Sexual and Reproductive Health

WHO supports Member States in enacting policies, adopting norms and standards, and strengthening health systems to ensure equity and universal access to people-centered sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent, adult and older people’s health services, and to promote health, development and well-being along the life course.

To meet Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.1 (maternal mortality) and 3.2 (neonatal and under-five mortality), as well as the Every Newborn Action Plan target for the reduction of stillbirths, the African Region has to accelerate efforts by more than 3 to 7-fold. The Region accounts for a disproportionate share of global maternal, neonatal and under-five deaths, as well as stillbirths — half of which occur during labor. Most of these deaths are preventable through proven, cost-effective interventions.

These outcomes are driven by inequitable access to quality care, weak health systems, and adverse social and environmental determinants. More than ever, addressing these challenges requires a transformative, multisectoral approach rooted in primary health care, led and driven by Member States, to ensure that no one is left behind.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the context of COVID-19 in the African Region: rapid assessment of continuity of essential services

As part of the fight against COVID-19 and its adverse effects on WHO African region countries' health systems, regular assessments of the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights services are conducted. They aim to identify gaps in the availability of essential SRHR services to populations focusing on safe abortion, post-abortion care, and family planning in the African Region in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They serve as decision-making and resource mobilization tools to ensure that people in the WHO African Region have access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services at all times. 

Five round has been conducted:

  • Round 1 covered the period of February – May 2020: 17 countries 
  • Round 2 covered the period of June - September 2020: 15 countries
  • Round 3 covered the period of October 2020 – January 2021: 17 countries 
  • Round 4 covered the period of February – May 2021: 25 countries 
  • Round 5 covered the period of June – September 2021: 21 countries 

The main data source used by countries was HMIS/DHIS2.

Related Documents

  • Rapid assessment of continuity of SRHR services in the context of COVID-19 in the African Region: Article: English [pdf]

  • Rapid assessment of continuity of SRHR services in the context of COVID-19 in the African Region (round 1 and 2): Infographics: English [pdf]

  • Rapid assessment of continuity of SRHR services in the context of COVID-19 in the African Region (round 4): Results' presentation [pdf]

  • Guidelines for the management of pregnant and breastfeeding women in the context of Ebola virus disease English [pdf]

  • Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context English [pdf]

  • WHO online consultation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Planning for rapid dissemination and implementation of the WHO Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions to strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights in the African Region English [pdf] French [pdf]

  • Leadership and political commitment: WHO champions policy reforms, innovative approaches and stronger internal as well as external partnerships to promote rights and equity in access to sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) and older person health services, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. Recent Regional Committee sessions have featured ministerial events and endorsed strategic actions to expand equitable access to SRMNCAH services, and, in collaboration with PMNCH and Africa CDC, efforts are underway to secure a permanent African Union Summit agenda on women, children and adolescent health.
  • Normative guidance and quality of care: WHO works to expand access to and uptake of its normative and technical products to enable integrated, people-centered SRMNCAH and older person health services, and supports countries to adopt and implement standards and tools that improve point-of-care quality for SRMNCAH and healthy ageing, through strong partnerships and cross-sector collaboration.
  • Multisectoral action: WHO is deepening health sector stewardship of multisectoral action to address the social, environmental and commercial determinants of health, especially for vulnerable groups. For adolescent health and well-being in particular, countries are shifting to integrated, multi-sectoral programming involving the health, education and social sectors, aligned with the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034), with WHO and partner support.
  • Intercountry learning and exchange: WHO facilitates inter-country learning to scale innovations and reduce inequities across the life course, including in early childhood development. Examples include self-care, antenatal care (ANC) digital application kits, scaling up use of the WHO smart dIMCI course, and multisector collaboration in action for early childhood development and adolescent health.
  • Healthy ageing: WHO promotes health and well-being in older age, including through the healthy ageing framework (2021–2030) endorsed by African Health Ministers in 2021, which has led countries to develop national strategies and enact age discrimination laws.
  • Monitoring and accountability: WHO promotes robust monitoring and accountability frameworks to ensure sustained improvements, strengthening accountability through efficient monitoring, tracking and reporting of progress.
  • Regional goods: Multiple regional goods and guidance documents have been co-developed with Member States and partners to advance health and well-being for all.

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