UN Foundation Announces Press Fellowship to Thailand with a Focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice

The United Nations Foundation’s Universal Access Project today announced a press fellowship focused on sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ) to the International Conference on Family Planning in Pattaya City, Thailand from November 14-17, 2022.

“Core to sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice is self-determination and the ability to be in the driver’s seat of your own life,” said Seema Jalan, Executive Director of the Universal Access Project. “This fellowship will offer an opportunity for journalists to explore this at a global and local level: hearing from both international experts and from local health care workers, women, and young people in Thailand who have the lived experience of what access – or lack of access – to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care means for their futures, and who are driving solutions for their own communities.”

The conference is the world’s largest convening of family planning and SRHRJ experts. Selected journalists will have direct access to leading global experts, UN leaders, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and young people working to make SRHRJ a reality for all. The fellowship will also include exclusive briefings and local site visits to hear first-hand from health workers and the community members they serve.

This global convening comes at a critical time when bodily autonomy and reproductive rights are in flux in many places around the world; from progress amid the “green wave” in Latin America, to regress following the fall of Roe v. Wade in the United States. Research from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, shows that nearly half of women in 57 developing countries cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have sex, use contraception, or seek health care. Journalists will have opportunities to explore these dynamics and more against the backdrop of the conference’s location in Thailand, which has made significant progress toward universal access to sexual and reproductive health services in the last two decades.

This fellowship is intended for journalists who work for U.S. media outlets and who are interested in global sexual and reproductive health and rights issues, international development, U.S. foreign policy, and the United Nations. The fellowship will cover travel and lodging costs for the duration of the conference. COVID-19 vaccination and compliance with all current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and International Conference on Family Planning safety guidelines are required for participation.

The application deadline is August 19, 2022. To apply, click here. For more information, please contact Kate Schulman (kschulman@unfoundation.org).

About the Universal Access Project
The Universal Access Project, a project of the United Nations Foundation, convenes an innovative community of philanthropists, advocates and companies striving for a world where all people have full bodily autonomy and the right to self-determination in family planning, pregnancy, parenting and sexual health and well-being. Learn more at www.universalaccessproject.org.

About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation is an independent charitable organization created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org