Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) – including voluntary family planning and maternal health – for all women and young people is a human right and critical to saving lives, advancing development and promoting gender equality. It is at the core of sustainable development. The Lao Government has integrated this in national frameworks and for SDG Indicator 5.6.2 which seeks to measure the extent to which countries have national laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education, Lao PDR scores 96 out of 100.
UNFPA’s Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) program assists the government to improve quality and use of integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health services, particularly among the most vulnerable groups, including ethnic groups and young people. We support the full implementation of the National Family Planning Action Plan and the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Strategy to address disparities in accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health and family planning. We support the country to build an effective midwifery programme towards safe motherhood and childbirth. Our interventions are heavy on prevention and where returns on investment are highest for cost effectiveness.
