A/HRC/18/27 of ensuring that adolescent girls and women are not forced to resort to unsafe abortion.34 Ensuring contraception and access to safe abortion and post-abortion care will reduce the need for women to seek unsafe abortions. In particular, access to contraceptive goods and services, and comprehensive, evidence-based information about them, are essential to avoid unwanted pregnancies but do not preclude the need for the provision of safe abortion services. Annually, it is estimated that 33 million unintended pregnancies occur owing to failures in contraceptive methods. Women who experience contraceptive failures, for example, need access to safe services. According to WHO, the numbers of unsafe abortions are likely to continue to increase unless women’s access to safe abortion and contraception are put in place and strengthened.35 Regardless of the legality of abortion, humane postabortion services must be provided, including guidance on contraceptive methods to avoid unwanted pregnancies. 30. A human rights-based approach implies that States must take steps to eliminate such barriers to the provision of abortion services and that lead women to resort to unsafe abortions, including eliminating unacceptable delays in providing medical attention; the existence of laws that require health personnel to report women who undergo abortion; and requirements for third-party consent for a woman to obtain abortion, even when her life is in danger. They must organize health services so that the exercise of conscientious objection by health professionals does not prevent women from obtaining access to health services. E. Improved monitoring and evaluation 31. Accountability is at the core of the enjoyment of all human rights, and has two main components: (a) addressing past grievances; and (b) correcting systematic failure to prevent future violations. Accountability determines what is working (so it can be repeated) and what is not (so it can be adjusted).36 The absence of human rights-based accountability mechanisms for maternal deaths and disability caused by health system failures, socioeconomic disparities and discriminatory social practices is a major impediment to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity. 32. When States implement a national public health strategy and plan of action, they should also develop appropriate indicators to monitor progress made, and to highlight where policy adjustments may be needed.37 Monitoring helps States to understand the problems and shortcomings encountered in realizing rights, providing them with the framework within which more appropriate policies can be devised.38 States should establish accessible, effective, independent and transparent accountability mechanisms at the national level, operating in public and private sectors, constantly improving existing programmes and policies to ensure redress and reparations when pregnancy-related violations occur. 33. The Special Rapporteur on the right to health has strongly recommended that all States introduce, as a matter of urgency, a comprehensive, effective registration system and a system of maternal death audits in order to determine why deaths occurred. Such maternal 34 Including by ensuring family planning, pre-and post-natal care, skilled delivery and emergency obstetric care. See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 14, para. 14; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 24, para. 27; and Maputo Protocol, art. 14, para. 2. See also A/HRC/14/39, para. 25. 35 WHO, “Unsafe abortion” (see footnote 28), p. 1. 36 A/HRC/4/28, para. 46. 37 Ibid., para. 28 (e). 38 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 1, para. 8. 10