A/HRC/33/24 E. Indivisibility of human rights 57. Applying a rights-based approach is directed towards the realization of all human rights – civil, cultural, economic, political and social – recognizing that human rights are indivisible. The 2030 Agenda covers issues related to all human rights and should be seen as an indivisible agenda, which will require integration across different sectors and must resist approaches rigidly divided by sector.11 58. Reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in accordance with human rights obligations will require efforts on multiple targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. While target 3.1 is the most directly concerned with maternal mortality as a distinct issue, true progress in reducing maternal mortality requires action across the entirety of Goal 3 concerning healthy lives. Focused attention is needed to ensure a holistic and integrated approach to ensuring health systems that include universal health care, including sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive service provision, a functioning referral system and mechanisms for accountability. That approach will require actions to strengthen health systems and support health workers. Delivering on Goal 3 also requires dedicated efforts to eliminate discrimination in health care and uphold professional standards of conduct and ethics and respect for informed consent and patient privacy and confidentiality. 59. Furthermore, progress in reducing maternal mortality is integrally linked to women’s and girls’ status in society, which requires action across all of the other Sustainable Development Goals. For example, target 5.1 on the elimination of discrimination against women should include examination of laws that require women to obtain third party consent (of their husband, parent or multiple medical professionals) in order to access sexual and reproductive health services or information, as well as laws that criminalize adult consensual sex, and which criminalize sexual and reproductive health services only required by women, such as abortion or emergency contraception. Eliminating violence, including violence against women (targets 16.1 and 5.2), is fundamental to addressing patterns of maternal mortality and morbidity, as violence, including sexual violence, at home and in the community, including crisis situations, has a direct impact on women’s and girls’ ability or willingness to access health services. Eliminating child and forced marriage (target 5.3) is critical, as that is a major contributor to girls and adolescents becoming pregnant before they are physically or mentally mature enough and associated mortalities and morbidities. Other Sustainable Development Goals cover critical social and underlying determinants of health, such as decent work, access to housing and safe water and sanitation, which are fundamental to women’s human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, and as emphasized in the technical guidance. 60. Another example is Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education. Enabling girls to remain in school rather than arranging their marriage, and ensuring that their education includes comprehensive sexuality education to enable informed decision-making about their reproduction and sexuality, are indispensable interventions to support improved enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduced maternal mortality and morbidity. 61. The preceding section has highlighted the importance of paying attention to inequalities in applying a rights-based approach to maternal mortality, which is integrally linked to the targets set under Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals on reducing 11 14 OHCHR has developed a table that links all of the Sustainable Development Goals to the relevant human rights obligations, which demonstrates the need for such a holistic approach. Available from http://ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/MDGs/Post2015/SDG_HR_Table.pdf.