Global leaders debate human rights challenges
Global opinion leaders and stakeholders have held an interactive high level debate at the United Nations headquarters in New York about the centrality of human rights and dignity, good health, and freedom of mobility to a sustainable world.
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The debate, organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), centred round the achievements and challenges the world still faced 20 years after the adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
This global consensus marked a historic paradigm shift that universally recognised women and young girls as individuals entitled to the same opportunities, choices, and rights as men.
The event was the 47th session of the Commission on Population and Development, and with it, the world is set to renew its commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action.
The debate sought to bring worldwide attention to the findings and key messages of the agenda that emerged from the ICPD beyond the 2014 Global Report.
These findings address the single goal of ensuring sustainable development by placing the human rights of all people and individual well-being at the heart of the future development agenda.
Unfinished agenda
In his opening remarks, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of the UNFPA, said “The Programme of Action charted a course that truly brought together the two aspects of development we are discussing today — human progress and sustainability,”
“Fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal mortality worldwide fell by nearly half between 1990 and 2010. More women have access to education, work and political participation. More children, girls in particular, are going to school, with primary school enrolment rates approaching 90 per cent,” said Dr Osotimehin.
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He, however, underlined the vast scale of work that remains to be done. “Nine out of 10 adolescent pregnancies take place in the context of child marriage,” Dr Osotimehin said.
Speakers
Speakers at the interactive debate included President Anote Tong of Kiribati; former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique; former President Tarja Halonen of Finland; Prof. Fred Sai, Chairman of the 1994 ICPD conference; and Ms Viola Onwuliri, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The debate started with keynote statements followed by interactive debates among a panel of high-ranking dignitaries, including Eleonora Menicucci, Minister, Special Secretariat for Women’s Affairs, Brazil; Tedros Ghebreyesus, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia; Nana Oye Lithur, Ghana’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection and Asma Khader, Secretary-General, National Commission for Women and General Co-ordinator of Sisterhood is Global Institute, Jordan.
Completing the journey
In his keynote address titled ‘The vision of Cairo - a Perspective from the past for the future,” Prof. Sai, who was Chairman of the 1994 Cairo Conference, emphasised that “There is so much more we must do. There are still 220 or more million women in the world who want to prevent pregnancy but are not able to do so. Women are still losing their lives while bringing new life into the world. Most of these deaths are completely preventable.”
“We must ensure that reproductive health is at the top of the development agenda. On bended knees – old and creaky – I urge you to complete the journey we started so long, long ago, “Prof. Sai said.
Former President Chissano, who is the Co-chair of the ICPD High-Level Task Force, noted that “The world has changed since 1994, and when we look to the future, we need to do so with an eye towards what needs to be done. And this must include fulfilling sexual and reproductive health and rights for everyone, especially women, adolescents and the youth, now in the 21st century.”
He stressed the need for governments to put in place a mechanism to assess the ICPD issues, even with competing attention and other equally important issues.
Interactive debate
Contributing to the debate, Nana Oye Lithur said the global world should ensure women and girls’ reproductive rights.
She underscored the fact that investing in social protection was beneficial, as it reduced poverty, addressed vulnerabilities and narrowed the inequality gap.
She said when governments invested in social protection, it had a direct impact on the people, particularly women, who are the focus of social protection interventions.
She, therefore, stressed that social protection issues should be a priority, even as governments grappled with the difficult choices of how to spend their budgets.