At the end of October 2011 the world’s population will reach 7 billion. At this landmark moment in human history the global population has never been greater. Ninety-five per cent of this record population growth is happening in the developing world, where only 58 percent of women giving birth are attended to by a skilled birth attendant, 215 million women still lack access to contraception and the single greatest threat to any young woman’s health is childbirth. Meanwhile the global economic slowdown has ushered in an era of austerity, with donor countries moving to cut their national expenditures, and development budgets being threatened more than ever before. For these two reasons Population Assistance (funds made available for combating HIV / AIDS, family planning, maternal healthcare and general reproductive health) has never been either more urgently required or more under threat than now.

In compiling this year’s edition of Euromapping we have been worried to note that the European share of Official Development Assistance relating to population assistance has decreased over the past year. Whilst European donors (EU institutions, Member States and non-EU members) provide 63% of global ODA, they only provide 37% of all the funds that are devoted to health and 39% of all population assistance disbursements. Meanwhile, although only accounting for a fifth of global ODA, the US share of global health and population spending is more than 50%. This reversal of global leadership, due in part to consistent increases in US health and population assistance spending and budget cuts throughout the whole of Europe, illustrates a dichotomy between Europe’s ambition and action in the sector.

It is therefore time for the actions of Europe’s donors to match their words. We are pleased that Euromapping 2011 can add to the wealth of information that is available, adding both perspective and knowledge about the proportion of ODA being dedicated to population assistance, reproductive health and family planning by bilateral donors from the international community. We hope that the attention generated by this publication within the international development community will empower advocates and decision makers alike to identify shortfalls in national and international pledges, fill the gaps that exist in the assistance that partner countries receive, and ensure that our governments are held accountable for the commitments they have made— both individually and collectively.

Most importantly, we hope that Euromapping 2011 can contribute to improving the health conditions, services and information for those most in need.