Africa Civil Society Statement on ICPD Beyond 2014

The civil society organizations of Africa recognize African governments and development partners for the progress that has been made towards the realization of the commitments of the ICPD Programme of Action (PoA). Since 1994 governments have formulated various policies to contextualize the ICPD PoA, and they have adopted various regional protocols to reinforce the ICPD framework, including the Maputo Protocol, the Maputo Plan of Action (MPoA) on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), the Abuja Declaration, and the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa. 

In spite of the gains, there are marked deficiencies in implementation, and Africa has realized the least progress in most ICPD and related MDG indicators. High levels of maternal mortality, poverty, social inequities, disease burden from both infectious and non-communicable diseases, low levels of schooling, low status of women, limited access to SRHR information and services, and the underfunded health sector remain major barriers to socioeconomic development in Africa.  The situation is compounded by the region’s rapid population growth, adverse effects of global warming, civil conflicts, and limited accountability in use of public financial and natural resources.  

We reaffirm the continued relevance of the ICPD PoA in the post 2015 development agenda.  We call upon African governments and development partners to urgently demonstrate political will and commitment to the ICPD agenda by mobilizing financial resources and enabling implementation of interventions to address the continent’s population and development challenges.  

Actions must be guided by: Human Rights principles, integrity, transparency and accountability, inclusiveness, and strong partnerships with the private sector, CSOs and communities.

We make the following recommendations along four thematic areas:  

1.      Human Security, Environment and Population Mobility 

1.1 Intensify peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms within countries and across borders in order to tackle recurring conflicts and preserve human dignity and livelihoods through increased involvement of communities, women, and youth.

1.2 Enhance provision of relief and related social services to people affected by conflict, particularly women and girls, refugees, internally displaced people, and persons with disabilities and ensure that their human rights, including SRHR, are fully protected and preserved. 

1.3  Reinforce the development and enforcement of laws and programs to end the culture of violence and impunity that is perpetuated by militarization, fundamentalism, patriarchy, and human trafficking.  

1.4  Strengthen local, national and regional justice systems to bring those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice.  

1.5  Ensure food security and strengthen agricultural productivity and livelihoods by: developing irrigation systems, supporting ecological agriculture, halting land-grabbing and securing ownership of land especially for women, and strengthening resilience and capacities to adapt to impacts of climate change and related natural disasters

1.6  Enact national policies and bilateral agreements that protect the human rights of African migrant workers within and outside Africa especially women, in line with ILO conventions. 

1.7  Urgently implement AU Heads of State Decision to remove visa and related restrictions to facilitate the freedom of movement within Africa.

1.8  Reinforce efforts to enhance the role of Africans in the diaspora in Africa’s development, and provide opportunities for sharing experiences in maximizing diaspora investments and socio-political participation. 
 

1.9  Promote rural development to reduce rural-urban migration and improve urban planning, governance and infrastructure to enhance the role of urbanization in socioeconomic development.

1.10 Recognize that sustainable development entails striking a balance between meeting the social, economic, and health needs of current and future generations with environmental protection and preservation of natural resources, and that Africa’s population dynamics[i] influence prospects for sustainable development. All governments and other stakeholders should reinforce integration of population dynamics and the environment at all levels of development planning and programme implementation.

2.      Inclusive Economic Transformation 

2.1  Maximize Africa’s chances of harnessing the Demographic Dividend by ensuring universal access to family planning and other reproductive health services, empowerment of women, investments in education and public health, and economic reforms that facilitate savings, investment and promotion of industries that reinforce value addition, create quality jobs, with particular attention to job creation and livelihood opportunities for women and youth.

2.2  Develop review and enact national policies and laws to ensure that trade and investment agreements with multinationals, foreign governments, and local companies are transparent, strategic, and prevent exploitative business practices and capital flight, and maximize benefits to African countries and local communities. 

2.3  Strengthen governance, political and economic systems that are grounded in the Human Rights framework, integrity and accountability in use of public resources and service delivery, inclusiveness and investment in human development. 

2.4  Enact laws that strengthen the capacity of communities to access, control and manage land, energy, technology and information, especially for women, youth, persons with disabilities, and indigenous people. 

2.5  Institute and extend social protection mechanisms to safeguard the wellbeing of vulnerable groups by recognizing and rewarding women for their role in taking care of the children, the sick, the elderly, persons with disability, and other disadvantaged people, among other mechanisms.

