Join ILGA World and other 7 organisations for a side event at the 58th UN Human Rights Councilan inter-governmental body within the United Nations which has the responsibility to promote and protect human rights. It is comprised of 47 member States, each elected to 3-year terms by the 193 member States of the United Nations. More to discuss the necessity of human rights-based approach to prevent and eliminate maternal mortality and morbidity.

Location: Room XXV, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Event language(s): English
Date: Monday, 3 March 2025
Time: in Geneva: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Central European Time (time where you are based: see here)

Why is a human rights-based approach necessary to prevent and eliminate maternal mortality and morbidity? How do we deal with structural and systemic discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. More in policy and programming?

Join this discussion that will highlight why strengthening health systems, removing barriers to accessing health care and ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights is necessary to improve women and girls’ health.

Maternal mortality and morbidity remain critical global health challenges, with an estimated 287,000 maternal deaths occurring annually, the majority of which are preventable. Last September, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution A/HRC/RES/54/16 “Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights” which urged States to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, to ensure equitable coverage and timely access to health services, and, among other things, to address the underlying determinants of health, such as genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. More, racial and caste discrimination and socioeconomic factors.

Resolution 54/16 also requests an update of the technical guidance on applying a human rights-based approach to the elimination of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, launched by the Office of the United Nationsan international organisation comprising 193 member States. It has the mission of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring economic and social development across the globe. It is a network of many different bodies and agencies, each of which has a particular role and responsibility. More High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2012, which serves as a crucial tool for advancing global efforts to improve maternal health.

Structural inequalities and inequities, such as systemic racism, casteism, gender discrimination, and socio-economic disparities, exacerbate the rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, disproportionately impacting marginalized populations. For example, women of African descent and Indigenous women in the Americas face higher risks of maternal mortality and morbidity due to discriminatory practices, limited access to quality care, and socio-economic barriers.

An intersectional approach is critical for tailoring effective responses to maternal mortality and morbidity as it acknowledges and addresses the complex interplay of multiple factors that contribute to such public health challenges. Additionally, a systems-based approach to health—emphasizing strengthened healthcare infrastructure, equitable access to quality services, cross-sector collaboration, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms—is vital and it is a precondition for ensuring that individual sectors will deliver quality goods and services to all. This approach ensures that health is treated as one piece of a larger mosaic instead of as a stand-alone right fractured away from other entitlements that determine people’s ability to live decent lives.

For example, in the United States, recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows significant disparities in maternal health for Black women. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, nearly three times the rate for white women. Also, Black women in the US are approximately three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. And the disparities persist across income and education levels as well. In California, for example, the wealthiest Black women face higher maternal mortality risks than the least wealthy white women.

Another example of the importance of having a systems approach to health is related to International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan conditionalities, particularly its structural adjustment programs (SAPs). These programs often mandate austerity measures, including reductions in public spending on healthcare and the privatization of health services, which can erode the accessibility and quality of care. A cross-national analysis found that Sub-Saharan African countries implementing SAPs experienced higher maternal mortality rates compared to those not under such programs¹.

Applying a human rights-based approach to preventing and eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity,  should necessarily then take into account the structural and systemic contexts, the state of health systems and the programming on women’s and girls’ health including sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Panelists:

• Speakers:
  • Rajat Khosla, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH)
  • Nomtika Mjwana, Frontline AIDS
  • Emeline Dupuis, Sexual Rights Initiative
• Moderator: Umyra Ahmad, Association for Women In Development (AWID)