights advocates warned of an escalating backlash against gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

The session featured leading organizations, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media), and CNS, creating a platform for advocates to demand accountability from governments and global institutions.

Pauline Fernandez, Coordinator of the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN), described 2026 as a year of alarming anti-rights escalation, threatening decades of progress in gender equality. She noted that PINSAN recently launched the Decriminalize Abortion Now Network at the World Economic Forum in Davos, marking a major milestone for reproductive rights advocacy in the Philippines.

Tracing PINSAN’s roots to 2015, Fernandez said the passage of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act was a landmark victory but left abortion rights unresolved. “Abortion remains criminalized under the revised penal code, with no explicit legal exceptions,” she said.

Despite this, an estimated one million Filipino women undergo abortions annually, often in unsafe conditions. Fear of arrest and stigma, she added, prevents many from seeking post-abortion care, creating a public health crisis.
Fernandez warned that opposition to abortion rights in the Philippines is both religious and political, with legislative pushback, online disinformation, and resistance within health systems undermining reproductive justice.

She emphasized that PINSAN’s key demand is the decriminalization of abortion, which would remove punitive measures and ensure health care is never treated as a crime.

Tushar Niroula, gender justice advocate and former Executive Director of Marie Stopes International Nepal, highlighted the global implications of donor withdrawals, particularly by the United States.

Reduced funding for organizations such as UN Women, UNFPA, and WHO threatens women’s leadership, gender-based violence prevention, and access to sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion care.

Niroula noted that in South and Southeast Asia, countries reliant on multilateral support risk setbacks in maternal health, reproductive services, and gender equality, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups including Indigenous, Dalit, migrant, and women with disabilities.

Kenyan Activists Stress Youth Inclusion
In Kenya, advocates emphasized the importance of youth participation as a countermeasure to anti-rights pushback. Yvonne Ogolla, Executive Director of Dreams Redefined Community-Based Organization in Kisumu, said excluding young women and youth from decision-making weakens gender equality efforts and fuels resistance.

“When young people are not included in the room, that becomes the strongest pushback against gender equality,” Ogolla said. She added that issues such as access to SRHR, climate resilience, and political participation face greater resistance without youth voices. Funding cuts by USAID have worsened access to reproductive health services,

Inclusion of Gender-Diverse Communities
Latoya Johnstone, Founder and Executive Director of Tranzuri Organization, raised concerns over the marginalization of transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals, especially in rural Kenya.

She noted that rural-based groups often lack access to resources, internet connectivity, and policy platforms. Johnstone called for stronger partnerships between national and international rights organizations and grassroots groups to ensure inclusive advocacy and participation in global processes.

Both Ogolla and Johnstone stressed that advancing gender equality and human rights requires youth-led, inclusive, and community-grounded approaches, urging investment in grassroots partnerships to amplify the voices of those most affected by inequality.