UN Photo/Mark Garten
“Governments should remove legal, regulatory and social barriers to sexual and reproductive health information, education and services for adolescents and take action on the commitment on the right of adolescents and youth to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination or violence.” - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Almost 20 years ago, in September 1994, theInternational Conference on Population and Development(ICPD) took place in Cairo, Egypt. It was a milestone in the history of population and development, as well as in the history of women's rights.
A total of 179 governments signed the ICPD Programme of Actionand agreed on one condition: to not just count people, but to make sure every person counts. ICPD delegates reached the consensus that women’s equality must be a global priority. They agreed that empowering women and girls is an essential step towards eradicating poverty and stabilizing population growth.
Most importantly, they acknowledged that access to reproductive health and rights is necessary to truly empower women, contributing to economic growth both within a household and in a country. It is key to sustainable development.
Today, thanks to the United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report and the UN Secretary General’s report, we can assess and reflect on the progress that has been made over the last 20 years.
Good news first: the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen by 25% between 1990 and 2010. Child and maternal mortality has been cut nearly by half. Total global fertility rates have fallen by nearly a quarter. More women have access to education, work and political participation, more children are going to school, and fewer adolescent girls are having babies.
However, 800 women a day still die in childbirth, 20,000 girls below age 18 give birth every day, and 222 million women do not have access to contraception and family planning.
Adolescent girls in the poorest communities are the most at-risk. Whe n girls do not have access to sexual and reproductive health services, they do not have the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Nine of ten births below age 18 occur within marriage. Governments must ensure access to modern contraceptives in order to allow girls and women to plan their lives, delay marriage and reduce the high number of unsafe abortions.
Unwanted pregnancies also cause girls to drop out of school. Two thirds of the world’s 775 million illiterate people are women. When adolescent girls cannot pursue higher education, they are unable to pursue work, earn an income and lift themselves out of poverty.
The ICPDreport clearly shows that the main barrier to accelerate progress and pull the remaining billion out of poverty is inequality. Women and girls face persistent discrimination. 1 in 3 women are victims of sexual or physical violence. According to the report, there is no country in the world where women are totally equal to men in political or economic power.
70 percent of governments have pledged to prioritize equality and reproductive rights in future development efforts. Let’s make sure policy makers stay committed and take actions to empower women and girls worldwide. Sign thepetition today and stay tuned for updates.