Reproductive health indispensable for sustainable development equation

Reproductive health is an indispensable part of the sustainable development equation, and more actions should be taken to improve reproductive health services, said UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon here on Wednesday. In a message to the World Population Day which falls annually on July 11, Ban also warned that more than 200 million women and adolescent girls have no access to contraceptives. "Only one in three rural women in developing countries receives adequate care during pregnancy. Teenage pregnancies are still commonplace in most parts of the world, often driven by poverty and a lack of education," Ban said. The theme of this year's World Population Day is "Universal access to reproductive health services." "With more than 7 billion people now inhabiting the planet, we face ever greater demands on shared resources and significant challenges to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals," the UN chief said. "Multiple crises -- food, fuel and financial -- have caused significant suffering and served as a wake-up call about the need to pay far more attention to the building blocks of sustainable development." "Reproductive health and rights are integral to sustainable development and poverty reduction. Investing in universal access to reproductive health is a crucial investment in healthy societies and a more sustainable future," Ban noted, calling for immediate, concerted action by UN member states to bridge the gap between demand and supply for reproductive healthcare.