Sexual and Reproductive Health
Every year around 350,000 women die as a consequence of pregnancy and birth—and of this, 99 per cent occur in developing countries although most deaths could be prevented (read more >). DSW implements development projects and does advocacy work in order to increase access to health care services. Attention needs to be raised to assure a healthy young population and safe motherhood. Therefore, sexual and reproductive health and rights need to be a subject that is advanced to the top of the political agenda.
Our basic concept refers back to the Cairo Programme of Action of 1994. Ever since, sexual and reproductive health has become a major concern around the world. Starting in 2000, eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were signed by 189 member states of the United Nations (UN). MDG 5 aims to combat maternal deaths by decreasing its number by three-quarters and assuring universal access to reproductive health. Today, this remains the MDG with the least progress.
DSW Berlin: Putting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights on the Political Agenda
- Bild: twicepix, CC-Lizenz BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo (1994) is an important basis of DSW's work. Our work is based on the principles adopted in Cairo under the headline Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Accordingly, we are not only committed to promoting universal access to appropriate health services. SRHR also means that people have a right to a safe sex life and equal rights relationships.
For many years, DSW has held regular discussions with the German development ministry (BMZ) to ensure substantial political and financial support for SRHR. As a member of the SRHR working group of the Federal Government we participate in strategic meetings and consult the government. Through the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development we cooperate closely with numerous members of the German Bundestag and organize expert meetings.
We are committed to ensuring that SRHR is placed on top of the national and international political agenda. This is why we keep raising the topic at high-level political meetings such as the G8 summits or UN conferences. Furthermore, we are very active in networks together with other national and international non-governmental organizations: in Germany, we contribute under the umbrella of the Association of German Development Non-Governmental Organisations (VENRO) and are active at European level in the campaign networks Countdown 2015 and EuroNGOs. We are organisers of numerous sector-specific events in the field of SRHR, including, for example, the International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development, an expert conference hosted by DSW together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), KfW Development Bank, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.
In close consultation with our East African country offices and based on the experiences from our own development projects we always keep track of local needs.
