Youth Leadership Working Group letter to UN SG

The Youth Leadership Working Group wrote a letter  to the UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon in relation to the Synthesis Report on Post- 2015.

Download the letter:  YLWG-letter-to-SG-synthesis-report.pdf

The Youth Leadership Working Group is a group of young people representing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) organizations from each of the five geographical regions, and global representatives from national, regional and global SRHR networks. Our purpose is to ensure that youth voices are represented in the ICPD Beyond 2014 review and post-2015 processes. The Youth Leadership Working Group has been organizing and working with over 650 United Nations Member States, youth groups, individual youth participants, non-governmental organizations, private sector institutions and other stakeholders for almost two years in order to create a stronger presence of young people at ICPD and post2015 conferences.

_______

Subject: Inclusion of recommendations of the ICPD+20 Global Review Index Report in the Synthesis Report on Post-2015.

Friday 17 October 2014

Dear Mr. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon,

CC: Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Special Advisory of the Secretary- General on Post- 2015
Development Planning
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UNFPA

As young people working together to ensure the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action (PoA), we welcome the evidence-based ICPD+20 Global Review Index Report ‘Recurrent themes and key elements identified during the sessions of the Commission on Population and Development’ that completes the extensive ICPD+20 review process. The Index Report is a comprehensive report that mirrors the outcomes of the review of the ICPD PoA and reiterates the conclusions of several sessions of the Commission for Population and Development (CPD). Moreover, it presents a solid analysis of the progress and gaps since 1994 as well as key emerging issues and essential recommendations for Governments to advance the implementation of the ICPD PoA.

We especially welcome the prioritization of ensuring the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people worldwide, and applaud the call in the Index Report for scaling up, standardizing and strengthening youth-friendly health policies and programs, including the full participation of young people in the development and implementation of such programs. We also welcome the recurring acknowledgement that comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) remains key to eliminating gender inequality and gender-based violence.

However, although we welcome the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in the report, we feel that it should have better reflected the strong support for sexual rights, including the right of all individuals to decide freely on all matters related to their sexuality, demonstrated by the contributions of a broad base of governments and civil society throughout the ICPD Beyond 2014 process. We do, however, welcome the Report’s recognition of broad States’ support for laws and policies that address non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, though we note that this is only one component of sexual rights.

The Index Report reinforces a clear link between the ICPD and the Post-2015 agenda by stating that sustainable development depends on the success of the ICPD beyond 2014. It speaks of a continued people-centered approach for the Post-2015 agenda and urges governments to prioritize gender equality, women’s empowerment, investment in young people and universal access to SRHR. We therefore hope to see the important issues and recommendations of the Index Report reflected in your Synthesis on Post-2105. We strongly believe that Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights must be an integral part of the Post-2015 development agenda, in order to establish a sustainable, inclusive, and forward-looking development framework, that works towards ensuring the rights and wellbeing of all.

With this letter we would like to extend our appreciation for your leadership in the ICPD Beyond 2014 review process, as well as our full support and hope for a fruitful collaboration to achieve the bold and ambitious actions and common goals set out in the Index Report, in conjunction with the ICPD Programme of Action.

Yours sincerely,

Members of the Youth Leadership Working Group,
AfriYAN
African Young Positives Network
Alianza de Juventudes Rumbo a Cairo +20/Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of Youth Towards Cairo+20
Asian Pacific Resource & Research Center for Women (ARROW)
ASTRA Youth
CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
NGOs Coalition Against Female Genital Mutilation
Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ)
TakingITGlobal
World Young Women’s Christian Association (WYWCA)
World Assembly of Youth (WAY)
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR)
Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER)

This letter has also been endorsed by the following organizational signatories,
ASTRA Network
Centro de la Mujer (CEDEM)
dance4life
Federation for Women and Family Planning
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)
Ipas
International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC)
Sabryna Friedman
SERAC-Bangladesh
Women For A Change