The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) website reports that the Société des Gynécologues Obstétriciens du Togo (SGOT) has become an implementing partner in their Advocating for Safe Abortion (ASA) Project. The project was launched in Lomé, Togo, in February 2025 with a workshop that brought together members of SGOT and other key stakeholders leading advocacy work for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the country. This three-day workshop enabled participants to develop advocacy strategies and targeted objectives relevant to their local context, collaboratively creating an action plan for SGOT to implement during 2025. The project will also help SGOT strengthen their capacity in communications, strategic planning and fundraising.
Lack of access to safe abortion due to these barriers results in 45% of all abortions globally being unsafe. Unsafe abortion remains a catastrophic public health problem accounting for up to 13% of preventable maternal mortality worldwide (nearly 39,000 preventable maternal deaths a year), with hundreds of thousands of survivors living with preventable long-term complications, including infertility and chronic pain. Lack of access to safe abortion care disproportionately impacts those living in poverty; those with marginalised racial or ethnic identities, adolescents and those living in rural areas, further exacerbating their historical discrimination and mistreatment, and placing them at the greatest risk of preventable maternal death and disability.
The project is currently also working with FIGO members in Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso, and recently also in Zambia.
SOURCES: FIGO website: Successful launch of the ASA Project in Togo, 3 April 2025; Advocating for Safe Abortion Project