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Who we are
The UN Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) advances evidence-based sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world. For five decades, HRP has generated evidence that has anchored health systems and improved the lives of millions of people, often addressing topics considered too sensitive or controversial by many.
Sexual and reproductive health are fundamental to the right everyone has to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and well-being. Furthermore, access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services is critical to progressing towards universal health coverage and leaving no one behind. In line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, HRP takes a holistic view of sexual and reproductive health, spanning the entire life course, with a focus on women, girls, adolescents and marginalized populations.
Increasingly, the right to sexual and reproductive health is under attack, making the unified, scientific and fearless work of HRP more necessary than ever.
How we work
HRP is a unique instrument within the United Nations system, for research on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. Cosponsored by UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, and with UNAIDS and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), HRP is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, housed within the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research of WHO.
Independent oversight and advisory bodies hold HRP accountable, monitoring scientific and ethical rigour, contribution to gender equality, and relevance of work to national priorities in low- and middle-income countries. This includes a governing body of Member States and UN cosponsors, known as the Policy and Coordination Committee (PCC); a Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), which provides an objective expert review of our programme of work, priorities and achievements, ensuring projects are scientifically rigorous; and a Gender and Rights Advisory Panel (GAP) which ensures the work is rightsbased and gender-transformative.