New Toolkit to Strengthen Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Humanitarian Settings – Center for Reproductive Rights

 

Report on the Toolkit for Rights-Based Accountability in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Introduction and Project Overview

In June, the Center for Reproductive Rights’ Asia Program launched the “Toolkit on Rights Based Accountability and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.” This resource provides a structured framework for delivering essential SRHR services during and after humanitarian emergencies. The toolkit was developed within the context of the “Rights Based Accountability Participation Project in Nepal,” a collaborative initiative involving the Center for Reproductive Rights, CARE Nepal, the Forum for Women, Law, and Development Nepal, and NEEDs Nepal. While designed for the specific disaster-prone environment of Nepal, its framework is intended for regional and global application to bridge critical gaps in reproductive health access during crises.

Strategic Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The toolkit is fundamentally aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing directly to the achievement of several interconnected SDGs. Its implementation is a practical measure to ensure that progress towards these global goals is maintained even in crisis contexts.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The initiative directly addresses Target 3.7, which calls for universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. By providing guidelines for SRHR service delivery in emergencies, the toolkit strengthens the resilience of health systems and advances Target 3.d, enhancing country capacity for risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

Ensuring uninterrupted access to SRHR services for women, girls, and other vulnerable groups is a cornerstone of gender equality. The toolkit supports Target 5.6 (ensure universal access to SRHR) and promotes the empowerment of women and girls by safeguarding their health and autonomy during periods of heightened vulnerability, thereby contributing to the broader goal of ending all forms of discrimination.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The toolkit’s emphasis on a rights-based framework promotes non-discrimination and equity. This directly supports Target 10.2 by empowering and promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of their circumstances, and ensuring that marginalized populations affected by disasters receive equitable access to essential health services.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities & SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Developed for a disaster-vulnerable country, the toolkit contributes to Target 11.5 by reducing the health-related impacts of disasters and building community resilience. Furthermore, its focus on accountability, rights-based standards, and community engagement helps build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions (Target 16.6), ensuring that humanitarian responses are just and uphold international human rights law.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The project itself exemplifies Target 17.17, which encourages effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships. The collaboration between international and local organizations in Nepal is critical to leveraging expertise and resources for the successful implementation of the SDGs.

Core Components of the Toolkit

The resource is structured around five key components designed to create a comprehensive and rights-based response system:

• Assessment Tools: Provides guidelines to evaluate existing SRHR service landscapes and identify preparedness gaps, contributing to evidence-based planning in line with SDG 3 and SDG 11.
• Service Delivery Guidelines: Outlines best practices for establishing and maintaining SRHR services in emergency settings, ensuring the continuity of care required to meet SDG 3.
• Rights-Based Framework: Offers a blueprint to ensure that all SRHR services adhere to international human rights standards, promoting the principles of equity and non-discrimination central to SDG 5 and SDG 10.
• Community Engagement Strategies: Details approaches for involving local communities in the planning and implementation of SRHR services, fostering the inclusive institutions promoted by SDG 16.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms: Includes tools to track the effectiveness of SRHR services and facilitate continuous improvement, reinforcing the accountability essential for achieving SDG 16.

Phased Implementation Framework

The toolkit is designed for application across all phases of a disaster management cycle to ensure a holistic approach to SRHR resilience:

1. Pre-Disaster: Focuses on planning, risk assessments, and establishing SRHR frameworks to build preparedness and resilience, directly supporting the objectives of SDG 11.
2. During Disaster: Guides the immediate humanitarian response to establish and deliver critical SRHR services, safeguarding health and rights in line with SDG 3 and SDG 5.
3. Post-Disaster: Supports recovery and rebuilding efforts, ensuring that SRHR services are sustainably integrated and improved within the health system for long-term resilience.

Projected Outcomes and Contribution to Global Goals

The systematic application of the toolkit is projected to yield significant outcomes that reinforce the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals:

• Enhanced Accessibility: By ensuring the continuous availability of SRHR services, the toolkit directly advances progress towards universal health coverage as outlined in SDG 3.
• Promoted Equity: The alignment of services with human rights principles helps prevent discrimination and ensures equitable delivery, a foundational element of SDG 5 and SDG 10.
• Improved Effectiveness: By addressing systemic gaps in emergency SRHR provision, the toolkit strengthens the overall effectiveness and accountability of health and humanitarian systems, contributing to the institutional goals of SDG 16.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.
  
  Explanation: The article’s central focus is a toolkit designed to provide a “structured approach to delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services” and “bridge gaps in reproductive health access during crises.”
• Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit is explicitly designed for disaster contexts, providing “practical guidelines and strategies” for “disaster preparedness and response.” It is intended for use “pre-disaster for planning and preparedness, including risk assessments.”

