This statement was presented at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris during the session on the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights on July 2nd, 2021. Click here to watch the commitments being delivered virtually at the Forum.
Good morning, good evening and good afternoon!
I am Sivananthi Thanenthiran. I am representing the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), a regional feminist partnership organisation. We envision an equal, just and equitable world, where women and young people enjoy their full sexual and reproductive health and rights free from coercion, violence and discrimination.
ARROW’s work is grounded on the lived realities of women and young people in the Asia and the Pacific region where the unfinished agenda of Beijing for us are access to safe abortion services, young people’s sexual and reproductive rights and ending female genital cutting (FGC).
Today, I am proud to make this commitment on behalf of ARROW to accelerate the agenda of the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
To ensure young people’s access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) – ARROW commits to strengthen the capacity of young people in all their diversity, of at least 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific to realise their SRHR. ARROW will enable a regional advocacy platform to amplify young people’s voices and to advocate for access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education. We will create advocacy spaces for young people through youth forums and multi-stakeholder dialogues for the inclusion of CSE into the mainstream education system of both in and out-of -school curriculums. This commitment will be carried out in collaboration with youth-led and serving organisations, UN agencies and governments regionally and at the national level.
To ensure access to safe abortion – ARROW commits to build a Global South solidarity and evidence-based women’s movement on the right to safe abortion through strengthening capacities, building solidarity, monitoring human rights violations, and advocacy. ARROW will continue monitoring government implementation of ensuring women’s right to safe abortion. This commitment will be carried out in collaboration with national, regional and global initiatives.
To end FGMC – female genital mutilation and cutting – ARROW commits to strengthen and expand our existing regional network – The Asia Network to End FGM/C – through awareness raising, capacity strengthening, monitoring and advocacy. This commitment will be carried out in collaboration with UN Agencies, our global partner – the Orchid Project, and sister networks to end FGM/C across the world.
These three commitments will contribute to meet at least three targets of the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and SRHR and one of the Action Coalition on Gender Based Violence (GBV). We see these three issues as the catalyst to expand sexual and reproductive autonomy, and enhance sexual and reproductive rights in the region.
Thank you.
