Right to Health Must Be the Gateway to Universal Access to SRHR, Experts Warn
The human right to health is not a privilege but a legally binding obligation rooted in international human rights law, experts have stressed. Protecting and enforcing this right remains essential for women, girls, and gender-diverse people – yet it is increasingly under threat worldwide.
According to UN Women, nearly one in four countries experienced a backlash against women’s rights in 2024 alone, from abortion restrictions to defunding of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programmes. Advocates warn that these reversals disproportionately affect marginalised communities.
Speaking at a global dialogue on the right to health, Alison Drayton, Assistant Secretary General of CARICOM, said commitments must move beyond rhetoric. “Operationalising the right to health requires systems, partnerships, and accountability,” she said. CARICOM member states are investing in integrated primary healthcare, gender-responsive budgeting, and data systems that expose inequities.
“Health is a human right. Every woman should give birth safely, every adolescent should have access to accurate information, and every person should live a healthy life,” she added.
Dr Haileyesus Getahun, CEO of the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), explained that the right to health is enshrined in international treaties ratified by 174 countries.
Governments must:
- Respect by not interfering with citizens’ wellbeing,
- Protect by preventing harm,
- Fulfil by establishing systems for universal access.
He stressed that SRHR is an integral part of universal health coverage. “We must remind governments that they have signed and committed to these obligations,” he said, citing examples of progress in Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, and El Salvador.
Brazil’s Vice Minister of Health, Dr Ana Luiza Caldas, highlighted how community-based primary healthcare has strengthened access. The country provides free condoms in schools and health units and shapes policies based on people’s needs.
“Access to quality healthcare is a human right. When we listen, we build trust and inclusion,” she said.
But for many women and girls, rights remain distant. Aysha Amin, founder of Baithak (Challenging Taboo) in Pakistan, said climate change, patriarchy, and weak health systems deepen inequality.
“Women give birth in unsafe conditions after floods destroy facilities. Adolescent girls manage menstruation without water or privacy. This is a violation of dignity,” she said. Amin called for community leadership, stronger male engagement, and data that reflects lived realities.
Journalist and advocate Betty Herlina of Indonesia said media silence reinforces stigma. “SRHR is seen as taboo. Even distributing condoms is treated as promoting immorality. Media must report SRHR as a human rights issue, not a moral one,” she urged. Herlina was recently awarded First Prize in the SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 at ICFP in Bogotá, Colombia.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, warned that access to SRHR services is shrinking globally. “Ideology is replacing evidence. Funding must never be conditional or discriminatory. Maternal health, SRH and universal health coverage are interconnected,” she said.
She called for investment in equity and intersectionality to ensure adolescents, LGBTQ+ persons, migrants and people with disabilities are not left behind.
As countries face climate crises and rising anti-rights sentiment, experts stressed that reaffirming health as a human right is both urgent and transformative.
Ensuring no one is left behind requires listening to communities, amplifying marginalised voices, and turning commitments into action.
The right to health is not only about survival – it is about dignity, freedom, and justice.
