A/HRC/RES/39/10
commitment to the reduction of maternal mortality and to promote sexual and reproductive
health and reproductive rights, in accordance with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development and their review conferences and outcome documents,
Taking note of the efforts of the Inter-agency Working Group on Reproductive
Health in Crises of the Inter-agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Principled
Humanitarian Action to expand and strengthen access to quality sexual and reproductive
health-care services for people in humanitarian settings,
Taking note also of the report and the recommendations of the High-level Working
Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents, 1 the
cooperation framework between the World Health Organization and the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and that between the Office of the
High Commissioner and the United Nations Population Fund, and also of the draft articles
on the protection of persons in the event of disasters, adopted by the International Law
Commission,2
Recognizing the importance of strengthening coordination between all relevant
United Nations agencies, entities providing humanitarian assistance and civil society
organizations in accordance with their respective mandates, and the need for States to
ensure fully respect for and the protection and fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health
and reproductive rights, in accordance with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development and their review conferences and outcome documents, in reducing
preventable maternal mortality and morbidity in humanitarian settings,
Acknowledging that international humanitarian law and international human rights
law are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and recognizing that persons affected by
disasters are entitled to the respect for and protection of their human rights in accordance
with international law,
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, including sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, including
in humanitarian settings,
Recognizing that a human rights-based approach to the elimination of preventable
maternal mortality and morbidity is underpinned by the principles of, inter alia,
accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment, sustainability, nondiscrimination and international cooperation,
Stressing that reducing maternal mortality and morbidity with full respect of States’
human rights obligations and commitments will require integrated efforts across the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third
International Conference on Financing for Development and in the means of
implementation of the 2030 Agenda,
Recognizing that respect for and the protection and fulfilment of the full enjoyment
of human rights by all women and girls and the full implementation of all Goals and targets
of the 2030 Agenda, including Goal 5 on achieving gender equality and empower all
women and girls and target 3.1 on reducing global maternal mortality, are interrelated and
mutually reinforcing,
Recognizing that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are integral
to the realization of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
of physical and mental health and that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health-care
services must have the interrelated and essential elements of availability, accessibility,
1
2
2
Leading the Realization of Human Rights to Health and through Health, report of the High-level
Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents (Geneva,
World Health Organization, 2017).
See A/71/10.