Today, more than two billion people live in countries affected by conflict, violence and fragility. This session will highlight major humanitarian trends including rising displacement to galvanize action to fulfill the promise of Cairo to uphold the rights for universal sexual and reproductive health and ending GBV everywhere including in humanitarian and fragile settings.

Today, an estimated 830 women die every single day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and many more experience acute or chronic morbidity. With the Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to reducing global maternal mortality to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births. The task of saving women's lives and protecting their health requires strong capacity in the health system to address the full range of direct causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. This session will focus on evidence-based strategies for accelerating progress by improving quality, coverage and equity in maternity care through an effective, well-functioning primary health care system, including safe abortion. It will also discuss the need for increased attention to preventing and treating maternal morbidities, and how to ensure that maternity care respects women’s rights and is free of violence and discrimination.

We are 10 years away from delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet the world’s progress has thus far been insufficient to meet the targets on reducing maternal deaths, ending violence against women and girls, and providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. This session will highlight the urgency and the price tag associated with each target. The latter will come from a major collaborative analysis between academic and multilateral partners indicating the dollar amount needed to reach these goals.

Health care is a matter of equity, quality, accountability and justice. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are an important part of the health and well-being of people, and thus integral to universal health coverage (UHC). Marginalized groups, including minority ethnic groups, young people, unmarried people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, people with disabilities, and the rural and urban poor continue to face barriers in accessing quality care. UHC provides a renewed opportunity to uphold their rights. Highlighting new scientific evidence, this signature session will cover how far the world has come towards providing an integrated and essential package of sexual and reproductive health interventions, the remaining challenges and obstacles, and how to overcome these.

Sustainable development cannot be achieved without ensuring safe and sustainable cities. There are many powerful urban leaders and actors raising the bar for smart cities, women-friendly cities, youth-friendly cities and environmentally friendly cities. Today’s urban areas are engines for experimentation, transformation and development. This session will bring together mayors, city activists, local leaders and thought leaders from around the world to discuss the power and potential of urban action.

This youth-led signature session will focus on the more than 1.8 billion young people in the world today between the ages of 10 and 24. How the sexual and reproductive health needs and aspirations of adolescents and youth are met defines young people today and will define our common future. This signature session will discuss the challenges and opportunities of young people from around the world in realizing the ICPD agenda. It will focus on the barriers adolescents and youth face in realizing their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The session puts the young people in the driver's seat and provides a platform for young adolescents and youth to share their ideas for solutions based on their expertise and experience, and share how they are holding governments accountable to their promises.