Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

The working group on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (S&RHR) is an initiative of several member institutions of Be-cause Health which are specifically concerned in the implementation of the policy note "The Belgian Development Cooperation on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights" of March 2007. In May 2009, the working group has been constituted of representatives from DGDC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine, the Belgian Development Agency, the International Centre for Reproductive Health from Ghent University, the Ecole de Sante Publique from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and Sensoa.

The working group aims to contribute to a better sexual and reproductive health in all countries where Belgian development actors  or those supported by Belgium intervene. As specific objective, it wants to facilitate the implementation of the policy note S&RHR and this in the broader framework of the general health policy note. Towards this end, the working group will develop tools on S&RHR which can be used in the different phases in the cyclus of development programmes, from the negotiations until the evaluation.

The activities of the working group will be conforming the three priorities of the Belgian Cooperation:

1. the integration of sexual and reproductive health care in general health care services,
2. the fight against sexual violence and other related malpractices,
3. the sexual and reproductive health care and rights during humanitarian crises, conflicts and peace construction.

Chairpersons - General secretariat: Thérèse Delvaux, Fabienne Richard, Vincent De Brouwere, ITM, Antwerp
Reporters: rotating