U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted the Obama administration’s continued support of the International Conference on Population and Development Action Plan, a 1994 agreement signed by 180 nations calling for universal access to contraception by 2015, All Headline News reports.

Clinton noted that more than 215 million women worldwide lack access to modern forms of contraception. “This contributes to nearly 20 million unsafe abortions that take place every year,” she said. “Sexually transmitted diseases, of course including, but not limited to, HIV and AIDS, claim millions of lives annually among women.”

She added, “In the Obama administration, we are convinced of the value of investing in women and girls, and we understand there is a direct line between a woman’s reproductive health and her ability to lead a productive, fulfilling life.”

Clinton also unveiled the administration’s new program, the Global Health Initiative, which aims to spend $63 billion during six years to improve global health by investing in efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality, prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies and avert millions of new HIV infections, among other goals.