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit’s primary goal is to support the effective response “to the SRHR needs of women, girls, and other vulnerable groups during emergencies,” directly aligning with ensuring access to reproductive health and rights.
• Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit provides a “Rights-Based Framework” to ensure services “adhere to international human rights standards, promoting non-discrimination and equity,” which serves as a foundation for strengthening policies that protect women and girls.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected… caused by disasters… with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
  
  Explanation: The article highlights that the toolkit was developed for Nepal, a country “highly vulnerable to natural disasters,” and aims to protect vulnerable groups like women and girls by ensuring continuous access to essential health services during these events.
• Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… disaster risk reduction.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit is a resource for “planning and preparedness, including risk assessments and setting up SRHR frameworks” before disasters, contributing directly to integrated disaster risk reduction plans.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit is part of the “Rights Based Accountability Participation Project in Nepal” and includes “Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms” to track effectiveness, promoting accountability among humanitarian actors and health systems.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
  
  Explanation: A key component of the toolkit is “Community Engagement Strategies,” which outlines “approaches for involving local communities in the planning and implementation of SRHR services.”
• Target 16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
  
  Explanation: The toolkit includes a “Rights-Based Framework” with the specific goal of ensuring that SRHR services “adhere to international human rights standards, promoting non-discrimination and equity.”

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.
  
  Explanation: The article explicitly states the project is a partnership between the “Center for Reproductive Rights,” “CARE Nepal,” the “Forum for Women, Law, and Development Nepal,” and “NEEDs Nepal,” showcasing a multi-stakeholder civil society partnership.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

For SDG 3 (Targets 3.7 & 3.d)

• Implied Indicator: Availability and accessibility of SRHR services during emergencies. The article states a key outcome is to “Enhance Accessibility: Ensure continuous availability of SRHR services despite disruptions caused by disasters.”
• Mentioned Indicator: Implementation of disaster preparedness and response plans. The toolkit itself, with its “Assessment Tools” and “Service Delivery Guidelines,” serves as a mechanism to measure capacity for health emergency preparedness.

For SDG 5 (Targets 5.6 & 5.c)

• Implied Indicator: Proportion of women and girls with access to SRHR services in humanitarian settings. The toolkit’s focus is on addressing the “SRHR needs of women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.”
• Mentioned Indicator: Existence of frameworks to promote non-discrimination. The “Rights-Based Framework” is a tangible tool whose adoption can be tracked as an indicator of policy strengthening.

For SDG 11 (Targets 11.5 & 11.b)

• Mentioned Indicator: Adoption of local disaster risk reduction strategies that are gender-responsive and health-inclusive. The article describes the toolkit as a resource for “planning and preparedness” and setting up “SRHR frameworks” pre-disaster.

For SDG 16 (Targets 16.6, 16.7 & 16.b)

• Mentioned Indicator: Use of accountability and monitoring mechanisms. The toolkit explicitly includes “Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms” to track implementation and effectiveness.
• Mentioned Indicator: Level of community participation in planning. The toolkit’s “Community Engagement Strategies” provide a direct way to measure the inclusion of local communities in decision-making.

For SDG 17 (Target 17.17)

• Mentioned Indicator: The existence and outcomes of multi-stakeholder partnerships. The article names the specific organizations involved in the “Rights Based Accountability Participation Project in Nepal” and identifies the toolkit as a key outcome of this collaboration.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators’ to present the findings from analyzing the article.

SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Mentioned or Implied in the Article)
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services.	Continuous availability and accessibility of SRHR services, especially during crises.
	3.d: Strengthen capacity for early warning, risk reduction and management of health risks.	Implementation of disaster preparedness plans using the toolkit’s “Assessment Tools” and “Service Delivery Guidelines.”
SDG 5: Gender Equality	5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.	Effective delivery of SRHR services to “women, girls, and other vulnerable groups” in emergencies.
	5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies for gender equality.	Adoption of the toolkit’s “Rights-Based Framework” into local and national plans.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	11.5: Reduce the number of people affected by disasters, focusing on vulnerable populations.	Protection of women and girls in disaster-prone areas through sustained SRHR services.
	11.b: Increase implementation of integrated policies for disaster risk reduction.	Integration of the toolkit’s SRHR frameworks into local disaster risk reduction strategies.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions.	Use of the toolkit’s “Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms” to ensure accountability.
	16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory decision-making.	Implementation of “Community Engagement Strategies” to involve local communities.
	16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies.	Application of the “Rights-Based Framework” to promote non-discrimination and equity in service delivery.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.17: Encourage and promote effective civil society partnerships.	The existence of the “Rights Based Accountability Participation Project in Nepal” as a multi-stakeholder partnership with tangible outcomes (the toolkit).

Source: reproductiverights.org