Persistent unmet need in women's reproductive health across APAC highlights need for cross-sector partnerships

SYDNEY, Aug. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The rate of unintended pregnancies continues to soar across Asia Pacific each year, comprising 47% of all pregnancies in the region, and underscoring persistent gaps in access to contraception, counselling and care services. 

As a region of extraordinary diversity, health systems range from highly advanced to chronically under-resourced, with differing funding models, policy frameworks and service availability between countries. Yet, despite advances in recent years, the scale and persistence of unmet need in women's reproductive health is a reality shared across all. 

Access to modern contraception is about ensuring that every woman and girl can exercise her right to make informed decisions about her body, her health and her future, with voluntary, rights-based family planning remaining one of the most effective investments in women's health, education and economic participation.

Yet across Asia Pacific, where over 8 million pregnancies happen each year, over half are unintended, leading to a significant number of abortions or unwanted births. This reflects the reality that 140 million women in the region are still without access to family planning, according to the UNFPA. 

The paradox is that many countries in the region are simultaneously facing declining fertility, with rates falling from around five or more children per woman in 1970 towards roughly 2.1 today, causing a shift in demographic realities across the region.

These trends reinforce the need for policies that support individuals and couples to achieve their reproductive intentions rather than enforcing and implementing pronatalist policies. 

But one thing is clear: these challenges are interconnected and systemic and cannot be solved by any single organization acting alone. 

Building access through partnership

Organon was established in 2021 with a commitment to listen and act on issues that affect the health of women. Over the past five years, the company has worked with organizations across Asia Pacific, including governments, NGOs, multilateral agencies and the private sector, to expand access to women's reproductive health services. This includes initiatives such as Organon's Her Health Grants, which support community-based partners working to address persistent gaps in women's health through locally tailored solutions. Progress has been made, but it has not come through scale alone. It has come through partnerships built on trust, shared objectives, collaboration, and deep local understanding. 

Organon is proud to partner with Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) in a global partnership focused on expanding access to voluntary, rights-based services, to advance the Made Possible by Family Planning campaign, a global effort to unlock the transformative impact of reproductive health access. Together, we are mobilizing private-sector leadership through a series of high-impact convenings designed to catalyze investment, strengthen partnerships, and elevate family planning as a driver of economic growth and gender equity.

Our collaboration brings together business leaders, policymakers, youth advocates, and civil society to accelerate progress toward shared goals. By leveraging FP2030's convening power and Organon's commitment to women's health, the partnership aims to unlock innovative financing, amplify regional dialogue, and ensure sustained momentum for rights-based family planning.

At a time when global funding faces significant challenges, this joint effort underscores the critical role of the private sector in safeguarding access to reproductive health and empowering women and families to shape their futures.

For FP2030 and its partners, it has meant bringing together governments, donors, community organisations and industry to align priorities, mobilize commitments, and accelerate country-led progress on family planning and reproductive health. 

Crucially, the most effective partnerships are grounded in a clear understanding of government policy priorities and national health ambitions. Sustainable progress depends on aligning stakeholders around national health priorities while leveraging the complementary strengths of governments, civil society, multilaterals and the private sector. 

The results of this collaborative approach are clear. All FP2030 commitment countries in the Asia Pacific region increased their number of modern contraceptive users between 2020 and 2024. In the same period, all but one country reduced unmet need for family planning among married women aged 15–49.

Together, these experiences reinforce a simple but important truth: partnerships that succeed are not transactional—they are structured collaborations that recognize the interdependence of supply, education, provider capability and policy.

The role of regional platforms

Platforms such as FP2030 also play a critical role in creating a cross-border architecture. In the Asia-Pacific region, eleven governments have made national FP2030 commitments, several of them within the last two years, which, in the context of declining fertility, sends a strong signal that family planning remains essential for advancing gender equality, improving health outcomes, and supporting sustainable development. By convening governments, NGOs, multilaterals and the private sector, FP2030 is helping to align priorities, mobilize resources, create opportunities for cross-country learning and scale what works across countries. 

In Asia Pacific, this model is already taking shape. Partnerships with NGOs, collaboration with multilateral agencies such as UNFPA, and direct engagement with healthcare providers and communities are helping to expand equitable access where unmet need is greatest. At the same time, digital health solutions are increasingly enabling these efforts to reach further and scale more effectively.

A call to act and to partner differently

The women's health challenges facing Asia Pacific - from unintended pregnancy to shifting fertility patterns to persistent gaps in family planning services - are deeply interconnected.

They will not be addressed through incremental progress or isolated interventions, instead requiring a fundamental shift in how the sector approaches collaboration.

Whether through decentralized global platforms like FP2030 or local delivery partnerships, the path forward depends on moving beyond fragmented efforts toward coordinated, sustained and purpose-driven collaboration.

Across Asia Pacific, governments, industry, community organisations and multilateral organisations are increasingly aligning behind shared goals to address complex challenges. Strengthened collaboration, coordinated action and a clear understanding of policy priorities will be critical to delivering sustainable outcomes in reproductive health for women. 

Authors
Andreas Daugaard Jorgensen, Managing Director, Organon Asia Pacific
Sumita Banerjee, Managing Director, Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) Asia – Pacific

About Organon

Organon is a global healthcare company with a focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. Led by the women's health portfolio coupled with an expanding biosimilars business and stable franchise of established medicines, Organon's products produce strong cash flows that will support investments in innovation and future growth opportunities in women's health. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialise their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast growing international markets.

Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 9,300 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America.

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SOURCE Organon