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Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Priorities
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Priorities
UNFPA works with national authorities, policy makers and civil society to
devise, implement and promote policies which address sexual and
reproductive health and rights (SRHR) – including family planning and
contraceptive choices - in an inclusive and equitable manner.
Only in this way we can ensure that no one is left behind in accessing and
benefiting from comprehensive SRHR.
Addressing multiple inequalities
Inequalities for adolescents and youth Inequalities in access to services
Adolescents and unmarried youth, particularly young women, often face Typically, the poorest, more marginalized groups in a population
barriers in accessing SRH services in spite of wealth status or place of have the least access to SRH services. These groups include
residence. These barriers can be legal, cultural or brought about by negative rural communities, ethnic minorities, urban poor,
societal perceptions towards SRHR. migrant workers and refugees.
Full integration of GBV prevention Zero GBV Reduced Positive approach to Adolescent Sexuality
and response and SRH services and harmful adolescent Promotion of positive and respectful
Health sector response to GBV included practices pregnancies relations (with a focus on consensual sex)
in pre- and in-service training of providers Address country-specific issues: high adolescent
CSE as prevention of GBV & harmful practices fertility in context of early unions; rise of teenage
Reduce Gender-biased Sex Selection pregnancies (or high abortions) outside marriage
without compromising access to legal, safe abortion Focus on removing legal barriers to FP for adolescents
Address GBV, including sexual violence, in Access to age-appropriate CSE from age 5 and
humanitarian settings promotion of youth friendly services
Prevent IPV in pregnancy – health sector response Focus on reducing Child Marriage
Zero
preventable The context of maternal health in Asia Pacific
maternal deaths Higher prevalence of modern contraceptives is associated to lower
Around 85,000 maternal deaths out of 301,000
occurred in Asia Pacific in 2015 incidence of maternal mortality around the world
7 Countries
in Asia
Pacific
account for
almost 90%
of maternal
deaths
(high MMR
priority
countries)
Family Planning 50
of the Asia Pacific region.
Indonesia
services and
contraceptives • In some countries of the
40
due to Cambodia
region, the issues of
restrictions by adolescent fertility and
law (requiring 30
sexuality are interlinked with
consent of Viet Nam a high prevalence of child
parents or 20 marriages or early unions. In
guardians) or other countries an increase in
due to negative 10
Mongolia teenage pregnancies (or
attitudes and unsafe abortions) outside or
perceptions by prior to marriage can be
health workers 0
1995 - 2000 2000 - 2005 2005 - 2010 2010 - 2015
Malaysia
observed – which can
and broader subsequently lead to an
society.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2017)
increase in early marriages.
Reduce adolescent
pregnancies UNFPA Priorities and interventions
Adolescent birth rates in Asia Pacific (births per 1,000
women aged 15-19) by wealth quintile and by
• Focus must be on removing legal and other
place of residence.
barriers to accessing FP for adolescents
(married or unmarried).
As the AP region is
particularly prone to
natural disasters, the risk
of GBV during emergencies
and humanitarian crisis is
high and must be
addressed as a priority in
response activities.
Zero GBV
and harmful UNFPA Priorities and interventions
practices
• GBV prevention and response and SRHR interventions must
Gender-biased sex selection is still prevalent in countries be integrated. Health sector response to GBV, including
of the region, where the Sex Ratio at Birth (SBR) shows a through pre-service and in-service training of health
higher ration of male to female births. professionals needs to be strengthened; protocols and
guidelines for prevention and response to GBV need to be
116
Sex ratio at birth (SRB) in selected countries
developed in line with Essential Services Package for
women and girls subject to violence.
114
113.5 • Strengthen M&E of CSE in order to gather evidence on its
112
112.2 effect on prevention of GBV and harmful practices against
110 women and girls;
110
109.3
108
• In specific countries of the region, the focus must be on
106
107
107.4
reducing Gender-biased Sex Selection (GBSS) – while at the
105.3
same time ensuring that rights of women in terms of legal
104 access to safe abortion are not compromised;
102
• Strengthen multi-sectoral response to GBV, including
100 sexual violence, in humanitarian contexts through capacity
China South Korea Hong Kong India Singapore Taiwan Vietnam
strengthening of health professionals on clinical
management of rape, psychosocial first aid and referrals in
Source: UNFPA APRO Analysis
line with survivor-centred approach.