Pacific Feminist SRHR Coalition commends the
MOANA DECLARATION OF PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARIANS

An emergent coalition of over 32 organisations and networks across 10 Pacific states have been working strongly together for the past 2 years to advance SRHR in the Pacific with allies in States, and civil society, and based on decades of work by the feminist and women’s movements in the region to ensure quality, integrated and accessible sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, without discrimination.

Coalition facilitators, Pacific Youth Council (PYC), Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), Diverse Voices and Actions for Equality (DIVA), together with international network, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), strongly welcome the MOANA Declaration that was signed by parliamentarians attending the Pacific Conference of Parliamentarians for Advocacy in ICPD beyond 2014, in Suva, Fiji from 13-15 August 2013.

This Declaration provides solid and powerful text for Pacific governments at the forthcoming 6th Asia Pacific Population Conference in September 2013, in Bangkok Thailand.

The Coalition further appreciates the articulation of the linked nature of all 18 important commitments made at the meeting.  They include attention to NCDs, commitment to ‘reshaping the ICPD Beyond-2014 and Post-2015 Development Agenda at the regional and global levels through our strong advocacy and participation’, and a commitment to ‘speak with a strong voice’ on issues of SRHR in all fora;

We especially recognise the commitment to increase women’s and young people’s participation in decision making and in political, social and economic processes at all levels’; and on particular support for Pacific young women, persons with disabilities, as well as other, ‘vulnerable and marginalized groups’, by which we understand inclusion of people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.

We look forward to the earliest establishment of Pacific country-level parliamentary groups so that supportive political leaders can advance these ICPD Beyond 2014 issues within a SRHR agenda, as well as the stated commitment to work closely with civil society including women’s groups and young people, in ongoing dialogue and partnership with diverse sectors and groups in remote, rural and urban Pacific.  We recommend that in future this could further include Pacific-led South-south Parliamentary partnerships to advance SRHR and gender equality outcomes in SIDS, LDC groupings, etc.

We applaud the Parliamentarians, UN agencies and other development agencies for listening to the voices of Pacific SRHR advocates on the urgency of accelerated work in the region, and for their bold reiteration through the Moana Declaration, of a commitment to universal human rights, sexual and reproductive health and to the principle of non-discrimination. We look forward to working with them to strengthen implementation.

9 September 2013

Signatories:

Pacific Youth Council (PYC)
Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM)
Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)

This letter will be open for individual, organisational or network endorsement until close of business (Fiji) Friday 13 September 2013. Send email with ‘Endorse Moana’ in the subject line to : noelenen@gmail.com

Note: Please indicate whether this is an individual or organisational endorsement; Provide contact name; full name of organisation; email address; country/regional/global coverage;