On World Population Day, the United Nations agencies—WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNAIDS, and UN Women—issued a joint statement urging for stronger access to sexual and reproductive health care within the framework of universal health coverage.
In April, governments reaffirmed their commitment to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action at the UN Headquarters in New York. This Programme of Action is embedded within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and to advance reproductive rights.
Significant strides have been made in the past three decades. Since 1990, the number of women using modern contraception has doubled, and since 2000, maternal mortality has decreased by 34%. By 2022, access to HIV treatment had averted an estimated 20.8 million deaths worldwide. However, recent progress has slowed and, in some cases, reversed. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, persistent conflicts, climate change, rising inequalities, and increasing polarization are undermining access to essential health services, necessitating urgent action.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by these setbacks, impeding their right to make informed decisions and exercise bodily autonomy without coercion, violence, or discrimination. Equitable and sustainable access to human rights-based sexual and reproductive health interventions and information remains inaccessible for many, especially marginalized women, adolescent girls, and those in humanitarian crises and conflict zones. Data indicates that more than half of women of reproductive age cannot make their own informed decisions regarding pregnancy, and many lack the autonomy to fully exercise their reproductive rights.
On this World Population Day, UN agencies call on the global community—including governments, donors, civil society organizations, and the private sector—to enhance access to a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage. This should be delivered through resilient health systems, including at the primary healthcare level. It is essential to implement evidence-based, normative guidance to strengthen access to affordable, high-quality, and rights-based care. Efforts must be made to eliminate stigma and discrimination and dismantle harmful social and gender norms to ensure services are acceptable to all.
Additionally, there is a call for accelerated access to comprehensive sexuality education and strengthened action across social sectors like education and gender. This is to improve the health and well-being of girls and women throughout their lives. Promoting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is both morally and strategically beneficial. Investing in women’s and girls’ reproductive rights and expanding access to services yields significant returns in social well-being, economic prosperity, and peace. Increased financing from all sources—domestic, international, public, and private—is essential to create long-term positive outcomes for women and girls.
There is also an urgent need to support the increasing efforts of young people, women, and communities to voice their sexual and reproductive health concerns and to design and deliver solutions that address their needs in a changing world. Climate change, in particular, affects sexual and reproductive health and rights. An inclusive, bottom-up approach to designing and delivering health interventions with and for communities can yield more sustainable results and reach those furthest left behind.
The public and private sectors are encouraged to collaborate in exploring advanced technologies like telemedicine, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and predictive modeling to bridge geographical gaps and expand access to essential services, particularly in remote and underserved areas. At the same time, innovators must address the inherent risks in these new technologies, including gender gaps in access, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and systemic biases in tech design.
The UN agencies call on governments, communities, civil society organizations, and the private sector to unite in prioritizing universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in ways that advance gender equality and promote the full realization of human rights. This appeal is for more than a commitment; it calls for collaboration and innovation to ensure everyone can realize their rights to health, dignity, and security. As we approach the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly in September, now is the time to act boldly and decisively to forge a path towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable world for all.
Thirty years ago, at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 179 governments adopted a framework recognizing sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, as well as the empowerment of women and girls, as foundational pillars of sustainable development. As UN agencies, we stand united in our commitment to advancing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, which are integral to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and essential for achieving gender equality.
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