Menstrual Health and Dignity Commitment
Women Engage for a Common Future on behalf of Women Major Group
(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction51705
Description
We the women and feminist organizations here at the UN Water Conference, are committing to keep advocating for the development of National Menstrual Health Strategies. Millions of girls do not have safe sanitation at school and are forced to stay home and miss school during their period. Millions of young girls and other menstruators suffer from menstrual-poverty, they have no access to affordable sanitation products. Menstrual health and dignity should be at the center of our Water and Sanitation policies, and we should do away with menstrual taboos and discrimination. Governments must uphold the commitments they have made, in the: Convention to End Discrimination Against all Women and Girls, UN General Assembly Resolution on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goal target 6.2 that state women and girl's rights to water and sanitation should be ensured. So far only some 40 countries are reporting on menstrual health management in their reporting to the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). Even fewer governments are working on promoting menstrual health products that are better for the environment and climate, that can be reused and are free of toxic chemicals.
We will advocate to ensure that each menstruator has: *Access to sanitation with safe spaces for menstruation in schools including free of charge reusable menstrual products, access to clean water and soap, waste baskets and privacy *Ensure that menstruators have access to a basket of choice of affordable menstrual products, including by a zero-VAT on (reusable) menstrual products. *Promote local production of a range of reusable menstrual health and hygiene products, including pads and cups, that create jobs and access in particular in rural areas *Ensure that comprehensive sexuality education covers menstruation *Strengthen feminist menstrual movements in region, such as the Pacific Menstrual Health Coalition We commit to continue advocating for menstrual health and dignity rights in our countries and regions for the period till 2030, to ensure full implementation of SDG6.2.
WECF, Netherlands/France/Germany/Georgia JHR, North-Macedonia BOONDH, India DIVA, Fiji Black Sea Women Club, Ukraine Milieukontakt, Albania FANMEX, Mexico ONGAWA, Spain WEP, Nigeria WEP, Chad WEP, Burkina Faso WEP, Niger WEP, Togo WEP, Tunisia WFAC, Cameroon Reacción Climática, Bolivia ARUWE, Uganda FEIM and REDNAC, Argentina Gender Centru, Moldova ADESE, Madagascar Soroptimist International, UK, GAGGA, Netherlands/Global
SDGS & Targets
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
*Access to sanitation with safe spaces for menstruation in schools including free of charge reusable menstrual products, access to clean water and soap, waste baskets and privacy *Ensure that menstruators have access to a basket of choice of affordable m
Special event during HLPF 2025 with a focus on partnerships for advancing menstrual health and dignity.
Special event during HLPF 2027 with a focus on SDG5 and rights of women and girls to menstrual health and dignity
Special event during HLPF 2028 with a focus on SDG6 and countries achieving menstrual health and dignity
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Share
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Global
Other beneficiaries
Girls, women and other menstruators that currently are discriminated and/or lack access to safe menstrual health and dignity in their schools and communities. We will advocate to ensure that each menstruator has: *Access to sanitation with safe spaces for menstruation in schools including free of charge reusable menstrual products, access to clean water and soap, waste baskets and privacy *Ensure that menstruators have access to a basket of choice of affordable menstrual products, including by a zero-VAT on (reusable) menstrual products. *Promote local production of a range of reusable menstrual health and hygiene products, including pads and cups, that create jobs and access in particular in rural areas *Ensure that comprehensive sexuality education covers menstruation *Strengthen feminist menstrual movements in region, such as the Pacific Menstrual Health Coalition
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Sascha, Executive Director