All people, including those living in humanitarian settings, have the right to reproductive health (RH). To exercise this right, affected populations must have an enabling environment and access to comprehensive RH information and services so they can make free and informed choices. Quality RH services must be based on the needs of the affected populations, particularly the needs of women and girls. They must respect the religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of the communities, while conforming to universally recognized international human rights standards. Reproductive health care covers a wide range of services. These are defined as follows in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, in September 1994: family-planning counselling, information, education, communication and services; education and services for prenatal care, safe delivery and postnatal care, and infant and women’s health care; prevention and appropriate treatment of infertility; prevention of abortion and the management of the consequences of abortion; treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; prevention, early detection and treatment of breast cancer and cancers of the reproductive system, and other RH conditions; active discouragement of harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation. Providing comprehensive, high-quality RH services requires a multisectoral, integrated approach. Protection, health, nutrition, education and community service personnel all have a part to play in planning and delivering RH services. The best way to guarantee that RH services meet the needs of the affected population is to involve the community in every phase of the development of those services, from designing programmes to launching and maintaining them to evaluating their impact. Only then will people benefit from services specifically tailored to their needs and demands, and only then will they have a stake in the future of those services.