Programme Areas

We have four priority programme areas. All our actions are strategically focused on specific aspects of SRHR, which we believe are priorities for WGNRR, its network members and allies. 

Sexual Rights for all people

WGNRR advocates for the recognition of sexual rights as human rights and for its inclusion in the post-2015 development framework. WGNRR works to achieve safe and pleasurable sex for everyone, with a particular focus on marginalised communities such as women living with disabilities, young people, women living with HIV, sex workers and people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, among others.

In its advocacy work, WGNRR highlights State obligations to uphold sexual rights. WGNRR monitors violations of sexual rights all over the world and, with partners and allies, mobilises international support in defense of sexual rights. WGNRR raises awareness and capacitates members to better understand and respond to such violations.

Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Young People

WGNRR advocates for the recognition of young peoples’ sexual and reproductive rights as human rights, addressing the cultural, social, economic and political barriers that young people face in accessing their SRHR, improving availability of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education, and the meaningful leadership and engagement of young people in driving their own futures.

WGNRR ensures full integration of a youth perspective and youth-specific issues into all its activities. In order to achieve the above objectives, WGNRR works to strengthen and support existing youth leadership and activism in SRHR, specifically looking at developing young women’s leadership within its membership, and pushing for the creation of meaningful spaces and focus on young people’s SRHR. 

Access to Contraceptives

Approximately 222 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for modern contraception. Contraceptives are important in preventing unwanted pregnancy, preventing the spread of STIs and HIV, and in allowing for safe, enjoyable sex for everyone. But while there has been recognition of the need to provide contraceptives, universal access- where women are able to choose and easily access the contraceptive methods that meet their own needs- remains a challenge.

 WGNRR advocates for the availability of a full range of voluntary, rights-based, and particularly women-centric contraceptives and services as a human right. WGNRR continues to participate in the review process for ICPD +20, facilitating inputs from grassroots member organisations. We work with allies and working groups to ensure rights-based language is central to the new development framework, including environmental agendas. We will continue to emphatically advocate against forced sterilization and population control strategies. 

Access to Safe and Legal Abortion

WGNRR strongly advocates for access to safe abortion alongside access to contraceptives. Whilst access to contraceptives may reduce the need for abortion, women will face unplanned pregnancies due to contraceptive failure, sexual violence and unplanned or unwanted sexual experiences. Access to safe abortion must be part of universal sexual and reproductive health services and recognised as human right. 

Access to safe and legal abortion accompanied by accurate information and affordable, quality and friendly services, enable women and young people to have full control over their bodies and their fertility. WGNRR believes that any effort to curb maternal mortality and morbidity will be fruitless without addressing the issue of abortion. Together with members and allies, WGNRR defends existing legislation and its implementation, opposes restrictive laws and policies, challenges social stigma and discrimination, and advocates for the decriminalisation of abortion worldwide. WGNRR also develops the capacity of grassroots organisations for safe abortion advocacy.

The Next Three Years: 2013-2016

WGNRR will be networking, mobilising and campaigning with our members and allies, nationally, regionally and globally on these key programme areas. We will support capacity development through knowledge sharing and skills development, and place an emphasis on supporting and enhancing rights based policy analysis and advocacy at national level.

Together we will strive for to support change at the global and local levels, utilizing Human Rights Frameworks, and international agreements such as ICPD PoA, MDGs, and Beijing Platform for Action and strongly articulate the demand that SRHR must be central to any new development agendas. We will promote sexual and reproductive rights as human rights and support the use of HR monitoring and reporting mechanisms to highlight SRHR violations and to hold governments and policy makers accountable to their HR obligations.

We seek to make alliances with those working in the field and use our position as a global network to begin a dialogue within the SRHR movement to identify the issues, the challenges and develop a position for WGNRR using our reproductive justice lens. We also seek to enhance our relationships with organisations working with disabled women, develop a deeper understanding of the SRHR issues they face and adapt of advocacy tools and strategies to promote and defend their human rights. We will also start developing a common strategy and position on SRHR and WLHIV, and jointly promote the needs for alignment within women’s SRHR movement.