7th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Health and Rights (7APCRSRH)

Visionary Goal Satellite meeting

A satellite meeting was held at the 7^th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Health and Rights (7APCRSRH), sponsored by WGNRR, APA and ARROW.  Panelists included Sivananthi  Thanenthiran (Executive Director, Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women), Nobuko Horibe (Director, UNFPA, Asia Pacific Regional Office), Steve Kraus (Director, UNAIDS, Asia and Pacific Regional Office), Sandeep Prasad  (Member, High Level Task Force on ICPD) and was chaired by Rose Koenders (Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights).

The purpose was to present information about the Visionary Goal adopted by the Platform of Platforms, an association of 12 CSO networks last year being used as an advocacy tool during participation in the various parallel processes related to defining the post-2015 development agenda, to review progress and prospects to date and elicit information about specific upcoming opportunities during this year for continuing advocacy.

Sivananthi  Thanenthiran (ARROW) explained the rationale for the Visionary Goal (VG) as preventing the marginalization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) from the post-2015 agenda which would replicate its unfortunate elimination from the original MDGs, requiring a costly (in time, resources and effort) later effort to incorporate it as MDG target 5B. The Visionary Goal document was distributed.

Kathy Mulville (Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights) noted that while the MDGs were defined and adopted with minimal CSO input, the post-2015 processes have been intensive and complex, though without clear understanding about how the various processes link with each other, including the various regional, global and national consultations.  Various constituencies and interest groups have mobilized on multiple issues, including those related to components of a SRHR view, including HIV/AIDS, women’s health and children’s health groups, environmental advocates, etc. A challenge remains to avoid a continuation of silos, fractioning traction for an inclusive vision.

Siva explained the rationale further, noting that the MDGs gave minor attention to human rights concerns, being defined in terms of outcomes without consideration of the conditions required for their realization. She noted various efforts by the SRHR community but recognized that these too are often characterized by silos (eg FP2020 for family planning alone). Inequities and inequalities have, however, been stressed, consistent with a rights-based view. But discussion of inequalities has been dominated by wealth-related disparities more than those generated by age, gender and other social distinctions. Similarly, while the HIV/AIDS community has raised sexual issues it has largely done so within a disease reduction paradigm. Rather than define the SRHR agenda through fitting it into frames devised by others, the Visionary Goal seeks to structure our communities own vision. This would require countries to implement commitments they have already made at Cairo, Beijing, in CEDAW and multiple other settings.

Nobuko Horibe was asked what in the VG UNFPA was ready to support, what indicators it addressed and how it prioritized them. She indicated that much in the VG is consistent with the institutional Strategic Plan. She noted general compatibility with the mandate, especially regarding young people, women’s empowerment and rights and commitment to data and accountability. She noted upcoming events in the Beijing Review process including a CSO meeting slated for February, a June preparatory meeting and a high-level November Special Session. The Commission on the Status of Women meeting in New York in March would provide another opportunity. ESCAP is, in collaboration with UNFPA, having a Commission meeting on post-2015 in May. Interaction would be required to find out whom to influence, with simple and clear language and priorities, in Sustainable Development discussions to identify a small number of indicators in a coherent framework, cognizant of data limitations. UNFPA’s multi-stakeholder meeting on indicators for ICPD monitoring held in China defined 5 pillars: dignity and rights, health (including service integration), security of place, mobility and sustainable development. Conclusions on indicators were not reached but some suggestions will go forward. She called for NGOs to reach out to seek participation in later stages.

Steve Kraus was asked to comment on ways to strengthen collaboration between the SRHR and HIV movements. He emphasized the centrality of CSOs and Government (with UN support) collaboration. He noted that the best advice he ever got from a boss was “when in doubt, reach out”. He emphasized the role of collaborative and inclusive approaches. Second, he emphasized that who lives and dies is a political decision. He urged NGOs to infiltrate national processes and get on national delegations that will be considering the development agenda. He especially called for the inclusion of community groups. He recalled the role at the AIDS UNGASS of the participation of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), sex workers, transgendered and other groups as a means to ensure that diverse perspectives (not just “white men in suits”) were brought into discussions and negotiations.  He recognized the gap between those who participate in national AIDS discussions (this more diverse group) and the participants in New York UN meetings (frequently diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without technical background and relevant life experiences and empathy). He stressed the fundamentality of rights-based approach involving power shifting (to the community level) and power sharing (give and take among stakeholders). He directed people to see the nature of the result of such an approach in the Bangkok 2013 document (E/ESCAP/APPC(6)/3) in which degrees of government agreement and dissent are clear in the adoption, by vote, of a progressive document including such hot spots as SOGI, young people and gender based violence.

Sandeep Prasad discussed the High Level Task Force (HLTF) for ICPD, 26 leaders from CSOs, Government and philanthropy, which is working until December 2015. They have made goal and target recommendations regarding SRHR, violence against women, gender equality and empowerment of young people (document at link). They have been monitoring and working in regional conferences and thematic meetings directed toward ICPD Beyond 2014 and post-2015 agenda discussions. Some of their recommendations have pushed boundaries (e.g., calling for the decriminalization of abortion). They see their role as making sure that results of the ICPD Review are integrated into post-2015 discussions. They note the progressive watering down of SRHR outcomes in successive processes. For example, the UNDG thematic consultations on Inequality and on Health had robust sections on SRHR, the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons (a recipient of these reports) included SRHR in a watered down form, the successive Report of the SG gave these less visibility, and the Open Working Group (OWG) made no reference, despite the fact that 50 Member States made relevant interventions, including 24 who signed a joint statement. Statements pointed out the lack of legal and policy support and continuing barriers, inequitable access and deficits in service quality and accountability. The HLTF stressed the need for quality (service quality and integration; quality of education, including CSE), equality (requiring policy and legal reforms to reach women, adolescents and other marginalized populations, combatting discrimination and ensuring the accessibility and affordability of quality services) and accountability (including guidance on national assistance and monitoring of international contributions, especially of their human rights framework). The HLTF feels that they did not give consistent attention to these concerns.

In a second round of questioning, Nobuko was asked specifically how UNFPA was trying to advance its agenda. She noted the call for a stand-alone Youth Goal (which could address health, education and employment); suggestions that the gender equality and women’s empowerment goal could address gender based violence; and the inclusion of SRH in the health goal (with attention to inequality of access , the integration of SRHR in Primary Health Care and improvements in quality). UNFPA is working towards the Beijing review by working with UN Women on programs to train media. This training will take place before the Commission on Population and Development, accompanied by the mobilization of SRHR champions to strategize. She is mobilizing County Offices to engage partners to influence delegations. Youth have been involved in meetings including those leading up to the Sri Lanka World Youth Conference.

Asked to comment on how SRHR is being integrated in the context of HIV/AIDS, Steve Kraus re-emphasized that UNAIDS was working together with UN Women at the global and regional levels bringing key affected populations to meetings. He emphasized that a rights-based approach requires SRHR and HIV/AIDS services for all, with no exclusion and stressed the importance of ensuring that young people are represented in such delegations. He noted the upcoming formal launch event of the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health (28-29 June 2014) as an opportunity to get the Commission involved as an asset. 

Written by Stan Bernstein, formerly of UNFPA, and partner Re-Generation Consulting LLC