United kingdom closing assertion at the 54th Session on the Commission on Population and Development
Thank you Chair, Excellencies,
I am honoured to be part of you nowadays as we conclude the 54th Session on the Fee on Population and Improvement. Nowadays, Member States agreed to adopt a timely, and a great deal wanted resolution. Not only has it been 5 a long time due to the fact the past result of the fee, but this resolution demonstrates that the worldwide neighborhood can appear with each other and prioritise taking motion to secure girls, adolescents, women and marginalised populations.
We know that COVID-19 has experienced a profound affect on meals safety, the entry to safe and sound, nutritious and reasonably priced food, and minimal entry to sexual and reproductive wellness providers. Women and ladies bare the brunt of this impression. While women of all ages create 50% of the meals throughout the world, they account for 70% of the world’s hungry. There have been significant disruptions to critical sexual and reproductive well being services including household organizing, HIV screening and treatment, and secure abortions.
Hence, we welcome the timely commitments in the resolution to: * Reduce and get rid of sexual and gender based mostly violence * Make certain universal entry to sexual and reproductive health and fitness and reproductive legal rights * Mitigate the affect of COVID-19 similar college closures on ladies, which puts them at greater danger of harmful techniques this sort of as early, little one and forced relationship and female genital mutilation. * Worry the urgent require to make resilience to address the adverse impacts of local climate alter * Ensure entry to social safety programmes for women * Near the gender gap in entry to effective means in agriculture, with a check out to ensure equal accessibility to assets legal rights * Just take a multisectoral technique to handle the dietary requires of expecting and lactating women, ladies of a effective age, adolescents, infants and younger small children. * And, eliminate boundaries to wellness dealing with youth and adolescents, which includes actions supporting the avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases.
Importantly, the resolution reaffirms the essential job that UNFPA has in supporting member states to supply on the commitments manufactured in this resolution and to guarantee the comprehensive and successful implementation of the Intercontinental Meeting on Populace and Progress and the Beijing Declaration.
Member States have not only come jointly to agree to a resolution, but have labored towards tangible system on the realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights, the development of more sustainable food items units, and enhanced diet.
We regret that the textual content does not incorporate very important references to sexual legal rights and important components this sort of as thorough sexuality instruction. We lament that the textual content does not comprise a more robust emphasis on the affect of food stuff insecurity and COVID-19 on marginalised communities, and all those going through many and intersecting forms of discrimination.
We know that COVID-19 is possible to exacerbate and boost the situation of vulnerable and marginalised groups in culture, such as people dwelling with HIV, LGBT+, sexual intercourse employees, and refugees. These teams are struggling with enhanced risk of stigma, discrimination, sexual and gender based violence, reduction of revenue and even more constraints to accessing crucial supports and services. A survey conducted in just about 140 nations on the influence of COVID-19 on LGBT communities uncovered that 21% explained their access to HIV treatment had been confined or intricate. The worldwide group ought to arrive with each other to acquire timely action to reduce further marginalisation of these populations.
As we set out in our countrywide assertion sent previously this week, we hope the conversations below are carried ahead all through the remainder of the 12 months all through conversations at the Foods Programs Summit and COP 26. We will winner inclusivity all over our COP Presidency. We will use our posture to amplify the voices and methods of girls, adolescents and ladies and individuals most marginalised, empowering them as determination-makers, advocates and leaders.
We are immensely grateful to the function of the co-facilitators, Lebanon and Romania, UNFPA and DESA for the complex abilities, and the Chair, Burkina Faso for all their diligent operate aiding us achieve this point. We glance forward to reconvening upcoming year as we explore “Population and Sustainable Advancement, in unique sustained and inclusive economic advancement.”
Released 23 April 2021