Stresses the need to address the social issues that contribute to the problem of obstetric fistula, such as early marriage of the girl child, early pregnancy, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health, lack of or inadequate education of women and girls, poverty and low status of women and girls; also stresses that States have the obligation to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls, that they must exercise due diligence in order to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of violence against women and girls and to provide protection to the victims, and that failure to do so violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms; urges States to enact and strictly enforce laws to ensure that marriage is entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses and, in addition, to enact and strictly enforce laws concerning the minimum legal age of consent and the minimum age for marriage, and to raise the minimum age for marriage where necessary; urges the international community to address the shortages of doctors, midwives, nurses and other health workers trained in lifesaving obstetric care, and of space and supplies, which limit the capacity of most of the fistula centres; urges multilateral donors, and invites international financial institutions, within their respective mandates, and regional development banks to review and implement policies to support national efforts to ensure that a higher proportion of resources reaches young women and girls, in particular in rural and remote areas.

Adopted without vote, 70th plenary meeting

5 p.

Issued in GAOR, 63rd sess., Suppl. no. 49.