By: Smita Gaith, Women Deliver
Last month, staff from Women Deliver met with high-level members of several international organizations focused on the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and youth. The meeting was organized to discuss the lack of emphasis on gender, SRHR, and young people in the Zero Draft document for Rio+20, which takes place this June.
The Rio+20 summit, a UN conference on sustainability, will include seven priority areas: decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness. Despite the undisputed link between women’s health, reproductive rights, and family planning accessibility with these priorities, gender- and SRHR-related topics have not received as much attention as many believe it should have. Read more...
Updates
International Organizations Convene for Rio+20 Discussions
April 5th, 2012
Women, Adolescents, and Young People are Critical for Sustainable Development
February 28th, 2012
By: Adeolu Ogunrombi, one of the Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders
Originally posted on Adeolu’s blog
The truth that adolescent girls occupy the lowest rank in the hierarchy of gender power relationships and its effect on their holistic development is an issue of utmost importance and urgency. My mind went down memory lane and remembered an experience I had some years back while working with a health facility supported by the World Bank to provide care and treatment on HIV/AIDS in one of the North Central states, very close to Abuja the Federal Capital of Nigeria.
There was a time we noticed in the HIV counseling and testing unit that so many of our clients coming from a particular village within the suburb were testing positive for HIV. The incidence became of concern to me and my colleagues and we were curious to know why this was happening in a village that has little or no social infrastructure. Read more...
2015+: What Happens After the MDG and ICPD Deadlines?
July 7th, 2011
By: Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver
With 2014 and 2015 approaching, advocates are beginning to talk about what will happen to maternal health and sexual and reproductive health and rights when major international agreements, like ICPD and the MDGs, reach their deadlines. What will happen to the global architecture for maternal health if and when these targets are or are not met? There is some talk of collapsing all the health MDGs (MDG 4, 5, and 6) into a solitary goal to make room for other critical issues, like non-communicable diseases, pandemics, or terrorism. Some thought leaders are talking of creating a whole new framework, while others think the MDGs and ICPD should be extended or have no timeline. Read more...
Human Rights Upheld at the United Nations 44th Commission on Population and Development
April 19th, 2011
The outcome document of the 44th annual session of the Commission on Population and Development which concluded last week reaffirms the landmark International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action and brings the international community one step closer to ensuring that all people have access to necessary reproductive health services. Read more...
Statement by Advocates for Youth at the Commission on Population and Development
April 12th, 2011
Women Deliver participated in the "Youth Caucus" organized by Advocates for Youth, the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, YouAct, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, and Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS. This caucus worked together to produce a statement that represented the perspectives of many different young people from around the world.
"I am presenting this statement, on behalf of youth led NGOs and young people from around the world. We are firmly in support and call for the realization of all young people's human rights which include sexual and reproductive rights, that must be respected regardless of our age. With this year being the UN International Year of Youth, and as outlined in international commitments, the human rights of all young people should be the priority for the governments, international agencies, policy makers and communities. That's why we are here to share with you our collective voice and message: Youth Demand Change." Read more...
Statement by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin at the Commission on Population and Development
April 12th, 2011
Statement by: Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund at the United Nations Commission on Population and Development 2011
Mister Chairman, Members of the Commission, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
If you were born before 1967, you’ve seen world population double. As our population approaches 7 billion, every person particularly adolescents and young people should be able to enjoy human rights and human dignity. Every person should have the opportunity to make the most of his or her potential. Read more...
UN Extends ICPD Programme of Action Beyond 2014
December 23rd, 2010
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the Follow up to the ICPD Beyond 2014, entitled, “Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields”. The resolution, introduced by Yemen, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, extends the ICPD Programme of Action and the Key Actions for the Further Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action beyond 2014, when the Programme was technically to come to an end. Read more...
High Level Meeting on Maternal Mortality - Youth Experience
October 28th, 2009
Below is the speech delivered by Imane Khachani, MD, Msc, from the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights for the High-Level Meeting at the International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action.
ICPD and the Promises for Youth
April 2nd, 2009
Yesterday, we attended a luncheon on "The promises of the ICPD for Young People," sponsored by the Government of The Netherlands in conjunction with the IPPF. The panel discussed some really important topics like: youth friendly services; young women and abortion; youth participation; and delivering young people's SRHR programmes.