– 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