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The definition of reproductive health
adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994
captures the essential characteristics that make reproductive and sexual health
unique compared to other fields of health. Reproductive health extends before
and beyond the years of reproduction, and is closely associated with
socio-cultural factors, gender roles and the respect and protection of human
rights, especially – but not only – in regard to sexuality and personal
relationships.
The adoption of these comprehensive
definitions at the International Conference on Population and Development
marked the beginning of a new era, and the achievements of the past decade are
many and profound. For example, the concept of reproductive and sexual health
and rights has, with few exceptions, been widely accepted and has begun to be
used by international health and development bodies, national governments,
nongovernmental organizations and other parties. New reproductive health
policies and programmes have been defined in almost all countries. Their
adoption has produced significant changes in some countries in the conventional
modes of delivering maternal and child health or family planning services.
Following this conceptualization of,
and commitment to, reproductive and sexual health, new partnerships have been
forged at national, regional and global levels. New evidence has also been
collected in previously neglected areas such as the burden of disease due to
reproductive and sexual ill-health and its relation to poverty, and
gender-based violence. The number of evidence based best practices in
reproductive and sexual health care has grown substantially, and the scope of
clinical and behavioural research and of internationally recognized standards,
norms and guidelines has broadened.
Experience has shown that, even in
low-income settings, innovative country-specific approaches can considerably
reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, for example. The challenge now is to
formulate innovative national strategies for making health services accessible
to the people in greatest need, such as adolescents and the poor, in order to
attain international goals.
The strategy to accelerate progress
The overarching objective of the
strategy is to accelerate progress towards meeting internationally agreed
reproductive health targets and, ultimately, to attain the highest achievable
standard of reproductive and sexual health for all.
Guiding principle: human rights
WHO’s strategy for accelerating
progress rests on internationally agreed instruments and global consensus
declarations on human rights, including the right of all persons to the highest
attainable standard of health; the basic right of all couples and individuals
to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their
children and to have the information and means to do so; the right of women to
have control, and decide freely and responsibly on, matters related to their
sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health-freely and responsibly on,
matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health –
free of coercion, discrimination and violence; the right of men and women to
choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full
consent; the right of access to relevant health information; and the right of
everyone to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. In
order to ensure that these rights are respected, policies, programmes and
interventions must
promote gender equality, give
priority to poor and underserved populations and population groups, especially
adolescents, and provide special support to those countries that bear the
largest burden of reproductive and sexual ill-health.