[watch the recording] Trump's earlier tenure as President of the United States was marred by the infamous jolt to abortion rights and broader sexual and reproductive health and rights. Within days after the 2024 election results point towards his imminent return as the President, anti-abortion and anti-rights agenda is menacingly on the rise once again, as per the recent news.
We must remember that all governments have promised to deliver on gender equality and human rights by endorsing a range of declarations, agreements and other commitments, including the legally-binding treaty CEDAW in 1979 (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), ICPD in 1994 (International Conference on Population and Development and its Programme of Action), Beijing Declaration in 1995 and its platform for action, UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, among others.
But anti-rights push of Geneva Consensus Declaration threatens to undo whatever-little progress has been made on gender equality and human rights. The Geneva Consensus Declaration takes an anti-rights stance against recognising abortion as a human right and aims to scuttle sexual and reproductive rights. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned us last year that "on the current track, gender equality is projected to be 300 years away." Governments have promised to deliver on gender equality by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
But anti-rights push of Geneva Consensus Declaration threatens to undo whatever-little progress has been made on gender equality and human rights. The Geneva Consensus Declaration takes an anti-rights stance against recognising abortion as a human right and aims to scuttle sexual and reproductive rights. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned us last year that "on the current track, gender equality is projected to be 300 years away." Governments have promised to deliver on gender equality by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“When the PACT for the future was adopted at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2024, alarmingly over 30 countries have adopted it which are also signatories to the regressive and anti-rights Geneva Consensus Declaration,” said Menka Goundan, Programme Director, ARROW (Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women).
Menka added: “Whilst the bigger winds like the PACT of the future adopted at the UNGA might come in, and we would be like ‘oh yeah! this is so progressive’ but we often do not underscore it against threats like Geneva Consensus Declaration which will impede the progressive implementation of the PACT for the Future, and other commitments we are making for gender equality and human rights."
“That is why we need to educate ourselves in terms of threats like Geneva Consensus Declaration. This Declaration is regressive and anti-abortion, and right winged (in terms of its framework) because it allows governments to hide under the principle of ‘sovereignty’ and to release these countries from their obligation to enact sexual and reproductive rights for women. So, it is a very slim move to regress when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights. We are failing to ensure that women have autonomy to make choices on their sexual and reproductive health” said Menka.
Conflicting policies
Safe abortion rights are critical to the progress of humankind
“The regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration is absolutely a conservative, authoritative and repressive attempt against the choice of women for their reproductive rights as it promotes no right to abortion. Ironically, Geneva Consensus Declaration is meant to be for the ‘women's health and gender equality’. However, it neither promotes the health rights of women nor includes any issues of people from sexual minorities. Geneva Consensus Declaration pushes against the international efforts to make safe abortion a human right, and calls for global health policies to focus on improving maternal health without prioritizing abortion,” said Tushar Niroula, Executive Director, MSI (Marie Stopes International) Nepal.
“Nepal has got a very progressive safe abortion law in the country, but the consequences of Geneva consensus declaration can pose a threat and have a very negative impact, even though Nepal is not a signatory to the Geneva Consensus Declaration. However, there is a rise in anti-abortion groups promoting pro-life which may further fuel anti-abortion movements of conservative forces within Nepal, especially among the religious organizations or individuals,” added Niroula.
Rise of global anti-rights movements is threatening SRHR
Tushar Niroula of MSI Nepal says: “We cannot be complacent in countries where we have a progressive safe abortion law because attempts like Geneva Consensus Declaration will encourage anti-abortion movements and active opposition from religious groups, which may potentially lead to the rollback of safe abortion laws. 28 out of 36 countries within MSI Network have reported active opposition against sexual and reproductive health and rights in the last two years. 8 country programmes in MSI Network reported direct attack from anti-abortion pro-life groups and many more reported attacks from local organizations. Regressive activities like Geneva Consensus Declaration can create a barrier to access safe abortion services, which could lead to an increase in unsafe abortions resulting in high maternal morbidity and mortality.”
Agrees Dr Dalvie of ASAP: “We must be very involved in strategizing to mitigate the risks that could be posed by regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration to whatever progress has happened on gender equality and human rights. Even in countries where we have the abortion law there is still potential for it to be taken away as we have seen with the example of the United States.”
Gender justice is vital cog-in-the-wheel for SDGs
While on the larger level, political agendas have to be rooted in gender and development justice where "no one is truly left behind" yet at an individual level too we have to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and norms. Harmful narrative for gender inequality is regressive and so is the rise of anti-rights movements worldwide.
The year 2025 will mark 30 years since Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action were adopted in 1995. Beijing+30 intergovernmental review processes are being held in Africa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) and later this month in Asia and the Pacific region.
The year 2025 will mark 30 years since Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action were adopted in 1995. Beijing+30 intergovernmental review processes are being held in Africa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) and later this month in Asia and the Pacific region.
(Citizen News Service)
10 November 2024
(Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA). She coordinates SHE & Rights Media Initiative (Sexual health with equity and rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)
Daily Good Morning Kashmir, India (full newspaper page, 12 November 2024) |
Published in:
- CNS
- Daily Good Morning Kashmir, India (full newspaper page, 12 November 2024)
- Eurasia Review, Spain
- Asia Sentinel, Hong Kong (13 November 2024)
- Modern Ghana
- Op-Ed News
- Africa Science News, Kenya
- The Seoul Times, South Korea
- Pakistan Christian Post
- One News Page
- MediCircle, India
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