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About us

Who We Are

Learn about our mission, our charter and principles, and who we are.

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How we work

See what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly.

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How we're run

Discover our governance and what it means to be an association. Find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world.

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Reports and financials

Read through our annual financial and activity reports, and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent.

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What we do

Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion.

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Where we work

In more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.

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MSF Websites

A Global Network
Our offices around the world
Our offices around the world
Other Sites
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Access Campaign

We set up the MSF Access Campaign in 1999 to push for access to, and the development of, life-saving and life-prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond.

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CRASH

Based in Paris, CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions. They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field.

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UREPH

Based in Geneva, UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action.

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ARHP

Based in Barcelona, ARHP documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the MSF field teams.

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MSF Analysis

Based in Brussels, MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates.

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MSF Supply

This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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MSF Logistique

This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux, France, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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Amsterdam Procurement Unit

This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements.

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Brazilian Medical Unit

BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and Chagas, and other infectious diseases. This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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MSF Medical Guidelines

Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences, the World Health Organization (WHO), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals.

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Epicentre

Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care.

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Evaluation Units

Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work.

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LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Health Settings

MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years. LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population.

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LUXOR

The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection.

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MSF Academy for Healthcare

To upskill and provide training to locally-hired MSF staff in several countries, MSF has created the MSF Academy for Healthcare.

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Humanitarian Law

This Guide explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries.

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MSF Paediatric Days

The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field.

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MSF Foundation

The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole.

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DNDi

A collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world.

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MSF Science Portal

Our digital portal dedicated to sharing the latest medical evidence from our humanitarian activities around the globe.

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Noma

Noma is a preventable and treatable neglected disease, but 90 per cent of people will die within the first two weeks of infection if they do not receive treatment.

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TIC

The TIC is aiming to change how MSF works to better meet the evolving needs of our patients.

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Telemedicine

MSF's telemedicine hub aims to overcome geographic barriers for equitable, accessible, and quality patient care.

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Sweden Innovation Unit

Launched in 2012, the MSF Sweden Innovation Unit deploys a human-centered approach for promoting a culture of innovation within MSF.

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Beneficiary of safe abortion care
Safe abortion care

Safe abortion care is healthcare

Women around the world, of all ages, races, nationalities, and religions, have abortions. It’s estimated that one in three women will experience an abortion at some point during her lifetime. Yet a heavy stigma remains that keeps women suffering in silence.

When safe abortion care is inaccessible, many women and girls turn to dangerous methods for abortion, regardless of safety and legal restrictions.

Since MSF projects often see patients suffering from the severe, potentially life-threatening effects of unsafe abortion, we have expanded our efforts to help women access safe abortion care and to find ways of providing it at our projects.

In 2023, we provided over 54,600 safe abortions, in 37 countries around the world, to women and girls who requested it. We also provided treatment to 31,000 women and girls for abortion related concerns and complications, the majority likely due to unsafe abortions.

Facts about abortion

Abortion occurs when a pregnancy is ended. It can happen spontaneously, also referred to as miscarriage, or as the result of a deliberate intervention.

Abortion is very common: three out of every 10 pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. Chances are, someone close to you has had an abortion.

 

According to the World Health Organization, an abortion is unsafe if the person providing it does not have the necessary skills or if the abortion takes place in an environment that does not meet minimal medical standards.

Examples we see in our projects include: ingesting traditional remedies or toxic substances such as bleach, battery acid, or chlorine; incorrect administration of medications without the appropriate support; inflicting repeated blunt trauma to the abdomen; and inserting sharp sticks or needles into the body.

 

Complications from unsafe abortion include severe bleeding, infection, and injury to the genital tract or internal organs. Unsafe abortion can also lead to long-term health consequences such as infertility and chronic pain. At least 22,000 people die from the complications of unsafe abortion each year.

 

Anyone with an unwanted pregnancy who cannot access safe abortion services is at risk of injury or death from unsafe abortion. Barriers to safe abortion include high cost, legal restrictions, stigma, lack of trained or willing providers, and unnecessary requirements.

