A/HRC/RES/18/2
Welcoming also the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixtyfifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New
York from 20 to 22 September 2010, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals”, and reaffirming in particular the deep concern expressed
therein by the Assembly at the alarming global levels of maternal and child mortality and its
grave concern at the slow progress being made on reducing maternal mortality and improving
maternal and reproductive health, as well as the commitments to accelerate progress in order
to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, on improving maternal health, and Goal 8, on a
global partnership for development,
1.
Takes note with interest of the analytical compilation of good or effective
practices that exemplify a human rights-based approach to eliminating preventable maternal
mortality and morbidity prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights,3 and takes note also of the contribution of the said compilation, together
with the thematic study on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights
prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner,4 towards a human rights-based approach
to reducing preventable maternal mortality and morbidity;
2.
Recognizes that, as illustrated by the above-mentioned thematic study and
analytic compilation, a human rights-based approach to eliminate preventable maternal
mortality and morbidity is an approach underpinned by the principles of, inter alia,
accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment, sustainability, nondiscrimination and international cooperation;
3.
Encourages States and other relevant stakeholders, including national human
rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, to take action at all levels to address
the interlinked root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, such as poverty,
malnutrition, harmful practices, lack of accessible and appropriate health-care services,
information and education, and gender inequality, and to pay particular attention to
eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls;
4.
Reaffirms that the Human Rights Council should promote the effective
coordination and mainstreaming of human rights within the United Nations system;
5.
Requests the Office of High Commissioner to convene, within existing
resources, in cooperation with other relevant entities of the United Nations system, an
expert workshop, open also to the participation of Governments, regional organizations,
relevant United Nations bodies and civil society organizations, to prepare concise technical
guidance on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of
policies and programmes to reduce preventable maternal mortality and morbidity;
6.
Also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to present the technical
guidance to the Human Rights Council;
7.
Decides to continue considering the issue at its twenty-first session under the
same agenda item.
34th meeting
28 September 2011
[Adopted without a vote.]
3
4
2
A/HRC/18/27.
A/HRC/14/39.