Firewall gender equality from threats like anti-rights Geneva Consensus Declaration
SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS
Trump's earlier tenure as President of the United States was marred by the infamous jolt to abortion rights and broader sexual and reproductive
health and rights. Within days after the 2024 election results point towards his imminent return as the President, anti-abortion and anti-rights agenda is menacingly on the rise once again, as per the recent news.
We must remember that all governments have promised to deliver on gender equality and human rights by endorsing a range of declarations, agreements and other commitments, including the legally-binding treaty CEDAW in 1979 (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), ICPD in 1994 (International Conference on Population and Development and its Programme of Action), Beijing Declaration in 1995 and its platform for action, UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, among others.
But anti-rights push of Geneva Consensus Declaration threatens to undo whatever-little progress has been made on gender equality and human rights. The Geneva Consensus Declaration takes an anti-rights stance against recognising abortion as a human right and aims to scuttle sexual and reproductive rights. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned us last year that "on the current track, gender equality is projected to be 300 years away." Governments have promised to deliver on gender equality by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"When the PACT for the future was adopted at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2024, alarmingly over 30 countries have adopted it which are also signatories to the regressive and anti-rights Geneva Consensus Declaration," said Menka Goundan, Programme Director, ARROW (Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women). She was speaking at the 2nd session of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) co-organised by ARROW, IPPF, WGNRR and CNS.
Menka added: "Whilst the bigger winds like the PACT of the future adopted at the UNGA might come in, and we would be like 'oh yeah! this is so progressive' but we often do not underscore it against threats like Geneva Consensus Declaration which will impede the progressive implementation of the PACT for the Future, and other commitments we are making for gender equality and human rights."
"That is why we need to educate ourselves in terms of threats like Geneva Consensus Declaration. This Declaration is regressive and anti-abortion, and right winged (in terms of its framework) because it allows governments to hide under the principle of 'sovereignty' and to release these countries from their obligation to enact sexual and reproductive rights for women. So, it is a very slim move to regress when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights. We are failing to ensure that women have autonomy to make choices on their sexual and reproductive health" said Menka.
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