On March 2, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden hosted a summit to strengthen support and funding for the She Decides initiative. Initiated by the Dutch government, the initiative was created to support organizations affected by Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule and to encourage increased bilateral assistance towards sexual and reproductive health. 50 governments attended the summit during which Canada pledged $20 million. Sweden and Finland also pledged $20 million with additional $10 million pledges from Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands and private donor contributions that brought the total funding to $190 million. Canada’s pledge will support five organizations that deliver crucial sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls, including contraception supplies, counselling, safe abortion services, sexuality education, and other family planning services. The five organizations being funded are: the United Nations Population Fund, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, Population Services International, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
The $190 million pledged will only begin to cover the funding gap created by the re-enacted Global Gag Rule, which is estimated at $9.5 billion.