The world's population reaching 7 billion on Monday is an occasion to take stock of how far humanity has come in promoting the right to the highest attainable standard of health. As a key strategy to accelerate progress, the international sexual and reproductive health and HIV communities are increasingly joining forces and reaching out to the most vulnerable and under-served populations.

It is critical that sound policies are in place to support comprehensive approaches, whether on providing women with family planning services, delivering sex education for young boys and girls, preventing child marriage, eliminating gender-based violence, managing sexually transmitted infections, ensuring access to condoms for dual protection, or providing antiretroviral treatment alongside cervical cancer screening.

Read the full commentary by Dr. Osotimehin in The Guardian