InfoPoint conference: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, a key for Democracy and Human Rights

Introduced at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, SRHR principles were further reaffirmed and amplified at the Beijing Fourth World Conference of Women in 1995. The right to SRH has also been included in the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. SRHR is also a target of SDG 3.7, which specifically states: “By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, information, and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes”.

The EU is committed to the promotion, protection, and fulfilment of all human rights and remains committed to SRHR in this context. The EU follows a rights-based approach to programming and upholds the promotion, protection, and fulfilment of the right of every individual to have full control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality and SRH, free from discrimination, coercion, and violence. The EU further stresses the need for universal access to quality and affordable comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, education (including comprehensive sexuality education), and health-care services.

SRHR is at the core of one of the six key thematic areas of the EU GAP III, which recognises its importance for the empowerment of women and girls. As highlighted in the same document, harmful gender norms and stereotypes impede access to family planning, either through legal barriers or community pressure, harassment, and abuse, while a visible backlash against gender equality threatens hard-won progress and existing legislation on SRHR. Women and people within marginalised groups (LGBTIQ, persons with disabilities, people from indigenous groups or ethnic minorities, etc.) are more affected by difficult access to SRHR. In view of this, the GAP III establishes that EU action should contribute to: 

• An enabling legal, political and societal environment that protects the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls and increase access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, including HIV&AIDS prevention and treatment;
• The elimination of harmful practices such as FGM, CEFM and gender-biased sex selection, by supporting country, regional and global initiatives;
• Increasing services in humanitarian settings, including obstetric care, the provision of the minimum initial service package, HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive, maternal and new-borns health, family planning, addressing specific nutrition needs and vulnerabilities.

In November 2022, the European Commission launched the new EU Global Health Strategy, drawing from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and an extensive consultation process. With this new strategy, the EU positioned global health as an essential pillar of EU external policy and as a key component of the Global Gateway, and established the external dimension of the European Health Union.

Despite the progress made, access to SRHR remains inadequate or under threat in many countries, with women from marginalised groups suffering the most. In turn, unequal and inadequate access to SRHR means that women and girls are unable to reach their full potential, as they have fewer opportunities to pursue education and improve their livelihood. Gendered socio-cultural barriers, disadvantaged socio-economic and environmental conditions, and inadequate accessibility, availability, and quality of SRH services are among the many intersecting factors that impede effective access to SRHR.

Difficulties in accessing quality SRH are a very common reality also among refugees, internally displaced persons and anyone living in humanitarian settings, as highlighted by the EU GAP III. Therefore, prioritising the needs of these individuals is a human rights imperative and should be at the heart of the response to all humanitarian crises.

With this in mind, this event focuses on the topic of SRHR from a human rights, gender and intersectional perspective, and will therefore also address the particular vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ persons, individuals belonging to indigenous communities or ethnic minorities, and of those in humanitarian contexts. Its objective is to highlight the EU’s commitment and support to promoting and ensuring SRHR, and to present best practices and challenges by giving voice to partners working in the field  (bringing the example of the current situation and efforts in Argentina, or the experience of the EU supported projects in Africa).

To illustrate and discuss the issue of SRHR in the context of humanitarian crises, this event will also shed light on the situation in Ukraine. In the second year of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, access to livelihood opportunities and basic services, including life-saving sexual and reproductive health care and information, has been severely disrupted. With the support of various international partners, CSOs on the ground are constantly working to deliver on the most urgent sexual and reproductive-health needs (medication and equipment, emergency obstetric kits, emergency contraception and pills for medical abortions, the reorganisation of safe spaces for gynaecological and maternity care, etc.). The talk will therefore touch upon the main current pressing issues related to SRHR in Ukraine and how CSOs in the field have responded thus far to address them.

Speakers

• Micha RAMAKERS, Deputy Head of Unit INTPA G1 – Gender Equality, Human Rights and Democratic Governance
• Chloé LAURENS-DINSDALE, Team Leader NEAR.A.2 - Rule of Law, Governance and Security, NEAR Equality Coordinator
• Dr Galina MAISTRUK, Executive Director of Women Health and Family Planning organisation, Ukraine
• Pamela MARTIN GARCIA, SRHR expert and activist, Argentina
• Ange MORAY, SRHR Coordinator, Health Action International
• Nicola MARTIN, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany from Team Europe
• Moderation: Angelica BROMAN, Human Rights Advisor, INTPA G1

Language of the conference: English

Language of the Q&A session: English, French, Spanish

Registration

Online participation (Webex)

On site (InfoPoint)

Background

"Woman Health & Family Planning" is an organisation which has consistently and actively been working for 20 years in the field of reproductive health strengthening and protection of reproductive rights of Ukrainian people, effectively conducting preventive work, implementing public information campaigns, advocacy events, research, as well as trainings for medical professionals. In the current humanitarian crisis, WHFP is very active in providing SRH services and information to people in need, particularly to women, young people, people with disabilities. Dr. Galina Maistruk has been very active in raising the main issues of SRHR during the war in Ukraine in different international forums and medias.

Pamela Martin Garcia is a human rights activist and expert with more than 10 years of experience working on international, regional, and national advocacy for the improvement of sexual and reproductive rights of women, girls, and diversities. She has been working as an advocacy manager with International Planned Parenthood Foundation for Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously she has worked with Grupo Fusa focusing on SRHR for adolescent and young people. In 2019, she was part of the CSW event She Decides focusing on SRHR.

Ange Moray will present the project SHARP (supported by EU). SHARP brings together a group of organizations that include adolescent, commodity, gender, SRH and faith experts with a wide constituency and track record in advocacy for improved budgets and policy implementation at the subnational, national and regional levels. SHARP is focused on six countries of Africa’s Great Lakes Region (Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia).

The representative of GIZ will talk about Team Europe Initiative that aims to contribute to improving sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa, particularly among adolescent girls and young women.