• Universal access and the MDGs

Universal access to services and the Millennium Development Goals

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 Development Goals, and asks what needs to be done. Key findings include that millions of women lack access to family planning services they need and want. The unmet need for contraception is especially acute among adolescents in the developing world. One in 16 women in sub-Saharan Africa dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, compared with one in every 2800 in highly-developed countries.

The report argues that providing safe, effective, voluntary family planning services prevents death and disability, spurs development, and fights poverty. It calls for a massive expansion of family planning, maternal health, and AIDS prevention efforts by mobilising political will, institutional capacity, and technical and financial resources. It estimates that US$36 billion per year will be needed in order to meet the developing world’s SRH needs. Recommendations to integrate SRH into development strategies include: incorporating SRH in both national poverty reduction strategies and strengthened health systems; allocating enough funds for commodities, supplies and logistics while strengthening health systems; and meeting the needs of special populations, particularly young people, the poor and victims of humanitarian crisis.

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