Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Co-convened by Co-Chairs H. E. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and The Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, and hosted by UNFPA, the High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 Follow-up met from 9 - 11 November 2022 in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania.
During the meeting the High-Level Commission launched their 2022 report: Sexual and reproductive justice as the vehicle to deliver the Nairobi Summit commitments. The Commission intends for its 2022 report and the event’s panel discussion to illuminate a path forward to achieve the Nairobi Commitments through a Sexual and Reproductive Justice framework.
The globally live-streamed event reported on gains and gaps in the progress of the 12 Global Commitments contained in the Nairobi Statement on ICPD25, to Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, who received the Commission’s second report.
“For all countries, continued development and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on achieving sexual and reproductive justice,” said Commission Co-chair H. E. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Co-chair The Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, underlined that the framework can apply universally, including in crisis situations. “We must leave no one behind,” she emphasized. “Sexual and reproductive justice is a framework for solidarity and for people to work together on issues that concern all of us.”
High-Level Commission members made site visits in Zanzibar to hospitals, health units, youth friendly centers, and more to witness how the ICPD25 commitments are making a difference on the ground in Tanzania, especially in the lives of women and girls.
Attending members of the Commission included Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and Ms. Lorence Kabasele Birungi, President of AfriYAN for Eastern and Southern Africa, among others.
UNFPA Country Representative, United Republic of Tanzania, Mark Bryan Schreiner, thanked members of the High-Level Commission for leading the way in work on women’s health and rights and in the follow-up process to ICPD25 through their 2022 report.
The report outlines how to use a sexual and reproductive justice framework to analyse the conditions in a community and broader society that determine sexual and reproductive destiny, going beyond individual choices and access to services. It provides a rallying point for social movements to establish momentum powerful enough to propel necessary changes.
The meeting was held on the occasion of the commemoration of the third anniversary of the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, which marked the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development.
Established in September 2020, the High-Level Commission annually tracks progress on the set of 12 Global Commitments made at the Nairobi Summit and provides guidance and political backing for meaningful follow-up. Coming from diverse backgrounds in governments, civil society, parliaments, youth and faith-based organizations, the private sector and others, Commission members provide recommendations to remove bottlenecks and accelerate momentum towards a world of rights and choices for all.
Besides the core Global Commitments, the Nairobi Summit led to more than 1,300 commitments made by some 140 Governments, civil society organizations and other stakeholders from 172 countries and territories. Follow-up actions are steps towards achieving three transformative results: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices. All three are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Read more: https://www.nairobisummiticpd.org/news/this-is-not-a-moment-its-a-movem…
For more information: UNFPA Tanzania CO | Warren Bright | bwarren@unfpa.org
UNFPA Regional Communication Adviser, East and Southern Africa | Daisy Leoncio | leoncio@unfpa.org
