Background

  Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are usually understood as the rights of all people, regardless of their nationality, age, sex, gender, health or HIV status, to make informed and free choices with regard to their own sexuality and reproductive well-being, on condition these decisions do not infringe on the rights of others. This includes the right to access education and information, services and healthcare. As a result of the state of SRHR in Africa, various governments,  as well as regional groups such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), responded to the call to act with the development of policy on SRHR, not least of which was the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health and the Maputo Plan of Action in January 2006. The Maputo Plan of Action for the Operationalisation of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Continental Policy Framework, commonly known as the Maputo Plan or Maputo Plan, plans to achieve universal SRHR in Africa by 2015. In order to achieve this goal the Maputo Plan developed the Progress Assessment Tool (PAT) which is a questionnaire completed annually by all AU members and submitted to the AU by year end. Although the PAT is a means to improve SRHR, no assessment of its applicability, impact, usefulness and accessibility has been finalized to date.  

The Project

  AAI ran a project that contributed research on the data compiled through the PAT, as well as on the nature of the national-level process of gathering the information and submitting the reports to the AU. This research provided the evidence-base for advocacy efforts to improve the reporting process, as well as support to and capacity building among stakeholders to ensure their full involvement in increasingly effective efforts to realize the SRHR targets in the region in time for the 2015 deadline. AAI hosts the largest SRHR database for Africa as a direct result off this project: http://mpoa.aidsaccountability.org/ Download the AAI MPOA Project Brief  

Linkages

  PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORK CORRESPONDS AND OVERLAPS WITH THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS: Integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights into the Post 2015 Development Agenda African Health Policy Review ICPD and Beyond 2015 ARCPD Reflections Monitoring the Maputo Plan of Action: A Strengthening of SRHR in Africa The African Youth Task Force on Post 2015  

PROJECT CONTACT

  Phillipa Tucker, Research and Communcations Director, AAI: phillipa [at ]aidsaccountability.org   This project was made possible by the generous support of