The year 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) which adopted a 20-year Program of Action. Additionally, the deadline for reaching the Millennium Development Goals approaches. The Post-2015 process is a unique chance to influence the future development agenda and ensure the visibility of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The recent UN Secretary General’s report on “Recurrent themes and key elements identified during the sessions of the Commission on Population and Development” confirms the linkage between SRHR and poverty, engaging adolescents and youth, achieving gender equality, reducing gender-based violence, and the critical importance of adopting human rights-based approaches to future development. Sexual and reproductive health and rights cut across the economic, social and environmental components of sustainable development and are key components of the measures that must be taken to respect and protect human rights, empower women and young people, particularly adolescent girls, and eliminate inequalities, which are still persistent in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.
