Return on investing US$ 1 in family planning & maternal health in developing countries is US$ 8.40
"30 years ago, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)'s Programme of Action of 1994 and the Beijing Declaration's Platform for Action of 1995 were remarkable because they both placed gender equality and women's empowerment at the heart of development. These conferences established that a woman's control over her fertility is fundamental to all her rights. The vision that also drives the 2030 Agenda and the call for universal sexual and reproductive health and rights is central to achieving SDG5 on gender equality and SDG3 on health and well-being," said Dawn Minott, Advisor on Gender and gender-based violence, at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
"Access to sexual and reproductive health empowers women and girls, leading to improved health, economic opportunities and her stronger agency. Also, an UNFPA estimation shows that the return on investing every dollar in family planning and maternal health in developing countries is US$ 8.40," said Minott.
"I think the most significant step forward has been on SDG indicator 5.6.1 which measures a woman's ability to make her own decisions about her sexual and reproductive health. Initial analysis suggests that over half (56%) of the married or in union women are now in the driver's seat. However this means that 44% of partnered women still cannot make these essential decisions about their own healthcare, contraceptives, or their sexual decisions."
Assault on multilateralism and global health institutions is challenging
"Fundamental human rights are under threat and particularly the right to health, and sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ). Assault on multilateralism and global health institutions is one of the core challenges confronting us today. From funding cuts and political interference in technical bodies that are driving health and gender agenda, to attacking frameworks that we have been working on for years. These attacks undermine the very concrete agreements which gave us a human rights approach to population and development. These agreements deeply reflect the lived realities of women and the recognition that women have bodily autonomy and the recognition that women and girls and gender diverse peoples have a right to health and a right to sexual and reproductive health. Just this month we had a political declaration (at CSW69) but what is a political declaration without the recognition of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice?" wonders Fadekemi Akinfaderin, Chief Global Advocacy Officer at Feminista.
"Anti-rights and anti-gender movements are trying to roll back the hard-fought gains and wins towards gender equality and human rights. It is alarming to recognise that anti-rights movements are using the similar-sounding frameworks that they seek to dismantle to advance their own (anti-gender and anti-rights) agenda. One such example is the (regressive) Geneva Consensus Declaration, which is not an internationally recognised instrument and not legally binding, that undermines gender equality and rights," added Akinfaderin.
Agrees Dr Payal Shah, Director of Legal, Research, and Advocacy at Physicians for Human Rights: "I call for immediate action by global stakeholders to address critical attacks on gender equality and healthcare, including funding freezes and the growing criminalization of healthcare. We also have to demystify the concept of 'reproductive violence' in conflict and crisis settings with a focus on devastating, systematic deprivation of reproductive autonomy (for example, in Gaza and Ethiopia)."
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