Awareness Day

International Day of Action for Women’s Health

May 28, 2026 Recurs yearly

Women and healthcare workers participating in community health education and women’s health awareness activities.

2026 Theme

Essential, Not Optional: Strengthening Health Systems to Uphold Health Rights and SRHRJ in Times of Polycrisis

Campaign Description

Observed annually on 28 May since 1987, this global day advocates for the protection and advancement of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights while calling for comprehensive, equitable, and quality healthcare services for women throughout their lives. It highlights persistent gaps such as high maternal mortality, limited access to reproductive healthcare, gender bias in medical research, and the need for women-centered health policies.

Theme Focus

This theme underscores that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and justice must remain a top priority even amid overlapping global crises (conflict, political instability, climate change) – not treated as a dispensable extra. It's a call to action for feminist resistance and solidarity in defending SRHR.

Key Priorities

  • Protect women's and girls' right to health
  • Strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights and justice (SRHRJ)
  • Maintain essential health services during crises
  • Improve access to contraception and comprehensive reproductive healthcare
  • Protect access to safe abortion and post-abortion care
  • Reduce preventable maternal illness and death
  • Build resilient, adequately resourced health systems
  • Address health inequalities and discriminatory barriers
  • Protect bodily autonomy and informed decision-making
  • Ensure affordable, accessible and people-centered care
  • Address the effects of conflict, climate change, economic instability and other overlapping crises on women's health
  • Prevent harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation
  • Challenge coercive or discriminatory healthcare practices
  • Strengthen supply chains and availability of essential medicines and services
  • Include affected communities and lived experiences in health policy and decision-making
  • Advance universal health coverage and gender equality

Key Concepts

  • Women's health
  • Women's health rights
  • Sexual and reproductive health
  • Sexual and reproductive health and rights
  • SRHRJ (Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice)
  • Reproductive rights
  • Reproductive justice
  • Bodily autonomy
  • Maternal health
  • Maternal mortality
  • Contraception
  • Family planning
  • Abortion
  • Post-abortion care
  • Pregnancy care
  • Childbirth
  • Reproductive healthcare
  • Health equity
  • Gender equality
  • Child marriage
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Gender-based violence

Campaign Resources & Support

View Awareness Calendar