Day 3 of the Commission on Population and Development

We have received the following from the International Planned Parenthood Federation: 

Day three of informal negotiations was long with discussion and interventions being wide ranging both in terms of content and the government interventions.

The morning was devoted to the most critical, but most contentious part of the document, namely the paragraphs relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights. The cluster of paragraphs relating to paragraph 5 took three hours to discuss. The listing and ordering of key sexual and reproductive health services was hotly debated, as was the additional language relating to violence and discrimination, comprehensive sexuality education and abortion. India and Nepal led the way to champion abortion language and were backed up by Papua New Guinea, who advanced the agenda by calling for the inclusion of language on the removal of legal barriers to abortion.

The afternoon had a slow start, with confusion over seating arrangements and a re-arrangement of the room. The presence of Mervat Tallaway of Egypt seemed to moderate its position, and she made a plea for the process to be streamlined to ensure a strong resolution, as the outcome.

Nepal called for language on abortion. The Philippines championed human rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights, which was also supported  by the Cook Islands, Fiji and other Pacific Islands. Cameron spoke on behalf of the Africa group, calling for the deletion of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The day concluded the readings of the draft text and any opportunity for proposing new wording is over. Tomorrow the real word trading begins…