Open Call: Shaping the Future of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Deadline: 30-Sep-26

The World Health Organization (WHO) is inviting individuals and organizations worldwide to submit signals of change that could influence the future of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) over the next decade. The consultation will inform a global 2026–2036 SRHR foresight and research prioritization process, with findings expected to contribute to a published report and research agenda in 2027.

About the WHO SRHR Signals of Change Consultation

The consultation is being led by the HRP Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, together with its United Nations cosponsors. The initiative uses foresight to identify emerging issues that could significantly affect sexual and reproductive health and rights between 2026 and 2036. Rather than focusing only on current challenges, the consultation asks participants to identify changes that may become important in the future. Disruptions that could affect access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. What Is a Signal of Change? A signal of change is an emerging issue, trend, development, innovation, disruption, or early indication of a change that could influence the future. For this consultation, participants are encouraged to identify changes that may have implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights over the next 10 years. A signal does not necessarily need to be a major global trend already affecting millions of people. An emerging development with the potential to produce significant future consequences can also be relevant. What Is the Consultation Looking For? The WHO-led process seeks diverse perspectives on developments that could shape the future of SRHR.

Participants may identify

New challenges affecting sexual and reproductive health. Emerging opportunities to improve healthcare access. Other individuals with relevant experience or perspectives. There is no requirement for participants to belong to a particular professional group. People with lived experience, community knowledge, professional expertise, or emerging perspectives can contribute. Why It Matters Sexual and reproductive health and rights are influenced by developments far beyond the healthcare sector. Technology, climate change, demographic shifts, social norms, economic conditions, political decisions, and legal frameworks can all influence people’s ability to access information, services, and rights. The consultation therefore seeks to avoid relying solely on traditional research and health-sector perspectives. Bringing together diverse viewpoints can help identify emerging issues earlier and support research priorities that are more responsive to future needs. How Contributions Will Be Used Submissions will contribute to the WHO-led SRHR foresight and research prioritization process for 2026–2036. The consultation is specifically focused on the next decade. Consider how the signal could develop between 2026 and 2036, rather than focusing exclusively on its current impact.

Step 4: Provide a Diverse Perspective

Community-level and lived-experience perspectives can be particularly valuable because emerging changes may affect populations differently across countries, regions, and social groups.

Step 5: Submit Through the Consultation Process

Participants should provide their contribution through the official WHO/HRP consultation process and follow the current submission instructions. Examples of Potential Signal Areas The consultation is intentionally broad, so participants should not feel limited to traditional reproductive-health topics. What is the WHO SRHR Signals of Change consultation? It is a global public consultation seeking emerging trends, issues, innovations, and disruptions that could influence sexual and reproductive health and rights over the next decade. Who can submit a contribution? Individuals and organizations worldwide can contribute. This includes health professionals, researchers, civil society groups, youth organizations, governments, academics, funders, private-sector organizations, media, and community members. What does “signal of change” mean? A signal of change is an emerging development or early indication of a future trend that could significantly influence SRHR. What period does the consultation cover? The foresight and research prioritization process covers 2026 to 2036, focusing on developments that could shape SRHR during this period. Will submissions influence WHO research priorities? Yes. Contributions will be analyzed to identify emerging themes and issues and will contribute to the broader SRHR foresight and research prioritization process. Will the consultation produce a report? Yes. The contributions are expected to inform a published report and research agenda in 2027. Do I need to be an SRHR expert to participate? No. The consultation welcomes perspectives from a broad range of stakeholders, including people whose community experience, professional knowledge, research, advocacy, or lived experience can help identify important future developments. Conclusion The WHO SRHR Signals of Change Consultation provides an opportunity for individuals and organizations around the world to contribute ideas about the forces that could shape sexual and reproductive health and rights between 2026 and 2036. By gathering perspectives from healthcare, government, research, civil society, youth, communities, rights movements, and other sectors, the initiative aims to identify emerging priorities that can strengthen future SRHR research, policy, healthcare systems, and rights-based approaches.