(Brussels, 30 April 2014) Over 87 European NGOs across 42 European countries joined forces this week to call upon their governments and other likeminded states to express strong support for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at the upcoming 11th session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through a joint position paper, representatives from the European SRHR civil society called on their governments to live up to the pledge - made at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012 – to work toward an aspirational set of Sustainable Development Goals. In a letter addressed to all European delegations, the members of the EuroNGOs, Countdown 2015 Europe, IPPF EN and ASTRA networks stated: “A truly transformative agenda requires going beyond the minimum standards set out in the 1990s. In doing so it must recognize that sexual and reproductive health and rights: cut across the economic, social and environmental components of sustainable development; contribute to accelerate progress under each of the current MDGs; and are key components of the measures that must be taken to respect and protect human rights, empower women and young people and eliminate inequalities.”
The group, who advocates for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the post-2015 agenda, formulated its call around five concrete asks:
- A Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Women’s rights stand-alone goal with specific SRHR targets as well as the integration of these issues through targets and indicators across the framework;
- A specific target under the Health stand-alone goal on ‘Universal Access to SRHR’;
- Addressing Population Dynamics in the SDGs from a human rights perspective and as a cross-cutting issue;
- A specific target on ‘comprehensive sexuality education’ under the Education stand-alone goal ; and
- A special focus on young people and adolescents’ needs through specific targets and indicators across the framework.
The full text of the position paper is available.