Poor women, women of colour, and women living in remote areas are disproportionately cut off from safe abortion services. The vast majority – 97 per cent – of unsafe abortions take place in low- and middle-income countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Women and girls trapped in war, crisis, and conflicts often face additional barriers to accessing safe abortion care.

 

By providing comprehensive reproductive health care programming, including sexuality education, contraceptive services, safe abortion care and post-abortion care.

 

An abortion is considered safe if:

1) The person providing or supporting the abortion is trained, and

2) An evidence-based method that is appropriate to the pregnancy duration is used.

Examples of safe, evidence-based methods of abortion include:

1) Medication abortion (an abortion with pills).

2) An outpatient procedure performed in a hygienic environment by a qualified provider.

 

In an abortion with pills, a woman takes medicines that cause the uterus to contract and push out the pregnancy ─ similar to a miscarriage. An abortion with pills is more than 95 per cent effective and is extremely safe, with less than a one per cent chance of severe, life-threatening complications. The risk of death from a safe abortion is lower than from a shot of penicillin or from a tooth extraction.  

An abortion with pills can safely be provided in low-resource settings – including those without ultrasound or laboratory testing available. A safe abortion with pills needs only three things: accurate information, quality medications, and mutual respect and trust. Because of this, medication abortion has expanded access to safe abortion care for millions of women and girls around the world – especially in conflict and crisis settings.

 

How we respond

In order to reduce the maternal death and suffering from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, MSF provides a comprehensive package of reproductive healthcare services - including contraception, safe abortion care, and post-abortion care.

We also publicly speak out against harmful governmental policies like the Global Gag Rule and other efforts to limit access to care, and share evidence-based, factual information about safe abortion care. Lastly, we conduct research investigating the severity and treatment of complications from unsafe abortion in conflict-affected settings.

Comprehensive package of reproductive healthcare services

Contraception: Our projects aim to provide a wide variety of contraceptive methods to meet the different needs of our patients, including implants, intrauterine devices, injectables, oral contraceptive pills, and condoms. As we work in settings where ongoing crisis or conflict may restrict access to services, we strive to adapt our contraceptive programmes to reach women where they are - for example, we have created tools to support more self-managed and community-based models of contraceptive care.

In 2023, MSF provided 718,400 consultations for contraception.

Safe abortion care: In 2004, MSF passed a resolution stating that safe abortion care should be integrated as a part of routine reproductive healthcare services. Despite this policy, in the years that followed very few MSF projects started to provide safe abortion care. Internal barriers, such as abortion-related stigma, myths and misperception, and security concerns were identified as the main reasons for this inaction. In order to increase the availability of safe abortion care in MSF projects, in 2016 MSF launched the Task Force for Safe Abortion Care. With the support of the Task Force, MSF has developed a systematic approach to supporting field teams in the implementation of safe abortion care, along with multiple tools and resources. This initiative has served as a catalyst for change throughout the organisation.

In 2023, we provided over 54,600 safe abortions, in 37 countries around the world, to women and girls who requested it.

Post-abortion care: Despite this progress, MSF teams continue to treat the complications from unsafe abortion – also known as post-abortion care – on a daily basis. In 2023, MSF teams treated over 31,000 abortion-related complications, the majority likely due to unsafe abortion. This figure highlights the sad reality that in much of the world, women still cannot access the safe abortion services need.

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Education, advocacy and research

MSF shares factual, evidence-based information about abortion in order break abortion stigma and dispel myths and misperceptions. In January 2020, MSF launched a free, open-source, evidence-based online course on medication abortion. Developed in partnership with HowToUseAbortionPill.org, its five animated videos provide information on how to safely administer an abortion with pills in both the first and second trimester.

MSF also speaks out on the medical need for life-saving safe abortion care. We share the stories of patients who lack access to care, and of doctors and nurses who see the devastating effects of unsafe abortion every day. We also speak out against harmful governmental policies, like the Global Gag Rule, which has recently been rescinded. While this is an important first step, there are still many other barriers to overcome to ensure that all people have access to this care.

MSF has partnered with the Guttmacher Institute, Ipas, and the ministries of health of three countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Nigeria) on a three-year study to assess the frequency and severity of abortion-related complication and the quality of abortion-related care.

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Safe abortion care