Goal 5: Reproductive health

Context

• There are an estimated 80 million unintended pregnancies each year. An estimated 46 million of these are terminated; some 19 million are reported to be terminated in unsafe conditions.
• Complications resulting from unsafe abortions account for 13% of all maternal deaths.
• 120 million couples in developing countries and countries in transition still are reported to not have access to safe and effective contraception. on rights and equity.

The UN Millennium Project report Investing in development – A practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals stated that a strong commitment to sexual and reproductive health is essential for achieving not only the heath-related MDGs, but all the MDGs. Among the ten key recommendations, the report calls on countries to focus on women and girls health, including reproductive health and recommends expanding access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.

WHO's work

WHO’s work on these issues is grounded in the agreements adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and in the commitments made in the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000, as confirmed by the Health Assembly (Resolutions WHA48.10, @HA55.19 and WHA57.12). The first ever Global Reproductive Health Strategy was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2004 (WHA57.12).

The UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction is the focal point in the United Nations system for research in reproductive and sexual health.

Future directions

• To ensure that by 2015, the widest achievable range of safe and effective reproductive and sexual health services is being provided across the health system and integrated into primary health care.
• To provide tools to measure access to reproductive and sexual health services and monitor progress in this area, ensuring that equity issues are taken into account.