UNFPA Eritrea | Statement from UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on World Health Day [Video]

End discrimination to ensure the right to health for all

On World Health Day, we celebrate the successes achieved since the adoption of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action in Cairo, which placed sexual and reproductive health and rights at the heart of development.

Since Cairo, more women enjoy the right to health and are able to exert agency over their own bodies and fertility. More women have access to modern contraception, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth, and teen pregnancy rates have fallen.

Still, too many women and girls have been left out of that progress. Even as we accelerate efforts to fulfill the promise of the ICPD and the Sustainable Development Goals, healthier lives remain out of reach for far too many people, especially those from underserved communities.

Although the global average maternal mortality rate has declined significantly in the …