UNFPA's State of World Population Report 2024, Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights, highlights the role racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination continue to play in blocking broad gains in sexual and reproductive health for women and girls. The data are damning. Women and girls who are poor, belong to ethnic, racial and indigenous minority group...

In the past 20 years, progress has been made towards universal sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region. However, millions still lack universal access to comprehensive SRHR in the ESA region, which includes 23 diverse countries with over 670 million people, of whom nearly one-third are between 10 to 24 years of age.

On World Health Day, we celebrate the successes achieved since the adoption of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action in Cairo, which placed sexual and reproductive health and rights at the heart of development. Since Cairo, more women enjoy the right to health and are able to exert agency over their own bodies and fertility. More women have access to modern contra...