A monitoring framework across the life-course including gender, equity, right approach

Overview

Over the past decade, Member States of the WHO South-East (SE) Asia Region have sustained remarkable achievements with regard to improving reproductive health of women and ensuring maternal, newborn and child survival. Yet, the pace of progress has been inconsistent within and between countries. Inequities in coverage of services and quality of care have contributed to disparities in access to services and health outcomes between socioeconomic groups and geographical locations (e.g. districts, states, provinces, etc.). Besides, gender also plays an influential role. Due to inequality in gender relations and prevailing societal norms, men are invariably privileged in terms of authority, access to resources and status. Such patriarchal norms seem customary in various parts of the Region, thereby increasing the gender gap manifold.

In this era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a recognition of the need to protect, promote and fulfil the health needs along the lifespan of an individual, from the time of birth through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and beyond. To this end, health system strengthening must streamline gender, equity and rights perspective in its delivery, including to promote good sexual and reproductive health across the lifecourse. Importantly, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, through their commitment to “leaving no one behind”, emphasize the importance of identifying and remedying inequities in access to health services and health outcomes along key dimensions, from local and regional to global levels.