Without Equality and Access, Development Efforts Are Undermined

Washington, DC - October 17, 2005

Achieving gender equality and universal access to basic reproductive health care underpins the realization of broader development agendas, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is the central message of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of World Population 2005 report, released last week, and PAI applauds the Fund in its effort to emphasize yet again the critical and inextricable link between these international objectives.

Gender equality and a woman's ability to plan her family are fundamental human rights. Access to reproductive health services helps empower women to make the choices and decisions that affect their lives, thus helping to ensure these rights.

Without access to basic reproductive health care, women face unintended pregnancies too early, too often and too late in life. This frequently results in an early end to their education, economic aspirations and, in the most extreme cases, their lives.

Maternal mortality has a direct impact on the devastating cycle of poverty within families and communities. More than 500,000 women die every year from pregnancy-related causes. Over 99 percent of these deaths take place in the developing world, where women earn 40 percent to 60 percent of household incomes. While women in developed countries, such as the United States, face a 1 in 2,800 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth, women in sub-Saharan Africa face a staggering 1 in 16 risk.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic, to which women and girls are far more susceptible, also takes a devastating toll on women's health and the livelihood of their families.

In recent years, most donor countries have integrated gender equality into their development agendas – and funded the expansion of reproductive health services – as part of their partnership with developing countries. But access to contraception is still far from universal, whether due to a lack of services and supplies, or because women are denied that basic human right by society. Thus, it is critical for donors like the United States to redouble their efforts – through funding and policies – to strengthen women's rights, improve their status, and increase access to health care, including contraceptive services.

As the UNFPA report recommends: “Empowering women propels countries forward towards the MDGs and improves the lives of all.”Achieving gender equality and universal access to basic reproductive health care underpins the realization of broader development agendas, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is the central message of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of World Population 2005 report, released last week, and PAI applauds the Fund in its effort to emphasize yet again the critical and inextricable link between these international objectives.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.