Universal access to services and the Millennium Development Goals
Ensuring universal access to SRH services and information is essential for achieving many, if not all, of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially those on maternal health, child survival, HIV and AIDS and gender equality (Bernstein and Hansen). Most maternal deaths can be prevented if there is skilled attendance at birth to cope with potentially fatal complications. Access to safe and effective family planning services and contraception empowers women to have more control over when to have children and lessens the incidence of unsafe abortions. Also, contraception can help reduce the transmission of STIs, including HIV. At a macro level, lower levels of maternal mortality and slower population growth increase social and economic development and reduce poverty.
The omission of universal access to reproductive health from the MDGs has resulted in the neglect of SRH services and programmes by policymakers and donors. However, there have been recent signs of increasing recognition of the importance of access to these services. In September 2006, the UN General Assembly incorporated universal access to reproductive health as a target of the MDG 5, to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters.
The omission of universal access to reproductive health from the MDGs has resulted in the neglect of SRH services and programmes by policymakers and donors. However, there have been recent signs of increasing recognition of the importance of access to these services. In September 2006, the UN General Assembly incorporated universal access to reproductive health as a target of the MDG 5, to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters.
Recommended reading
- Public choices, private decisions: sexual and reproductive health and the Millennium Development Goals
- S. Bernstein; C.J. Hansen / Millennium Project, 2006
- Recommended reading
- This report, published by the UN Millennium Project, examines the global burden of diseases and risks related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), analyses the implications for the Millennium Deve...
