"When countries still have seven to eight children per woman today, you can decide to spend billions of euros there, but you won't stabilize anything." In response to a question about G20 aid to Africa at a press conference in Germany this weekend, Emmanuel Macron sparked strong reactions in the media and on social networks. He was criticized in particular for "attacking the wombs of African women." As the director of an NGO committed to women's rights and health in West Africa, I have just returned from London, where I participated inthe FP2020 Summit, a global movement for family planning, and I would like to offer some thoughts in response to the debates sparked by this statement.
Given the complex challenges of development, it is necessary to bring together as many interests and energies as possible and to facilitate dialogue between different perspectives. Our organization works on family planning because we believe it is an essential lever for improving the status of women. Many actors are also involved in this issue through other, broader or narrower approaches: combating maternal mortality, improving health systems, and economic development.
In London, at this summit attended by more than sixty countries and organizations from around the world, a round table brought together the finance ministers of several nations. Some of the speeches, particularly those given by African governments, highlighted the challenge of population growth for their countries. And while the French president's speech may be open to much commentary in terms of its form, in substance it is not absurd. Because the facts are there: some African countries, and only some—need we remind ourselves once again that Africa is a continent that brings together countries with very diverse realities?—have high fertility rates. This is the case in most French-speaking West African countries, such as Mali and Niger, where rates exceed 6 children per woman, putting significant pressure on social sectors and land management. We know that the relationship between population growth and economic growth is not straightforward, but rapid population growth in a context of poverty means a very high proportion of young people and therefore significant educational and health needs. It is therefore fair to say that high population growth is yet another challenge for countries that also have ambitions to accelerate their development. That is the observation. And that is where the question must be asked: how should we respond?
This issue has a history that is worth recalling. Let us look back in particular at the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994, which marked an important paradigm shift: the abandonment of the discourse of population control and the rejection of any demographic policy that would turn human beings into numerical targets. A founding consensus was reached there. This consensus must be defended at every opportunity: population policies must be based on "reproductive rights," that is, "those rights possessed by all individuals that enable them to access all reproductive health services... They also include the right to make reproductive decisions, free from discrimination, violence, and coercion... Reproductive rights are closely linked to other rights: the right to education, the right to equal status within the family, the right to be free from domestic violence, and the right not to be married before being physically and psychologically prepared for this event" [UN, 1998 a: 180]. This is an ethical issue, but also a question of the effectiveness of actions. Contraceptive access programs work when they are based on an integrated approach to human development and promote free choice.
Therefore, if Emmanuel Macron meant in his speech that we need to invest heavily in social sectors, both through the mobilization of African states' national budgets and through development aid, as he recently emphasized in the context of the G5 Sahel, we obviously agree wholeheartedly. And we take him at his word.
France has adopted a "Population/SRHR 2016-2020" strategy at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: it is now urgent that its government devote adequate funding to it. The "She Decides" initiative was launched six months ago to counter the deficits left by Donald Trump's disengagement from global health and women's rights: what is France waiting for to support it financially? On Tuesday in London, many countries announced significant investments in women's rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights. Justin Trudeau's Canada has declared that all of its international development policy will now take gender equality issues into account across the board and will devote additional resources to them. In Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden have announced substantial financial commitments: around €84 million in additional funding for 2017-2018. France, however, has remained silent.
Today, we are concerned. The Philippe government has just announced significant cuts to the 2018 budget for French development aid. Canceling these cuts and announcing commitments to women's rights and health in Africa would be the best way for the French president to clarify his remarks and put an end to the controversy. Today, development issues must be considered holistically. The destinies of nations are linked by a shared responsibility, and France must take action.
Aurélie Gal-Régniez Executive Director of Equilibres & Populations
