A/HRC/45/19 5. Human rights treaty bodies, such as the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, have continued to advise States to utilize the technical guidance in their policies and programmes on sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health.4 6. In its 2018–2021 management plan, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) included, for the first time as a priority, a commitment to work to ensure that public health approaches comply with international human rights principles and standards.5 To achieve this output, OHCHR has been prioritizing partnerships with key stakeholders, including governments, civil society and other United Nations entities. 7. OHCHR has also emphasized the importance of taking a human rights-based approach to maternal health, and sexual and reproductive health, in its work during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It has engaged with authorities in several countries on ways to reduce the risk of an increased rate of maternal mortality and morbidity.6 Numerous Member States have also affirmed that ensuring sexual and reproductive health services in line with human rights obligations is necessary to prevent a rise in maternal mortality and morbidity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.7 A. National-level multi-stakeholder processes 8. Participatory multi-stakeholder processes are an important component of rightsbased approaches. These provide the occasion to engage in a situational analysis, which facilitates understanding about human rights gaps related to sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health. The findings should be the subject of deliberation in a process that is inclusive and multisectoral, and the results of such discussions, including prioritization of key actions needed to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, should influence relevant national plans and policies. 9. Countries such as Australia, Ethiopia, Latvia, Mexico, Nepal and New Zealand reported the convening of multi-stakeholder processes to consider and prioritize action on human rights related to sexual and reproductive health. For instance, Mexico noted collaborative efforts across sectors in implementing the national strategy to prevent pregnancies among adolescents and the implementation of adolescent-friendly services. Latvia reported that when developing the public health guidelines for 2014–2020 a comprehensive situational analysis had been carried out and gaps had been identified related to maternal and child health. As a result, the Mother and Child Health Improvement Plan 2018–2020 had been developed in cooperation with health professionals and patient representatives. 10. In Uganda, the Ministry of Health has worked together with partners to develop a multisectoral strategy to reduce preventable maternal mortality. The draft strategy, which will be adopted in 2020, includes key recommendations for interlocutors at the national and local levels aimed at the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity, such as strengthening health systems, establishing a multisectoral response to planning, financing and implementation, and strengthening community engagement, utilizing a human rightsbased approach. As part of this commitment, specific focus has also been devoted to the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV in Uganda. Through a 4 5 6 7 4 sectional study”, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2020); R. Rima Jolivet and others, “Ending preventable maternal mortality: phase II of a multi-step process to develop a monitoring framework, 2016–2030”, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2019). E/C.12/MLI/CO/1, para. 49 (a); CEDAW/C/BFA/CO/7, para. 37 (e); and CEDAW/C/NER/CO/3-4, para. 33 (b). See https://www2.ohchr.org/english/OHCHRReport2018_2021/OHCHRManagementPlan20182021.pdf, p. 22. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/COVID-19_and_Womens_Human_Rights.pdf. See www.government.se/statements/2020/05/joint-press-statement-protecting-sexual-andreproductive-health-and-rights-and-promoting-gender-responsiveness-in-the-covid-19-crisis/.