– Generation Equality Forum : France must lead a ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights’ coalition

– Generation Equality Forum : France must lead a ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights’ coalition

Following an initiative from Equipop, Le Planning Familial and Médecins du Monde, 93 networks and associations working on “sexual and reproductive health and rights” in more than 30 countries are calling on President Emmanuel Macron to ensure that France creates and leads a SRHR coalition at the Generation Equality Forum (“Beijing25”).

Letter to Emmanuel Macron,
2 December 2019

Dear President Macron,

Re: For the Generation Equality Forum to be successful, France must lead a ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights’ (SRHR) coalition

At the Sixth Replenishment conference of the Global Fund to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria held in Lyon on 10 October this year, you referred to the synergy that needed to be developed between matters of health and gender. You stressed that questions of sexual and reproductive health mirror those in the fight for gender equality. You identified the Generation Equality Forum as an arena where these themes, which are fundamentally linked, must be brought together in a tangible way.  

The Generation Equality Forum will be the feminist gathering of the year, tackling a host of gender-equality themes. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, which are regularly excluded from multilateral negotiations, must be the focus of one of the special coalitions for action scheduled for launch in July 2020. Such an initiative is all the more meaningful in the context of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Conference, where one of the most significant advances was encapsulated in the words: ‘The human rights of women include their right to have control over […] their sexuality’.

SRHR are a source of diplomatic tension. It takes significant effort to drive them up the international agenda. In this regard, France is ideally placed as the organising body to lead a SRHR coalition in the context of the Generation Equality Forum. In addition, the other States which have taken a stance on this issue are less influential. Lastly, such action could subsequently have a significant impact on a large number of Francophone countries whose SRHR indicators are among the most alarming in the world.  

To date, the speeches given in various national and international contexts by Marlène Schiappa, French Minister of State for Gender Equality, and Delphine O, Secretary General of the Generation Equality Forum 2020, and, more generally, France’s position on SRHR at the UN represent positive signs. When the time comes to make a decision, we are asking you personally to ensure that France heads up a SRHR coalition at the Generation Equality Forum.

Furthermore, the 93 networks and associations that have endorsed this letter and work on SRHR issues in more than 30 countries wish to convey to you their desire to contribute to the momentum that would be generated by such a coalition in the coming years, particularly given the absence of any vertical funding earmarked for SRHR.

We have much to offer as a result of our expertise, our networks and our capacity to relay recommendations based on individuals’ genuine needs in a variety of contexts. In Lyon you yourself commented that: ‘We should draw more heavily on the many innovations in health led by local stakeholders on the ground.’ Beijing+25 is the first opportunity to put this approach into practice.  

We appreciate you taking time to consider our request. Against a background of aggressive questioning of women’s rights and SRHR in particular, France has assumed a huge responsibility as organiser of the Generation Equality Forum. July 2020 must mark the launch of an unprecedented international pro-SRHR movement. In this we are counting on you.

Yours sincerely,

Aurélie Gal-Régniez, Executive Director, Equipop
Catherine Giboin, Vice President, Médecins du Monde
Véronique Séhier, Co President, Le Planning Familial

On behalf of 93 networks and associations working in more than 30 countries:

(Albania, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Northern Macedonia, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States)

ABBEF

AfriYAN Madagascar

Action contre les Grossesses non Désirées et à Risque

AIBEF

AIDES

AIDOS (Italian Association for Women in Development)

Albanian Center for Population and Development

Alliance des femmes pour la démocratie

Alliance Internationale des Femmes

Alliance internationale des jeunes pour la planification familiale de Guinée (IYAFP Guinée) 

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center

Associação para o Planeamento da Família (APF)

Association des Femmes Juristes de Côte d’ivoire (AFJCI)

Association Aide moi à Etre Mère

Association Chance et Protection Pour Toutes

Association d’Aide à l’Éducation de l’Enfant Handicapé (AAEEH)

Association D’Assistance Pour les Maladies Infectieuses

Association des Femmes de l’Europe Méridionale

Association des Femmes Juristes de Côte d’Ivoire

Association des Jeunes pour la Citoyenneté Active et la Démocratie Mali

Association for human rights and active citizenship Pariter

Association pour la Promotion des Droits des Jeunes

Association pour la promotion des jeunes et enfants communicateurs

Association pour la Santé Sexuelle et de l’Autonomisation des Jeunes

Association Songui Manegré/Aide au Développement Endogène (ONG ASMADE)

BOCS Foundation

BURCASO

Coordination des associations pour le droit à l’avortement & la contraception Paris

Center for Reproductive Rights

Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos

CeRADIS

Center for Health and Gender Equity

Club des jeunes filles leaders de Guinée

Conseil National des Femmes Françaises

Coalition PLUS

Conseil consultatif National des enfants et jeunes du Mali

Convergence pour le Développement Durable

Danish Family Planning Association

Direction de la Promotion de l’Education inclusive de l’Education des Filles et du Genre

DSW

EngenderHealth

Ensemble Sécurisons le Futur

Equipop

European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YouAct)

Federación de Planificación Familiar Estatal

Femnet Senegal

Génial Green Africa

Health Education and Research Association

Humanity Diaspo

Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme (IPBF)

International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion

International Planned Parenthood Federation, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

International Youth Alliance for Family Planning

Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning

Jci Universitaire Bamako

Jeunesse et Développement

Latvia’s Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health

Le Bureau d’Appui Conseil d’Afrique pour les Réalisations

Les effronté-es

Le Planning Familial

Libres MarianneS

Marie Stopes International

Médecins du Monde

Missions Burkinabe Humanitaires

ONG Coalition Namané de la Nawa

ONG Enfants en Détresse

ONG MESSI

ONG ORASUR

ONG SongES Niger

Organisation des Jeunes Africains pour le Développement et l’Emergence

Oxfam France

PAI

Parlement des enfants

Plateforme Africaine des Jeunes Femmes Leaders Francophones

Rayon des initiatives culturelles, musicales et des arts oraux

Réseau de champions du plaidoyer pour le financement adéquat de la santé en Côte d’Ivoire

Réseau Ivoirien des Jeunes contre le Sida

RFSU/IPPF Sweden 

Rutgers

Sensoa

Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Société de gynécologie et d’obstétrique De Cote d’ivoire

Solidarité Sida

SOLTHIS (Solidarité Thérapeutique et Initiatives pour la Santé)

TERRAM PACIS

The International Civil Society Action Network

Uhuru Community Development Project

UNFM France Europe

Univers des Routiers Burkinabe pour la Sante et le Développement

WAVE Foundation

Women Deliver

Women Included

Youth Women for Action