DAWN’s General Co-coordinator, María Graciela Cuervo, participated at the third session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC CPD) held in Lima, Peru (7 to 9 August 2018).
The purpose of this third meeting of the LAC CPD was to examine the first regional draft report on the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development; to present national progress on the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development; and to consider a proposal for a virtual platform for the regional follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus. Furthermore, the final report of the ad hoc working group for the preparation of a proposal on the indicators for regional follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development was presented at this meeting.
DAWN joined the voices of feminists and other civil society organizations, both at the Civil Society Forum and during the Meeting, highlighting the importance of the Montevideo Consensus in setting a comprehensive human rights-based framework to respect, protect and fulfil sexual rights and reproductive rights as a core component of human rights and sustainable development.
The Declaration of the Civil Society Forum the day prior to the meeting, warned governments how advances in terms of sexual rights and reproductive rights are not sufficiently recovered in the Draft of the first regional report on the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development; and obstacles for implementing the Consensus were not properly recognized. The Declaration called upon governments to take a firm political decision to implement policies with budgets and law, so that it is possible to deepen progress and avoid stagnation or setbacks. Read the full declaration here (at the moment only available in Spanish).
DAWN also contributed with language revision and proposals to the governments outcome document, including references to: adequate allocation of resources and the creation and strengthening of institutional mechanisms for implementation and monitoring of the Consensus; visualization of sexual orientation and gender identity in data disaggregation and collection; secularity of the State as an indispensable condition for the full exercise of human rights, and to guarantee the provision of secular and quality education. Some of this language is reflected in the outcome document.
DAWN’s María Graciela joined the civil society delegation from the Dominican Republic supporting advocacy actions to decriminalize abortion in that country in three extreme cases, in accordance with paragraphs 14, 40 and 42 of the Montevideo Consensus. It is worth mentioning that during the meeting, on August 8, the Argentinian Senate had the historical and political responsibility of voting the Law on Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy proposed in Argentina. Unfortunately, the vote went completely against women’s human rights. But, throughout the conferences, feminists from countries throughout the region manifested their support to the #MareaVerde, stating that we will resist and continue to defend the sexual rights and reproductive rights of women and girls.