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March 2004
Earlier this month, on the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) organized an Open-ended Meeting of the Presiding Officers of its Sessional Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development, in Santiago, Chile, in which thirty-seven countries approved by acclamation a statement that reaffirms the Cairo consensus.
What follows is a first report sent by Sonia Corrêa and Françoise Girard of Articulación Feminista Marcosur:
The declaration adopted with the consensus of 37 countries includes: - The reaffirmation of the Cairo Platform;
- Explicit reference to reproductive rights and reproductive health services;
- The right of adolescents to services and information, ensuring their privacy and confidentiality;
- A strong paragraph on HIV prevention, treatment and care, with emphasis on human rights;
- A paragraph on maternal mortality, in which countries are called to redouble their efforts, taking into account the multiple contributing factors, including the lack of access to family planning and obstetric care services and "the factors indicated under paragraph 63 of the Cairo +5 Conference document".
Nothing of what the United States wanted happened, not even parental rights, where a footnote refers to the Cairo Conference
document.
Obviously, we face a great battle against the United States before we get to where we want to go. The US raised several objections regarding procedure, insisting that this was a technical meeting, that the process lacked transparency, but to no avail.
Finally, the US chose NOT to give its vote to the declaration, which means it did not reaffirm the Cairo Consensus and maintained its reservations with respect to abortion, highlighting the amount of money it donates...
The US behaved less arrogantly than in Bangkok, but its position on Cairo prompted the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to mobilize and crystallize their positions. Every country, with the exception of the US, gave a positive speech, even Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
In their speeches, a significant number of countries mentioned such issues as sexual rights, the rights of youth, and unsafe abortions. People who participated ten years ago in Cairo remarked that such speeches would have been unthinkable at that conference.
Lastly, we must call attention to the speeches delivered by the NGOs (groups of women and youths), which were excellent and were met with great enthusiasm by women and men delegates, receiving a long ovation and moving some participants to tears.
NGOs statement
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News |
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Wed Mar 17 2004
NGOs Declaration on ECLAC meeting on Population and Development
Tue Mar 16 2004
United States stands alone in rejecting women's rights at UN meetings
Wed Mar 10 2004
Discussions about the format of the Beijing +10 review
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Beijing +10: Conference on Women review
This global process was held in 2005 to review the implementation of the Platform for Action signed at the UN 4th World Conference on Women, in Beijing 1995.
The gender gap in education
Countries aren't fulfilling their commitment to getting girls and women into school.
Sexual and reproductive rights
Women’s involvement in contributing to expand the scope of the concept of human rights.
Sexual diversity and the law
Depending on where they live, LGBT people may be allowed to marry and adopt children, or be put to death.
Women for peace
Women around the world reject the militarist tendency in global politics and demand a voice in peace processes.
Millennium Development Goals - MDGs
A comprehensive list of resources from the United Nations and civil society organizations.
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