3        Education and Employment

3.1  Reform and harmonise formal and non-formal education systems and curricula to ensure quality education that fosters innovation, development of productive skills, spirit of entrepreneurship, and visionary leadership that meets emerging needs of local and global economies. 

3.2  Ensure universal enrolment, retention, and progression at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and close inequities relating to gender, geography and socio-economic status particularly for pregnant girls, the rural and urban poor, persons with disabilities, young people in conflict situations, those living with HIV, and other marginalized communities. 

3.3  Develop and fully implement policies and programs to prevent and address all forms of school-based violence including violence perpetrated against young girls, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, and persons with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities.  

3.4  Ensure relevance of education that includes promoting technical, vocational education and training programs, making use of new information, communication technologies, and one that is applicable to current labour market trends and demands. 

3.5  Intensify efforts to create employment, alternative livelihoods and enhance the civil and political participation for young people and their role as agents of socioeconomic change and development.

4        Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

4.1  Operationalize the right to health by adopting equity and rights-based planning and resource-allocation, facilitating community participation in health decision-making and programming, and educating healthcare providers and communities on what the right to health means in service provision.

4.2  Prioritize and adequately finance universal access to comprehensive, quality and integrated SRH services including adequate counselling, information and education; access to full range of acceptable, affordable, safe, effective and high-quality contraceptives of choice, comprehensive maternity care, access to comprehensive abortion care, prevention and treatment of infertility, STIs, reproductive cancers and other diseases.

4.3  Repeal laws criminalizing access to safe abortion in line with the provisions of Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol.  

4.4  Create awareness and ensure that the right to health, especially SRHR, for all people including marginalized groups[1] is respected and that health care providers are trained to provide services that are free from stigma, coercion, discrimination and violence, and respects human rights, including the right to confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, and bodily integrity. 

4.5  Remove existing barriers, including requirements for spousal and parental consent, to women and young people gaining access to family planning, comprehensive abortion care, and other reproductive health services.

4.6  Implement the MPoA commitment to allocate 15% of the health budget to family planning and address all demand and supply oriented barriers of access to, and use of family planning.

4.7  Implement and fully fund, quality, evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education programmes that provide accurate information on human sexuality, gender equality, human rights, relationships, and sexual and reproductive health for both in and out-of-school youth that is relevant to each specific age group.  

4.8  Strengthen male involvement as advocates, clients and equal partners on SRHR, including in the promotion of gender equality and SRHR of women and girls. 

4.9  Eliminate sexual and gender based violence in private and public spheres, including female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence and marital rape by enacting laws that punish perpetrators, expand access to justice for survivors, and strengthen existing institutional structures.   

4.10 Strengthen and enforce laws that end child, early and forced marriage and set minimum legal age of marriage to 18.

4.11 Formulate and implement policies and programs that promote positive African cultures, and challenge harmful traditional practices, which are at the root of gender inequality, violence against women and girls and the legitimatization of women’s subordination.  

5. Monitoring and Accountability 

 5.1 We reaffirm the vital role for data and research evidence in guiding the implementation of ICPD beyond 2014 agenda and call on governments and other stakeholders to strengthen the capacities of local experts and institutions in generation, analysis, and use of data and related evidence to ensure evidence-based decision-making and transparent monitoring and accountability processes for all aspects of the ICPD beyond 2014 agenda. The data should be disaggregated by sex, age, disability, geographical location and other socioeconomic characteristics.

 6. Harnessing the Demographic Dividend and Sustainable Development

6.1 In conclusion, if governments, development partners and other stakeholders implement the recommendations above, Africa will achieve the goals of the ICPD agenda and other development frameworks, harness the Demographic Dividend and achieve sustainable development.

6.2 Governments and all stakeholders must simultaneously invest in rights-based universal access to family planning and other sexual and reproductive health services, public health, quality education, adopt economic policies that will create employment, and ensure accountable use of public financial and natural resources.

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[1] Such as rural populations, persons with disabilities, adolescent girls, out of school youth, sex workers, migrants, displaced populations, indigenous people, people living with HIV, older people and people of different sexual orientations and gender identities.

[i] Rapidly growing population and young age structure, rapid urbanization, rising international migration and population mobility, and changing household and family structures