I’m proud to be Patron of UNFPA – the UN organisation that works to ensure that; every pregnancy is wanted; that, every childbirth is safe; and that every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Planned pregnancy and safe childbirth are two aspects of the concept, ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’, which includes the right to decide when to have children, how many to have, with whom, and to have them without risking your life or health in the process. This has been recognised as a human right since 1968.

And this was confirmed at the ICPD in Cairo and with the Beijing Declaration. More recently the necessity of ensuring that SRHR has been integrated into the SDG framework.

Central to sexual and reproductive health and rights is; the dissemination of adequate information;

• access to contraception that protects against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/aids; and qualified assistance before, during and after childbirth.
• But it also includes the efforts to eliminate harmful traditional practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) – practices that violate the rights of girls and have a negative impact on their health.

Informed and real reproductive choices can reduce maternal mortality by reducing the number of pregnancies, the number of abortions, and the proportion of births at high risk.

It also offers a host of additional health, social, and economic benefits:

• it can help reduce infant mortality,
• slow the spread of HIV/AIDS,
• promote gender equality,
• reduce poverty,
• accelerate socioeconomic development,
• and protect the environment.

Despite the increasing availability of contraceptives over the years, hundreds of millions of women today still have no access to them – and to the reproductive choices that come with them. 

Women’s low reproductive autonomy is connected to poor health-service infrastructure, lack of information and discriminatory social institutions that limit women’s control over their bodies. 

Another barrier is lack of knowledge about contraceptive methods and sources of supply or incorrect perceptions about the health risks of modern methods.

It will take a collective effort to break what is perhaps the most widespread taboo of all – comprehensive sexuality education. Young people need to be informed and knowledgeable about; puberty; about, why their body is changing, how children are conceived; and how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy.

Research shows that when young people receive correct accurate, age-relevant sex education and have access to contraception, they are better at protecting themselves and thereby protecting their futures.

Why are we unable to meet this unmet need that limits a woman’s ability to shape her own future? Is it because of lack of investment or resources, bad infrastructure, not enough contraceptives on the market, lack of information? Is it because of weak health systems, culture, traditions – what is it? Unfortunately, I do not have the answer.

But I hope that this session can shed some light on not only the why but, also the how. What are the solutions? How do we ensure rights and contraceptive choices for all?

Our moderators, Ms Beth Schlachter, Executive Director of Family Planning 2020 and Ms Isabel Perez Witke, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights will help us set the scene for our discussion.

I hand over the floor to you.