The United Nations Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, known as the Human Reproduction Programme or HRP, has been providing the world with research findings and guidance on sexual health and reproduction (SRH) for more than half a century.
The HRP annual report 2023 highlights the programme’s key achievements in the past year, and points to major ongoing research that will be completed in the next few years. Significant contributions by HRP to global research and guidance in 2023 include the following:
- Global infertility prevalence estimation: Publication of the first global estimates of the prevalence of infertility in more than a decade revealed that an estimated 1 in 6 people (around 17.5%) are affected by infertility at some time in their lives. Subsequent analysis of treatment standards and costs indicated that these can amount to more than a year’s earnings in many low- and lower-middle-income countries.
- A game-changing treatment package to prevent maternal mortality: Severe bleeding after childbirth, or postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), is the leading cause of maternal death, and this is preventable with appropriate and timely intervention. In response to stagnation in global progress on maternal mortality, HRP piloted a treatment package for early detection and treatment of PPH using the mnemonic acronym E-MOTIVE.
- Preventing unsafe abortions: Stopping unsafe abortions and improving access to comprehensive abortion care worldwide is a key area of our work and HRP has contributed to a new WHO clinical practice handbook for quality abortion care, including digital tools and online training resources.
- The rise of self-care: Self-care is a rapidly expanding field in all areas of health care including sexual and reproductive health. HRP is conducting new research to inform guidance on self-testing, self-administered abortion medicines and self-administered contraceptive injections. These have significant potential to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services that currently remain out of reach for millions.
- Empowering and training health workers: The role of health workers in delivering safe and effective sexual and reproductive health care care is a core concern of HRP and the Programme has continued its work to strengthen capacity and knowledge across the sector. In particular the Programme has contributed to new digital courses for health workers who care for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence; comprehensive abortion care services and maternal care, and work to prevent female genital mutilation.
If there is one message that I would like readers to take away from this annual report, it is that we must hold firm to proven solutions that make peoples’ health better and continue to identify approaches that work
These are just a few highlights of HRP’s work in 2023. The report provides further information about HRP’s new and ongoing research, along with information about how HRP works with United Nations partners, Member States, civil society organizations, health practitioners, communities and fellow researchers around the world.
“If there is one message that I would like readers to take away from this annual report, it is that we must hold firm to proven solutions that make peoples’ health better and continue to identify approaches that work” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of HRP and the World Health Organization’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health.
