The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India, in collaboration with Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) Asia-Pacific Regional Hub and the Gates Foundation, convened a high-level roundtable with senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, alongside representatives from development partners, academia, and civil society.
The discussion focused on India’s evolving demographic landscape, characterized by declining fertility rates with the Total Fertility Rate falling to 2.0—below the replacement level of 2.1—while millions of women lack access to essential family planning services. The roundtable emphasized the importance of expanding access, choice, and quality in family planning, especially given an unmet need affecting an estimated 47 million women, or 9.4 percent of the population.
Key participants highlighted several priorities:
- Strengthening family planning policies and programs to align with the changing population profile.
- Sustaining investments and broadening the definition of reproductive health to include infertility care.
- Enhancing policy development to guide future family planning strategies and priorities.
- Strengthening alignment among stakeholders on choice-based principles irrespective of fertility rates.
Ms. Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative, said, “India stands at a defining moment in its demographic journey. 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 that places people—especially young women and those with unmet needs—at the center of national policy and socio-economic development.”
Dr. Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, urged for “precision policy making” responsive to India’s diversity. She emphasized that interventions must be localized, tailored to the unique social realities and needs of every region and community to ensure effective impact.
Ms. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, stressed, “Family planning is not a women’s programme, it is a family programme. Couples sharing responsibility and decision-making bring us closer to healthy mothers, healthy babies, and healthy families. Partnership is at the core of real reproductive choice.”
The roundtable’s panel discussions also featured key themes such as expanding the contraceptive basket of choice, integrating infertility services, and addressing the reproductive health needs of adolescents and young people. The event concluded with calls to strengthen collaboration among government, development partners, and civil society to ensure family planning in India remains people-centered, inclusive, and adaptive to changing fertility trends.
This roundtable reflects a proactive approach to reimagining family planning policies in India, ensuring they meet the needs of a rapidly evolving population and contribute effectively to the nation's socio-economic development goals.
