On behalf of all of us here at PM, I want to thank all of you across the world for your interest, your campaigning, and support over the past year.

Population is a global issue, one which has to be addressed globally, with policies and solutions made relevant and appropriate to individuals, communities, and countries worldwide. With supporters located in 46 countries, and the many partner organisations we work with active in Africa, America (North and South), Asia, Australia and Europe, PM has genuinely become an international organisation campaigning to catalyse positive change north, south, east and west.

Our latest Annual Report, covering the period July 2020 to June 2021, sets out the context and challenges we have been operating within. I commend it to you, and especially the sections which highlight our activities and achievements in addressing those, summarise our forward strategy and vision for the year to come, and set out our realistic, but ambitious, goals for both the short and long-term.

You can read my full blog reflecting on PM's challenging but successful 2021 on our website.

In the meantime, I wish you a joyful holiday and a fantastic start to 2022, and look forward to bringing you news of yet more progress over the course of the year.

- Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has just been named TIME’s person of the year, has once again urged people to have more babies, claiming that “population collapse” is the biggest threat facing humanity. Population Matters Communications Manager Olivia Nater explains why this statement is absurd and dangerous.

On 1 December, the US Supreme Court heard the oral argument in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the country’s most important abortion case in decades. Here's what happened and why it matters.

If you missed our webinar on 1 December, you can now watch the recording on YouTube! Our international panellists shared their fascinating expertise and insights into why advancing gender equality is key to improving lives and protecting the planet.

PM turned 30 this year! Our special anniversary appeal has almost reached its very ambitious target thanks to your generous support.

On World Population Day, our most important annual observance day, we celebrated 'Change Champions' - outstanding individuals working to defend reproductive rights and the environment.

Our own stimulating 2021 Conference 'Boom or Bust' in October looked at the intersection of population and economics and the urgent need to move away from our growth-dependent systems.

We also attended the world's largest conservation conference, the IUCN Congress, in Marseille in September and raised the population issue and solutions at COP26, the critical UN climate meeting in Glasgow in November.

We published two important new reports this year: 'Welcome to Gilead' reveals a worrying rise in coercive pronatalist policies which try to boost the birth rate by restricting women's and reproductive rights.

'Silver Linings, not Silver Burdens' busts the common myths around population ageing (a result of smaller family size and increasing longevity) and proposes practical and effective solutions to manage it.