World Summit commits to universal access to reproductive health by 2015

World leaders resolved to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015, promote gender equality and end discrimination against women, as they ended their three-day World Summit on 16 September 2005.
They made those commitments by adopting the 2005 World Summit Outcome at the 60th session of the General Assembly. By the terms of their agreement (cf. paragraphs 57 g and 58 c), the leaders would integrate the goal of access to reproductive health into national strategies to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end poverty, reduce maternal death, promote gender equality and combat HIV/AIDS.
“Five years after the Millennium Declaration, the world has reaffirmed the need to keep gender equality, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health at the top of its agenda”, said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “This outcome is a success for millions of women, men and young people all over the world, whose appeals have been heard. We must now focus our energy on fulfilling the commitments made by world leaders”.
“The leaders’ resolve to bring reproductive health to all has confirmed the vision of the agenda adopted at the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development”, Ms. Obaid said. “UNFPA looks forward to working with governments to expand access to comprehensive reproductive health services such as family planning, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric care and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS”.
In the area of women’s rights, the world’s leaders agreed to promote gender equality and eliminate pervasive gender discrimination with several measures, including eliminating gender inequalities in schools, guaranteeing the free and equal right of women to own and inherit property, ensuring equal access to work, eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, and promoting increased women’s representation in government decision-making bodies.
Recognizing that HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases hampered development and threatened the world, the largest-ever gathering of world leaders pledged to increase investments to improve health systems in poor countries. The aim was to provide sufficient supplies, health workers and facilities.
According to the Summit Outcome, the leaders committed to measures to increase the capacities of adults and adolescents to protect themselves from HIV infection.
(Source: UNFPA Press Release, 19 September)
Note: The 2005 World Summit Outcome is available from http://www.un.org/summit2005/documents.html