TWO months ago, world leaders met at the United Nations and adopted a set of ambitious goals that have the potential to advance health and human progress faster than at any time in history. Now, we must begin the hard work of translating these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. Women and girls will be a driving force behind this global push, and their rights and well-being must be our top priority.

Ensuring that every woman has the information and services she needs to decide when and how many children to have is a critical first step. We have seen first-hand the huge gains for women, families and communities when there is equitable access to voluntary family planning and contraceptive services, and the devastating effects when there is not.

The benefits of family planning extend far beyond the individual. Access to a full range of contraceptive options will significantly reduce maternal and infant deaths and improve the overall health of families. Allowing young women to plan whether and when they want to start their families gives them the option to stay in school, join the workforce or pursue other dreams. Empowering one woman can lift entire communities out of poverty. There is compelling evidence that increasing the number of healthy, educated and productive women will shift the economic well-being of countries like Pakistan. This shift will only occur if countries pair their economic and social policies with strong voluntary family planning programmes.

To support efforts already under way on this front, the global community pledged at the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning to ensure that 120 million additional women and girls in the world’s poorest countries get access to voluntary family planning by the year 2020. Family Planning 2020, or FP2020, is a global partnership that was launched at the London Summit.

Family planning benefits extend far beyond the individual.

Earlier this month, FP2020 partners released a report on the progress so far. It shows that, worldwide, family planning programmes are reaching millions more women than ever before. Since 2012, 24.4m additional women have been using modern contraceptives — more than 1.5m in Pakistan alone. In the past year, access to modern contraceptives has prevented 2,000 maternal deaths in Pakistan.

While such successes should be applauded, it is no time to be complacent. The data show we are falling behind. Millions of women are not yet being reached. With only five years left until our 2020 deadline, we must act with greater urgency.

Thankfully, we know what works. We have a wealth of high-quality data and evidence on effective interventions, such as investing in youth, particularly adolescent girls, expanding access in both rural and urban settings, and improving the quality of services and number of contraceptive options available to women. To reach more women and girls, we can look to innovative programmes like those in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, family planning is a national, provincial and community priority. On Nov 5, Pakistan held a National Population Summit, attended by leaders at all levels of government, to affirm its strong commitment to the SDGs and to achieving its FP2020 goals. In the provinces, every governor has developed and is currently implementing a strategic health plan, which includes promoting family planning. At the local level, religious leaders — frequently a trusted source of information and guidance in their communities — are voicing their support for family planning. This summer, 43 religious scholars from around the country signed a declaration to endorse the use of all contraceptive methods, noting it was a critical step to improving maternal and child health. Such locally owned programmes are the cornerstone of family planning progress.

The launch of the third annual FP2020 progress report provides an opportunity for advocates, partners and government leaders to celebrate progress made, identify areas where we are falling behind and collectively recommit to the FP2020 goal. However, this is only the start. We must also search for new solutions, using the evidence available to drive decision-making. This will require identifying innovative sources of financing and building on effective in-country programmes so we don’t leave women and girls behind.

Now is the time to re-evaluate where we stand, ask hard questions and chart a path forward. The stakes are high. If we fail to meet our family planning goals, we will be putting the broader development agenda at risk. The global goals adopted at the UN in September represent a vision of a better world. Ensuring access to voluntary family planning so that every woman and girl has the means to invest in her future is the best way to make good on that promise.

Dr Osotimehin, UN under-secretary-general and UNFPA executive director, and Dr Chris Elias, president of the Global Development Programme at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are co-chairs of the FP2020 Reference Group.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015