Women Equality and their Sexual and Reproductive Rights:
On March 21, 2014, liberal and conservative countries approved a U.N. document to promote equality for women. The 24-page document, approved by consensus by the 45-member Commissions on the Status of Women, reaffirmed the sexual and reproductive rights of women and endorsed sex education for adolescents. It specifically called for “universally accessible and available quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services, information, and education.” These are essential goals for sustained economic development, for controlling the world’s population, and for reducing hunger and poverty. However, the document also expressed great concern about the slow and uneven progress towards the UN goal of gender equality, empowerment, and human rights for women.