The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has unveiled its latest biennial scorecard tracking sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across its 16 member states.
The latest assessment, drawing from demographic health surveys, showcases significant advancements while underscoring critical areas requiring urgent attention.
The scorecard provides a snapshot of progress towards implementing the SADC SRHR Strategy and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health and gender equality.
“The SADC scorecard and mid-term review of the SADC SRHR strategy reinforces that Member States need to reform restrictive national laws, enforce gender-based violence and child marriage legislation, and fully integrate SRHR into climate adaptation plans to build truly resilient, rights-based health systems,” SADC Executive Secetary Elias Magosi said.
Since its inception in 2019, the scorecard has served as a social accountability tool, utilising a “traffic light” system to measure 20 key indicators.
Improvements noted in the report include that 12 member states have successfully reduced adolescent births, largely attributed to the rollout of life-skills HIV and comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
It also showed that while new HIV infections have declined, the pace of this reduction among adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 has slowed in seven countries, partly due to rising sexually transmitted infections and lower condom usage.
Six countries have achieved significant reductions in maternal mortality rates, thanks to prioritising health improvements.
Twelve member states are on course to meet the SDG target on vertical transmission by 2030, with five having already reached the goal by 2025. However, challenges remain in ensuring adequate HIV services for children and young women.
Despite these positive developments, the scorecard identifies several critical areas needing more concerted efforts.
Eight member states fail to meet women’s contraceptive needs, which could otherwise reduce teen pregnancies and maternal deaths.
High rates of sexual and intimate partner violence persist across the region, necessitating stronger implementation of laws and integration of SRHR, HIV, and gender-based violence services.
No member state has met the ‘Abuja Declaration’ target of allocating 15 percent of their national budgets to health, with only four countries surpassing 10 percent.
Increased domestic funding is essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage and reducing out-of-pocket expenses for citizens.
South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi emphasised the scorecard’s call for urgent action.
“With only five years until 2030, we must accelerate our efforts and support our commitments with measurable actions,” he stated.
Magosi highlighted the need for political will to address the challenges outlined by the scorecard and to ensure that legislative frameworks support real progress.
JN/APA