The APF, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has recently begun a new program that will support national human rights institutions in the region to incorporate reproductive rights into their work.

The program, which has the backing of all APF member institutions, will focus on practical steps that NHRIs can take to promote and protect reproductive rights, which includes:

• the right to decide the number, timing and spacing of children
• the right to voluntarily marry and establish a family
• the right to the highest attainable standard of health
• freedom from sexual violence and coercion.

The importance of reproductive rights in meeting international development goals has been widely recognised. However, reproductive rights are valuable ends in themselves and essential to the enjoyment of other fundamental rights.

Special emphasis has been placed on the reproductive rights of women and adolescent girls, and to the importance of sex education and reproductive health programmes.

The APF-UNFPA project will collect and publish case studies from around the region that demonstrate good practice approaches of NHRIs to promoting reproductive rights and women's rights, as well as receiving and resolving complaints.

A detailed questionnaire has been distributed to all APF member institutions to begin the process of mapping current NHRI activities to promote and protect reproductive rights and to identify possible needs, gaps and challenges.

APF member institutions are requested to return the completed questionnaire to the APF Secretariat by 15 August 2010, via email (pipdargan@asiapacificforum.net) or fax (+61 2 9284 9825).

Follow up discussions with all APF member institutions will be conducted in August and September.

In addition to the case study publication, a draft strategy will be developed containing selected interventions for follow up action by the APF and UNFPA country offices.

The APF and UNFPA have engaged Dr Anne Gallagher, an adviser to the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, to coordinate the project.

Dr Gallagher was part of the National Institutions team within the OHCHR for many years and has also worked closely with the APF in its efforts to integrate people trafficking into the work of national human rights institutions.

Date: 18 July 2010

Find out more

• Application of Human Rights to Reproductive and Sexual Health, UNFPA and OHCHR