RES/18/2 Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights

GE.11-16596

Human Rights Council Eighteenth session

Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*

18/2 Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling its resolutions 11/8 of 17 June 2009 and 15/17 of 30 September 2010 on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights,

Reaffirming the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its review conferences, including the outcome document of the 15-year review of the Programme of Action contained in Commission on Population and Development resolution 2009/1 of 3 April 2009, Commission on the Status of Women resolution 54/5 of 12 March 2010, and the targets and commitments regarding the reduction of maternal mortality and universal access to reproductive health, including those contained in the 2000 Millennium Declaration1 and the 2005 World Summit Outcome,2

Welcoming recent regional and international initiatives relevant to preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights, including the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, and the related establishment of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health, and noting that the report of the Commission, “Keeping promises, measuring results”, contains recommendations relevant to eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity using a human rights-based approach,

* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of

the Council on its eighteenth session (A/HRC/18/2), chap. I. 1 General Assembly resolution 55/2. 2 General Assembly resolution 60/1.

Welcoming also the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty- fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals”, and reaffirming in particular the deep concern expressed therein by the Assembly at the alarming global levels of maternal and child mortality and its grave concern at the slow progress being made on reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal and reproductive health, as well as the commitments to accelerate progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, on improving maternal health, and Goal 8, on a global partnership for development,

1. Takes note with interest of the analytical compilation of good or effective practices that exemplify a human rights-based approach to eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,A/HRC/18/27. and takes note also of the contribution of the said compilation, together with the thematic study on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner,A/HRC/14/39. towards a human rights-based approach to reducing preventable maternal mortality and morbidity;

2. Recognizes that, as illustrated by the above-mentioned thematic study and analytic compilation, a human rights-based approach to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and morbidity is an approach underpinned by the principles of, inter alia, accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment, sustainability, non- discrimination and international cooperation;

3. Encourages States and other relevant stakeholders, including national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, to take action at all levels to address the interlinked root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, such as poverty, malnutrition, harmful practices, lack of accessible and appropriate health-care services, information and education, and gender inequality, and to pay particular attention to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls;

4. Reaffirms that the Human Rights Council should promote the effective coordination and mainstreaming of human rights within the United Nations system;

5. Requests the Office of High Commissioner to convene, within existing resources, in cooperation with other relevant entities of the United Nations system, an expert workshop, open also to the participation of Governments, regional organizations, relevant United Nations bodies and civil society organizations, to prepare concise technical guidance on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce preventable maternal mortality and morbidity;

6. Also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to present the technical guidance to the Human Rights Council;

7. Decides to continue considering the issue at its twenty-first session under the same agenda item.

34th meeting

28 September 2011

[Adopted without a vote.]