Sexual and reproductive health and rights

Promoting the well-being of the most vulnerable members of society: mothers, children and adolescents

Progress has been slow in maternal, child and adolescent health. In 2017, some 308,000 women in low- and lower-middle-income countries died during pregnancy and childbirth. In 2015, over 5.9 million children did not reach their fifth birthday. Most of these deaths were preventable. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation is getting worse. Projections suggest that even a moderate decrease in the provision of pregnancy, childbirth and neonatal care could result in 28,000 additional maternal deaths and 168,000 newborn deaths. More than 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries could lose access to contraceptives, resulting in up to 7 million unintended pregnancies. 

To address these and related challenges, German development cooperation supports a many-faceted response, starting with universal access to information about sexual and reproductive health and to reliable methods of contraception. Health staff are trained and equipped to provide rights-based family planning, pre- and postnatal care and assisted deliveries, as well as treatment of sexually transmitted infections – including prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Young people are targeted with tailor-made programmes promoting healthy lifestyles through school health programmes, special youth clinics and GIZ’s ‘Join-in Circuit’. You can discover these German-supported approaches in the articles, studies and events on this page.