Consensus reached on protection of women, adolescents, girls, and marginalised communities
UK explanation of position at the adoption of the 55th session of Commission on Population and Development outcome document
Thank you Chair, Excellencies,
The United Kingdom is immensely grateful to you, Mr Chair, to our co-facilitators, El Salvador and the Netherlands, to UNFPA and DESA for their technical expertise, and to our fellow Member States for helping us reach this point. The adoption of this resolution by consensus, for the second year in a row, demonstrates our collective will to take action to protect women, adolescents, girls, and marginalised communities, and signifies the continued importance of this Commission.
We know that sustained and inclusive economic growth can only be realised when all women, adolescents and girls have their full human rights respected, protected and fulfilled, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. The human rights of women, adolescents and girls in all their diversity include the right to have control over, and to decide freely on all matters related to their sexuality.
We welcome the commitments in the resolution to:
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Inclusive and equitable quality education for girls;
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To ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights;
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To increased and sustained investment in measures to empower women, girls, and youth and to provide an enabling environment for the full realisation of their human rights;
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To ensure gender-responsive implementation of climate action;
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To prevent and eliminate sexual and gender based violence;
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And to scale up efforts to accelerate the transition of women from informal to formal employment, including access to decent work, equal pay for equal work and social protection policies.
Importantly, the resolution reaffirms the critical role that UNFPA has in supporting member states to deliver upon the commitments made in this resolution and to ensure the full and effective implementation of the ICPD and the outcomes of it reviews.
We are, however, disappointed that a more ambitious outcome couldn’t be reached. We regret that the text does not contain a stronger focus on the impact of economic exclusion on those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. We also sincerely regret that vital references to sexual rights and essential components such as comprehensive sexuality education are missing from the text.
It is, as we know, vitally important that we are able to achieve a consensus outcome. But we also need to be able to progress and ensure the commitments made in this resolution are reflective of the realities on the ground. The UK looks forward to reconvening next year as we discuss ‘Population, education and sustainable development’.
Thank you again Mr, Chair.