Accountability for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Humanitarian and Disaster Situations: Case Studies from Uganda, Bangladesh, and Nepal

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) during conflicts and disasters are protected under multiple legal and policy frameworks; however, weak accountability mechanisms often prevent these rights from being realized. Drawing on case studies from Uganda, Bangladesh, and Nepal, this paper examines rights-based approaches for strengthening accountability for access to health services at the local level. The case studies adopt a “circle of accountability” as both a conceptual framework and implementation strategy to monitor, review, and prompt remedial action when reproductive rights are not respected. We argue that four interrelated strategies offer a promising approach to advance accountability for SRHR in displacement contexts marked by weakened governance, overlapping duty bearers, and power imbalances within humanitarian systems: (1) strategic legal and policy advocacy to promote alignment with human rights standards; (2) multi-sectoral partnerships and human rights champions to facilitate commitments among humanitarian actors; (3) equitable participation in humanitarian platforms to shape decision-making and remedial action; and (4) reimagined rights-based evaluation methods to promote people-centered accountability. Ultimately, we offer a road map for practitioners working in other humanitarian and disaster contexts to shift accountability for reproductive rights beyond performative checklists toward addressing both the immediate needs of displaced communities and systemic remedial action.