17 July 2013
Human Rights Conference Contributes to ICPD Review
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The International Commission on Population and Development (ICPD) International Conference on Human Rights concluded in the Netherlands with a call for equality, quality of care, and accountability for supporting sexual and reproductive rights.

icpd10 July 2013: The International Commission on Population and Development (ICPD) International Conference on Human Rights concluded in the Netherlands with a call for equality, quality of care, and accountability for supporting sexual and reproductive rights.

The ICPD conference took place from 7-10 July 2013, as part of the UN-mandated review of the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action. The Government of the Netherlands, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) jointly convened the conference.

In opening remarks, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the ICPD Programme of Action, by having gender equality and sexual and reproductive health at its core, acknowledged that sustainable development is unachievable in a world in which discrimination against women is widespread. She noted the human rights basis for the ICPD agenda in standards and treaties, including, among others: the right to life, which should include the prevention of maternal deaths; the right to health, which should include access to health services and contraception; and the right to security of the person, which means eliminating all forms of gender-based violence. She noted that the big challenge is implementation, and called for greater political will to eliminate gender inequality.

Conference Chair Marijke Mijnroks, the Netherlands’ Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, said the unfulfilled ICPD commitments must be at the heart of global agendas.

Over 300 representatives of governments, civil society, and UN agencies took part in the conference. On equality, they expressed concerns about discrimination and violence against individuals on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. On quality of care, they called for removing barriers to sexual and reproductive health services, which should include counseling, emergency obstetric care, safe abortion services, HIV prevention and treatment, and services addressing gender-based violence. They stressed that States should be accountable for setting goals and allocating budgets towards such services.

The conference conclusions will feed into the UN Secretary-General’s report to the April 2014 meeting of the 47th Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and a UN General Assembly (UNGA) session later the same year. [UNFPA Press Release] [Statement of Navi Pillay] [Conference Website] [IISD RS Story on Plans for ICPD+20 Review]


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