92 Afulukwe-Eruchalu and Durojaye/Maternal mortality in Africa harmful practices which endanger the health and general well-being of women.49 Given the high maternal deaths in many African countries and the failure of governments to address this situation, African governments can be held accountable for the violation of the rights to equality and non-discrimination of women. 2.5 The right to information Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information is crucial to preventing ill-health and ensuring the well-being of all individuals. More importantly, access to sexual and reproductive health information can help in preventing unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortion and minimising incidence of maternal deaths and morbidities. The ICESCR Committee has noted that the enjoyment of the right to health includes access to health facilities and information.50 The right to information is guaranteed in most international human rights instruments. Article 19 of the ICCPR provides for the right to information, while articles 10(h) and 16(1)(e) of CEDAW guarantee women, including those in rural areas, access to family planning information. The right is equally guaranteed in regional instruments such as the African Women’s Rights Protocol, particularly article 14(2)(a), which tasks states with providing adequate, affordable, and accessible health-related information, particularly for women in rural areas.51 These provisions impose both positive and negative obligations on states to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health information and to refrain from interfering with the enjoyment of this right.52 Yet, in many parts of Africa, vulnerable women, including young women and women in rural areas, often lack access to adequate information to prevent unplanned pregnancies and other risks associated with pregnancy. 3 INITIATIVES AND JURISPRUDENCE OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS BODIES ON MATERNAL MORTALITY As illustrated in the section above, UN institutions, including treaty monitoring bodies have had the opportunity to address maternal mortality as a human rights concern. This section considers the 49 Article 2(1)(b) of the African Women’s Rights Protocol UN CESCR General Comment 14 (n 20 above). 51 African Women’s Rights Protocol, http://www.achpr.org/instruments/womenprotocol/#14 (accessed 14 July 2017). 52 See S Coliver ‘The right to information necessary for reproductive health and choice under international law’ (1995) 44 American University Law Review 1279. 50