Advancing the Ending Child Marriage and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Agenda at CPD57

30 years ago, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action reshaped global conversations, prioritising human rights, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights, within sustainable development frameworks. It emphasised women's rights and empowerment in policymaking and called for action against child marriages and early childbearing. Despite some notable progress, the politicisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in global forums like the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the UN commission charged with monitoring the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, threatens advancements in key policy and investment areas. At this year’s CPD session, we advocated for securing commitments to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights  and ending child, early and forced marriages and unions.

The CPD adopted by consensus the Declaration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, reaffirming the ICPD Programme of Action and key actions for its further implementation.

Driving Change: Our Impactful Advocacy at CPD57

At this year’s CPD in New York, Girls Not Brides' advocacy highlighted ongoing challenges in achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and rights, despite notable progress in areas like reducing child and maternal mortality and shifting harmful gender norms. Even 30 years after the ICPD Programme of Action, girls and women continue to face barriers in gaining access to sexual and reproductive information, as well as health-care services, including family planning and comprehensive sexuality education.

Child, early and forced marriages and unions represent a serious violation of sexual and reproductive health and rights. A key driver of adolescent pregnancy, child marriage has a hugely detrimental impact on the health and well-being of girls and young women, as well as on that of their children.

To effectively end child marriage, a comprehensive, intergenerational, and multisectoral approach is necessary. This approach should prioritise girls making decisions on when and with whom to have sex, when to marry and bear children, to negotiate safe sexual practices, to access appropriate and quality sexual and reproductive health services, and ultimately to enjoy better sexual and reproductive health. Girls Not Brides called for this approach to become a priority not only for the Commission on Population and Development, but also for the outcome documents of the Summit of the Future, in particular the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations.

Voices of Change

Oral Intervention in the Commission on Population and Development general discussion

Maria Luiza Mendez, the Director of Paz Joven, a Girls Not Brides member organisation in Guatemala, delivered an oral statement on behalf of Girls Not Brides, highlighting that access to sexual and reproductive health services and respect for sexual and reproductive rights are central to the global effort to end child, early and forced marriages and unions and are key elements of sustainable development.

Transforming Lives: Celebrating ICPD’s Impact on Choice and Autonomy

Diana Moreno, the Director of Advocacy of Pro Familia, a Girls Not Brides member organisation from Colombia, spoke in the side event, Transforming Lives: Celebrating ICPD’s Impact on Choice and Autonomy, co-organised by the Centre for Reproductive Rights, Fos Feminista and Plan International.

Diana emphasised the importance of integrating sexual and reproductive health and rights into humanitarian crisis responses, ensuring that these vital issues are not overlooked in times of need.

UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls Consultations

On the margins of the Commission on Population and Development, the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls held two consultations with civil society organisations.

Kanga Rasi, the Advocacy Coordinator of Girls Not Brides National Partnership in Kenya, advocated for just care work policies and highlighted the role of corporations in this area.

Georgiana Epure, the Global Advocacy Acting Manager at Girls Not Brides, intervened in the consultation regarding the Working Group’s future priorities, highlighting child marriage as a global issue that affects the rights of 12 million girls every year. She emphasised the need for comprehensive legal responses beyond just minimum age of marriage laws, also addressing dissolution of marriage laws and regulations, as well as legal protection for married girls, including regarding matrimonial property, inheritance, and custody rights.

What is needed?

Over the past thirty years, most countries have reaffirmed and operationalised, to various degrees, the commitments made in the ICPD Programme of Action. However, the growing trend of politicisation surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights in international fora, which hinders progress towards gender equality and hampers efforts to advance the agenda to end child, early and forced marriages and unions.

Protecting progressive agreed language within CPD outcome documents is important, since these represent decisions and resolutions collectively endorsed by member states and serve as guiding principles for the international community, directing its focus on specific issues, and as standards of accountability for government actions.