Across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central and North Asia (CEECCNA), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are facing unprecedented pressure. Menstrual poverty, limited contraception access, forced sterilisation, lack of comprehensive sexuality education, and widespread gynaecological and obstetric violence continue to shape the lived reality of women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and marginalised communities across the region.

SRHR movements have long worked to protect dignity, autonomy, and access to essential health services. Yet these efforts are constrained by restrictive laws, shrinking civic space, political stigmatisation, and chronic underfunding. Recent global funding cuts have further weakened organisations already operating with minimal resources, removing what were often the only SRHR support services available to many communities.

A region-wide rollback of rights

The challenges facing SRHR groups across CEECCNA illustrate the scale of the crisis. In Moldova, banning telemedicine for abortion care has posed a serious barrier for rural women and survivors of violence who rely on remote access to services. In Poland, the near-total abortion ban continues to push reproductive care underground. Across the region, sexuality education is absent or frequently mischaracterised as a dangerous ideology, reinforcing misinformation and social taboos.

In Central Asia, organisations encounter elevated maternal mortality, limited access to modern contraception, and high rates of cervical and breast cancers. Eastern Europe and Central Asia continue to see a rise in HIV infections. “Foreign agent” laws in countries such as Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia have forced many SRHR actors to close or work covertly, while Slovakia and Hungary have introduced additional restrictions on civic space and LGBTQI+ expression.

These developments disproportionately affect Roma communities, refugees, LGBTQI+ individuals, survivors of gender-based violence, and those living in poverty or remote areas – groups most dependent on community-based SRHR support.

Chronic underfunding and growing political threats

The Human Rights Funders Network reports that between 2011 and 2020, the CEECCNA region received only 2–6% of global human rights funding, with the smallest average grants worldwide. By 2020, just 3% of global human rights philanthropy reached the region.

Dalan Fund’s research shows that 71% of funding for human rights organisations in the region is project-based and short-term, while average budgets have stagnated between USD11,000 and 30,000 since 2019. Fourteen of the 15 ASTRA Network partners surveyed reported funding losses amounting to more than USD1.2 million over the past two years, leaving many organisations unsure whether they can continue operating beyond the next six months.

Conversely, anti-gender movements have gained significant influence. Since 2019, these actors have received more than USD1.18 billion in funding across Europe, enabling coordinated disinformation, legal challenges, and political advocacy targeting SRHR, LGBTQI+ rights, and gender equality.

A campaign to support and strengthen what works

ASTRA Network and the Dalan Fund call on international funders and partners to support SRHR movements in six key ways:

• Recognising SRHR actors as frontline defenders against authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.
• Providing flexible and timely funding, essential for services that cannot wait – including contraception access and safe abortion care.
• Investing in long-term infrastructure, not just project grants, to preserve decades of experience and institutional stability.
• Strengthening entire ecosystems, from grassroots groups to regional networks.
• Supporting locally-led innovation, including telemedicine and community-based care.
• Aligning support with global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). 

Sustained, strategic investment is essential to ensure that SRHR movements in CEECCNA can continue their crucial work. Supporting them today is not only a commitment to health and rights – it is a defence of democracy, equality, and human dignity across the region.

For more info, go to https://astra.org.pl/achoicethatmatters.
ASTRA Network: www.astra.org.pl & federa@astra.org.pl
Dalan Fund: www.dalan.fund & lida@dalan.fund