The human right to health and nutrition – an inclusive right to timely and appropriate health promotion, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services – is established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child5 . But universal access to quality health and nutrition services has not yet been achieved in most countries. These services can be under-resourced and of poor quality, and access to them is often inequitable. Significant gaps often exist between stated government policies and service delivery. This can have specific negative health consequences for women, children and adolescents, which must be addressed.