Reproductive health and development

COWAD works to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights remain at the very
centre of development. The International Conference on Population and Development
draws a clear connection between reproductive health, human rights and sustainable
development. When sexual and reproductive health needs are not met, individuals are
deprived of the right to make crucial choices about their own bodies and futures, with a
cascading impact on their families’ welfare and future generations. And because women
bear children, and also often bear the responsibility for nurturing them, sexual and
reproductive health and rights issues cannot be separated from gender equality.
Cumulatively, the denial of these rights exacerbates poverty and gender inequality.