A/HRC/RES/54/16
Reaffirming that States have an obligation to take steps to achieve the full realization
of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and
mental health and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, free from
discrimination, coercion and violence,
Noting that the World Health Organization has identified severe bleeding and
infections, mostly after childbirth, high blood pressure during pregnancy, complications from
delivery and unsafe abortion as the leading causes of maternal mortality and that United
Nations treaty bodies have highlighted the connection between lack of emergency obstetric
services, high rates of unsafe abortion and maternal mortality and morbidity,
Recognizing that preventable maternal mortality and morbidity are a human rights
concern and that preventable deaths and grievous injuries sustained by women and girls
during pregnancy, childbirth and the prenatal and postnatal periods are not inevitable events,
but rather a direct result of, inter alia, discriminatory laws and practices, harmful gender
norms and practices, a lack of functioning health systems and services, a lack of access to
health services, in particular in rural and remote areas and the poorest urban areas, and a lack
of accountability,
Expressing concern at the disproportionate impact of poverty, global economic crises,
underdevelopment, austerity measures, unemployment, malnutrition, climate change,
biodiversity loss, pollution, environmental degradation, conflict, natural hazards and health
emergencies on women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights, including those relating to
sexual and reproductive health and well-being, which may exacerbate existing structural
inequalities and contribute to maternal mortality and morbidity,
Stressing the interlinkages between poverty, malnutrition, lack of, inadequate or
inaccessible health services, early childbearing, child, early and forced marriage, genderbased violence against women and girls, sociocultural barriers, marginalization, illiteracy and
gender inequality as root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity,
Deeply concerned about the insufficient resources for eliminating preventable
maternal mortality and morbidity in many countries, which is compounded by low levels of
development assistance for sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health,
Recognizing that all women and girls are subject to multiple, intersecting and systemic
forms of discrimination throughout their lives based on, inter alia, gender, age, race, ethnicity,
indigeneity, religion or belief, physical and mental health, disability, civil status,
socioeconomic background and migration status, in private and public spaces, both online
and offline, and that substantive equality requires the elimination of the root causes of
structural discrimination against them, including deep-rooted patriarchal and gender
stereotypes, negative social norms, sociopolitical and economic inequalities and systemic
racism, as well as traditional understandings of gender roles that perpetuate unequal power
relations, discriminatory attitudes, behaviours, norms, perceptions, customs and harmful
practices, such as female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage,
Recognizing also that a human rights-based approach to the elimination of preventable
maternal mortality and morbidity is underpinned by the principles of, inter alia, equality,
accountability, engagement, participation, accessibility, transparency, empowerment,
sustainability, non-discrimination and international cooperation and requires the provision of
available, accessible, including affordable, acceptable and quality sexual and reproductive
health information and services, including maternal health information and services,
Recognizing further that the underlying determinants of health, such as equitable
access to affordable and safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, an adequate supply of
safe food, nutrition and housing, healthy occupational and environmental conditions, access
to health-related education and information and quality and essential health services, are
essential to ensuring the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
of physical and mental health and to eliminating preventable maternal mortality and
morbidity,
Recognizing that violations of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health and sexual and reproductive health and
reproductive rights, and those involving inadequate emergency obstetric services, obstetric
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