[Brussels, 13 may 2014] On 13 May 2014, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) organsed a Global Day of Action to launch the worldwide campaign “I Decide” and Vision 2020 , a ten-point call to action. The aim is to raise awareness on the necessity to actively defend and implement sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and to call on world leaders to prioritize this issue. It is particularly crucial as the post-2015 Development Agenda is currently discussed, as well as the twenty year review of progress towards achieving the Cairo Programme of Action.
Additionally, various events were organized by IPPF all around the world, and the report “Sexual and reproductive health and rights – a crucial agenda for the post-2015 framework “ has been release to support SRHR defenders advocacy and reach decision-makers.
This Global Day of Action is meant to happen every year on the 13 of May to celebrate the right for women to decide with whom they want to share their lives, to decide about their bodies, about the size of their families, and to decide about their future.
On this occasion, IPPF EN’s regional office in Brussels held a reception to launch the petition of the campaign “I Decide”, and to celebrate its long-lasting and fruitful SRHR advocacy collaboration with numerous civil society organisations and representatives from the European institutions.
Viviane Teitelbaum, president of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), was invited to talk about the EWL’s partnership with IPPF to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. She stressed that this issue “has always been central in EWL advocacy word.” “We believe that every woman should have the possibility to make decisions about her own life, to access information and quality services and to enjoy the highest standards of reproductive and sexual health.” She also underlined the important collaboration and partnership between IPPF and EWL. The synergy created allows a better reaction and mobilisation to preserve and ensure women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Over the last months, this collaboration proved again to be very effective when defending the Estrela report on sexual and reproductive rights at the end of last year, as well as the demonstration in support of women in Spain in January, and more recently, when reacting to the citizen’s initiative One of Us. In these times of backlash on gender equality in Europe, collaboration between IPPF and the EWL is more than necessary to have a strong voice defending SRHR at European level.
Other civil society organisations took the floor to stress the importance of collaborating to protect and ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights. Indeed, “we sometimes forget that they need to be actively defended” stated Neil Datta, Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and development – EPF, as the growing threat of backlash makes it more than necessary to join forces. For Patrizia Pompili, Coordinator of EuroNGOs, it is clear that a partnership is our “only chance to maximize chances and successes.” She believes it would be relevant to “create a European sexual health and reproductive rights voice”, as a way forward to ensure that the new MEPs and European Commissioners will commit to these issues, and become “champions of SHRH”, as Seamus Jefferson, CONCORD Director, proposed.
You can sign the petition here.
IPPF Vision 2020 Film:
