Draft Platform for Action
C. Inequalities in access to health and related services
Strategic objective C.4. Promote research and information dissemination on women's health
Actions to be taken
110. By Governments, the United Nations system, health professions, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, donors, pharmaceutical industries and the mass media, as appropriate:
(a) Train researchers and introduce systems that allow for the use of data collected, analysed and disaggregated by, among other factors, sex and age, [race and ethnicity] and socio-economic variables, in policy-making, as appropriate, planning, monitoring and evaluation;
(b) Promote gender-sensitive and women-centred health research, treatment and technology and link traditional and indigenous knowledge with modern medicine, making information available to women to enable them to make informed and responsible decisions;
(c) Increase the number of women in leadership positions in the health professions, including researchers and scientists, to achieve equality at the earliest possible date;
(d) Increase financial and other support from all sources for preventive, appropriate biomedical, behavioural, epidemiological and health service research on women's health issues and for research on the social, economic and political causes of women's health problems, and their consequences, including the impact of [gender and] age inequalities, especially with respect to chronic and non-communicable diseases, particularly cardio-vascular diseases and conditions, cancers, reproductive tract infections and injuries, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence, occupational health, disabilities, environmentally related health problems, tropical diseases and health aspects of ageing;
(e) [Inform women about data which show that hormonal contraception, abortion and promiscuity increase risks of developing cancers and infections of the reproductive tract, so that they can make informed decisions about their health];
(f) Support and fund social, economic, political and cultural research on how gender-based inequalities affect women's health, including etiology, epidemiology, provision and utilization of services and eventual outcome of treatment;
(g) Support health service systems and operations research to strengthen access and improve the quality of service delivery, to ensure appropriate support for women as health-care providers and to examine patterns of provision of health services to women and use of such services by women;
(h) Provide financial and institutional support for research on safe, effective, affordable and acceptable [drugs and] technologies for [reproductive and sexual health] of women and men, including more safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods [such as natural family planning] [for the regulation of fertility] for both sexes, methods to protect against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and simple and inexpensive methods of diagnosing such diseases, among others. This research needs to be guided at all stages by users and from the perspective of gender, particularly the perspective of women, and should be carried out in strict conformity with internationally accepted legal, ethical, medical and scientific standards for biomedical research;
(i) Since [unsafe abortion] 15/ is a major threat to the health and life of women, research to understand and better address the determinants and consequences of induced abortion, including its effects on subsequent fertility, reproductive and mental health and [contraceptive] practice, should be promoted, as well as research on treatment of complications of abortions and post-abortion care;
(j) Acknowledge and encourage beneficial traditional health care, especially that practised by indigenous women, with a view to preserving and incorporating the value of traditional health care in the provision of health services, and support research directed towards achieving this aim;
(k) Develop mechanisms to evaluate and disseminate available data and research findings to researchers, policy makers, health professionals and women's groups, among others;
(l) [Report on all genome and genetic engineering research.]
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