Legal Commitments for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights for All

Through SDG indicator 5.6.2 (Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education), UNFPA has compiled the first comprehensive global data set on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, covering 73 per cent of the world’s countries.
 
This report provides the most recent data on SDG indicator 5.6.2, outlines the methodology by which these data are collected and discusses the key findings from the data across four broad areas: maternal health; family planning and contraception; comprehensive sexuality education; and sexual health and well-being.

The report aims to ensure that data can be drawn on at the national, regional and global levels to inform policymaking for strengthening and implementing laws that guarantee full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for men and women.

The new data highlight a major opportunity for action to support gender equality, through working with Member States to strengthen enabling laws and their implementation and remove legal barriers, to ensure that women and adolescents in particular can make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Strengthening enabling laws and removing legal barriers would ensure that Member States meet their international human rights obligations to respect the rights to bodily autonomy and help us to accelerate our efforts to achieve the SDGs in today’s world.