Is the Asia Pacific Honoring SDG Commitments?
In Asia and the Pacific, the progress towards the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights remains slow and uneven, and is further complicated by the polycrisis of today; worsening climate change, political instability, war, food insecurity, and increasing religious fundamentalism, among others.
Whilst some data is available at the national level to measure progress made towards the targets and indicators of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), these statistics do not accurately reflect the lived experiences of women, girls, and marginalised communities within countries in the region.
So what does this policy brief include on Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5?
In this brief, we bring together regional data and community-based research to provide a comprehensive situational analysis of whether or not countries in the region are on track to meet their targets for SDG 3 and SDG 5, where the glaring gaps are, and who remains left behind. Working with 10 national partners in the Asia-Pacific region, we highlight some of the wins for the region, such as the reduction in maternal mortality and increasing attention to sexuality education. However, countries in the region remain far behind in achieving gender equality and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and harmful practices such as forced marriages and female genital mutilation are still prevalent.
For the marginalised, including older women, individuals with disabilities, rural, indigenous, or geographically isolated communities, migrants, and those bearing the brunt of climate change, the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights remains far from reach.
The call to action to accelerate our progress towards achieving the SDGs
Collectively, ARROW and her partners call for the strengthening and implementation of legal frameworks with robust monitoring mechanisms, increased financing for health including for sexual and reproductive health, and improved data collection and transparency, to ensure that progress is universal and equitable, and that no one is left behind.
