UNFPA, FP2030 and Gates Foundation Convene Policy Dialogue to Reimagine Family Planning in India
A high-level policy dialogue brought together government leaders, development partners, and experts to shape evidence-based policies in India
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Bengaluru ; The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India, in collaboration with the Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) Asia-Pacific Regional Hub and the Gates Foundation, hosted a roundtable today with senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), alongside representatives from development partners, academia, and civil society. The discussion focused on India’s evolving demographic landscape, marked by declining fertility rates and a continued need to expand access to quality family planning services. The roundtable offered a forward-looking vision for strengthening family planning policies and programmes to align with the changing population profile.
The roundtable comes at a crucial time. While India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen to 2.0, below the replacement level of 2.1, millions of women do not have access to the family planning services they seek. With unmet need standing at 9.4 percent, this gap affects an estimated 47 million women, underscoring the importance of strengthening access, choice, and quality in family planning.
Ms. Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative said, “India stands at a defining moment in its demographic journey. With current fertility trends, focus must champion reproductive rights, choice, and the full continuum of reproductive health for all. This roundtable marks an important step toward shaping a future-ready, evidence-driven family planning agenda, one that places people, especially young women and those with unmet needs, at the centre of national policy and socio-economic development.”
Dr. Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) commented “India is a diverse country, and this diversity demands precision policy making. Every block, every village, every region is different — each with its own social realities, needs, and challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. To deliver real impact, we must localise our strategies and design interventions that respond to what is happening on the ground in each pocket of the country. Precision policy making is not just desirable; it is essential for ensuring that programmes reach the people who need them most, in the way they need them.”
