Skip to main content

Negotiations, Youth Power and Strategic Advice on Post-2015

Today, Wednesday 15 April, marked the third day of the 48th CPD. it was a day full of events, but with slow progress on the negotiations...

Yesterday, the first 'negotiations' since the start of the official session (after a week of informals last week) took place. These negotiations were on the preambular paragraphs of the resolution and did not result in much agreement. Countries mostly stated and repeated their positions, which differed widely. The African and Arab groups were amongst others pushing for the deletion of references to reproductive rights and for the inclusion of a sovereignty clause. 20 other countries, including the Netherlands, were, instead, asking for a referral to sexual and reproductive health and rights. At the end of the day, the Facilitator promised to prepare a document with altered preambular paragraphs. This document with preambular paragraphs was shared around lunchtime today.

Before preparative discussions with, within and between delegations and later negotiations started again, two strong side events on meaningful engagement of young people and SRHR took place. The first, co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ghana, the SRHR Alliances of Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda and Simavi, entitled 'Voices of Young Africans on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights - Identifying Steps towards Post-2015 SRHR Interventions', brought together African youth representatives and CSOs, the Ministers of Social and Allied Agencies and Social Development from Ghana and South Africa respectively as well the Director of the High-Level Task Force on ICPD. Clear experiences and opinions were shared and the MInisters, visibly impressed by the youth representatives, spoke out strongly in favor of Youth SRHR. This is not likely going to alter negotiations, but it is nevertheless an encouraging signal for youth SRHR advocates! Encouraging words also came from the Director of the High-Level Task Force on ICPD: she presented a long list of ideas and opportunities to ensure voices of young Africans are taken into account in the Post-2015 Agenda (summary will follow).
Last but not least, an inspirational speech was delivered at the second side-event on meaningful youth engagement, co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality and Dance4Life.

Both side events have encouraged us as advocates. Despite the fact that negotiations during the evening did not result in many agreements, we will continue pushing delegations for a document which includes strong language on SRHR, gender equality and rights of women, girls and young people.

By Nienke Blauw, Public Affairs Officer SRHR at Simavi. She is attending the 48th CPD with her colleague Lara van Kouterik and partners from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Women’s Rights Caucus Statement – Protect Women and Girls by upholding the Beijing Declaration

  The Women’s Rights Caucus, representing over 900 feminist advocates from around the world, urges you to oppose the proposed US draft resolution entitled  “Protection of women and girls through appropriate terminology.” Despite the title, we do not feel protected nor represented by this initiative. Download this statement as pdf.   Download this statement in Spanish.   On the heels of the first-ever recorded vote on the agreed conclusions of the annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and in complete disregard of the significant opposition their proposal got in the negotiation room, the United States has circulated a new resolution proposal which attempts to falsely state that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action agreed that  “gender” was defined as “men and women”. It attributes to annex IV of the Report of the Fourth World Conference of Women a meaning that was never agreed by Member States, effectively rewriting th...
Post a Comment
Read more

ARTivism for Change: Creativity as Resistance at CSW69

Artwork "Who can I trust with my story?" from ArtVism in Uganda During the 69th CSW, the Our Voices Our Futures (OVOF) consortium organised a creative ARTivism for Change space where bold protest sign-making, intimate film screenings, and thought-provoking feminist dialogues blended together. Over two days, March 12 and 13, 2025, artists, activists, and allies transformed the space into dynamic real-life canvases of empowerment, solidarity, and cultural and political resistance.   In the main space of the Blue Gallery participants engaged with various stations, including Button Making , Journaling with Art , Drawing , and Protest Sign Making . Participants moved between activities, creating powerful messages of resistance and hope. The creativity extended beyond the activities themselves. Access Denied The ACCESS DENIED campaign , initiated by WO=MEN, was set up to be a photo installation. It highlights the deep gap between the inclusive vision set forth at the 1995 Beijing ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Beat back the radicals!"

“We will beat back the radicals and we will fight all their falsehoods and we will help as best we can all the faithful UN delegations trying to help the unborn child. But, the Friday Fax and our presence at UN headquarters is not free. In fact, it is terribly expensive. Would you be able to make a sacrificial donation to our work of $500? $100? $50?” This quote is from a newsletter of an American based organization working to stop any agreement at the UN that might possibly be understood to mean that women can have a choice in their  reproduction. It is quite ironic to see the violence in the language, beat back the radicals, from a group who are working at the UN meeting devoted to ending Violence Against Women. Being here at the UN makes you feel in your body and soul that maintaining and advancing freedom of choice for women (and men) is a battle and not everyone fights fair. Some of our Dutch civil society friends attended a panel in which the two main speakers where ...
4 comments
Read more