• Political factors

Political factors

This article is the final paper in a series on Sexual and Reproductive Health published in the Lancet. It outlines what needs to be done to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2015 -- a goal set out at the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. It notes that whilst most countries are now focusing more attention on sexual and reproductive health and are working to create better policies and improve access to information and services, progress has been uneven across countries and across different components of sexual and reproductive health. The article reviews experiences since 1994 focusing on three areas: know-how, the political commitment, and the resources to improve sexual and reproductive health.

The authors conclude that sexual and reproductive health for all is an achievable goal if cost-effective interventions are properly scaled up; political commitment is revitalised; and financial resources are mobilised, rationally allocated, and more effectively used. They emphasise that sustained effort is the responsibility of all actors including governments, the donor community, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, the health profession and the research community.

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