Governments clearly recognized that respect for human rights is a prerequisite for health, and conversely, that the right to control every aspect of one s health and sexuality is essential for the enjoyment of other rights. Worldwide, about 600,000 women still die every year, and some 18 million are left disabled or chronically ill, due to preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
Sexual violence is endemic and lethal, both within and outside marriage.
At least 150 million women who want to limit their childbearing do not yet use contraception. Universal reproductive and sexual health is, it seems, still far from being a reality. Over the opposition of a handful of delegations, governments set new benchmark indicators and reached major agreements on sexual and reproductive health. For each of these services, governments agreed to the following specific goals. First, governments agreed to mobilize resources to provide the widest possible range of contraceptive methods, including new options and underutilized methods.