From March 2 to 13, hearings will be held at the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women on the progress, or lack thereof, on implementing commitments made at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Hillary Clinton spoke in Beijing. At her recent hearings to become Secretary of State, she said:  "Of particular concern to me is the plight of women and girls who comprise the majority of the world's unhealthy, unschooled, unfed, unpaid."

There has been a longstanding proposal for a separate, well-funded U.N. agency for women. The Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) proposes to consolidate three U.N. entities: the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues, and the UN Division on the Advancement of Women. Lots of words.  No deeds.

Let's do a Reproductive Health Reality Check. All proposals to advance women, to empower women economically, socially, legally, will be highly ineffectual unless each and every woman is able to choose whether and when to have children. Every woman must be able to control her own fertility. Universal access to family planning was promised at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt. Commitments have been more honored in the breach than in the implementation.

There is a well accepted definition of "contraceptive security." "Contraceptive security has been achieved when individuals have the ability to choose, obtain, and use quality contraceptives whenever they need them."

Do the math. With 6.7 billion people on the planet, half of whom are women (and girls) and then again one third of whom are in their "reproductive years," (let's say ages 15 to 40), that is (excuse my French) one hell of a lot of contraceptives.

You'll be interested in a section of the United Nations Population Fund web site. Under "Securing Essential Supplies."

Without essential commodities - from contraceptives to testing kits to equipment for emergency obstetric care - the right to reproductive health cannot be fully exercised. In many places, condoms are urgently needed to prevent the further spread of the deadly HIV virus.

The mandate of UNFPA in this area is to provide the right quantities of the right products in the right condition in the right place at the right time for the right price. This complex logistical process involves many actors, including the public and private sectors. UNFPA takes a lead role in reproductive health commodity security, coordinating the process, forecasting needs, mobilizing support and building logistical capacity at the country level.

That is the nitty gritty of how you achieve contraceptive security. A Herculean task because of course you have to also have the trained health workers to inform, show, teach.  And safe abortion must also be in the mix.

I hope the hearings in the next two weeks emphasize fertility control. I'll be surprised if they do. Whether they do or not will constitute a real RH Reality Check.