For 1.8 billion young people – the largest cohort ever – family planning will be vital in shaping lives and livelihoods. As leaders prepare for the London Family Planning Summit, Lucy Lamble looks at the challenges ahead

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Research shows that in 2016 alone, 82m unintended pregnancies, 25m unsafe abortions and 124,000 maternal deaths were averted thanks to the use of contraceptives. Yet despite this, many people in the world still can’t count on access to family planning. And cuts to US funding as part of Donald Trump’s reinstatement of the “global gag rule” mean that there are even more challenging times ahead.



Lucy Lamble looks at the importance of factoring the growing population of young people into the debate, and the power of family planning to affect economic development in poorer countries. She talks to Beth Schlachter of FP2020; Julia Bunting from the Population Council; Liz Ford, Global development’s deputy editor; Ali Kaviri, a youth rights and women’s campaigner in Uganda; Annet Nabizzizzi, a volunteer community health worker at Reproductive Health Uganda; and Annet Kyarimpa Mukabe, a coordinator for safe motherhood at RHU.