Call for action from the second Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health

The 2^nd Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health held in Bangkok from October 6-10, 2003 and attended by 1500 delegates from the region stressed the importance of sexual and reproductive health and gender equality for overall socio-economic development and emphasized the following challenges:

• Changing economic policies and health-sector reforms are reducing quality of care of services and access to health care for the poorest sectors of our countries
• Cross-border migration and increasing mobility exposes vulnerable populations to reproductive and sexual-health risks
• Gender inequity is increasing women's risk of infections and violence, both within homes and in public places
• Reproductive and sexual rights and choices are being restricted and violated by conservative forces
• Maternal mortality and morbidity, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions remain very high
• HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly and threatening the very existence of our society
• Reproductive and sexual-health services remain inaccessible for youth because of restrictive cultural values and policies.

UN agencies, governments, NGOs and donors must urgently commit and take action to improve reproductive and sexual health and rights of women and men in the region.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258