Netherlands on behalf of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay
Cross-regional joint statement on SDG 3 and 5
Delivered by Ambassador at large of the Netherlands, Mr. Jeroen
Verheul, on behalf of the following countries:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia,
France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and my own country, the Netherlands.
Mr./ Ms. President, thank you for giving me the floor.
We reaffirm our commitment to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable
Development and all the Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
In 2015, we pledged that nobody will be left behind, that people are
placed at the centre of development, and that human rights should be
respected, protected and fulfilled without distinction of any kind. The
2030 Agenda aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms, to tackle the
root causes of structural inequalities, violence and discrimination, to
achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls,
and to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all.
During this year's High Level Political Forum, SDGs 3 and 5 on health
and gender equality are reviewed amongst others. These two SDGs are
inherently and strongly connected. Despite extensive efforts to achieve
gender equality, women, girls and adolescents continue to be subjected
to discrimination, violence and harmful practices and denied the full
realization of their human rights, including their right to the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health. Women's, girls' and
adolescents' autonomy to decide freely on their sexual and reproductive
health and rights is often undermined by harmful socio-cultural norms,
age barriers and third-party consent requirements and restrictions. As a
result, they cannot access the information they need to make healthy
decisions, or get the health services to effectuate their choices. This
dire situation is also clearly reflected in the progress report of the
Secretary General. Although laudable progress is made, it is still much
too slow in critical areas such as violence against women and girls,
including child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
The report also clearly indicates that just over half of women worldwide
are making their own decisions about consensual sexual relations and
the use of contraception and health services. Improvements in the
collection, use and dissemination of quality age and sex disaggregated
data is needed to improve monitoring progress in these areas.
Against this backgrounds, realizing SDG 3 and 5, and in particular
universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights are key
for sustainable development and a pre-requisite for progress on all
other SDGs. It helps to address empower women and girls, inequalities,
eradicate poverty, improve educational attainment and public health
outcomes, foster productivity and labour force participation, reap the
benefits of demographic dividends, improve environmental
management, energy, food security, water and sanitation, and enhance
resilience and impact of climate adaptation efforts.
Investments in women, girls, adolescents and youths are an investment
in our collective future.
We respectfully request that these linkages between SRHR and
achieving SDGs 3, 5 and the other SDGs are reflected in the thematic
review of these two goals.
,·
We hope that in the further implementation and careful monitoring of
the 2030 agenda by the UN and its member states not a single target is
left behind.
Delivered by Ambassador at large of the Netherlands, Mr. Jeroen
Verheul, on behalf of the following countries:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia,
France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and my own country, the Netherlands.
Mr./ Ms. President, thank you for giving me the floor.
We reaffirm our commitment to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable
Development and all the Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
In 2015, we pledged that nobody will be left behind, that people are
placed at the centre of development, and that human rights should be
respected, protected and fulfilled without distinction of any kind. The
2030 Agenda aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms, to tackle the
root causes of structural inequalities, violence and discrimination, to
achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls,
and to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all.
During this year's High Level Political Forum, SDGs 3 and 5 on health
and gender equality are reviewed amongst others. These two SDGs are
inherently and strongly connected. Despite extensive efforts to achieve
gender equality, women, girls and adolescents continue to be subjected
to discrimination, violence and harmful practices and denied the full
realization of their human rights, including their right to the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health. Women's, girls' and
adolescents' autonomy to decide freely on their sexual and reproductive
health and rights is often undermined by harmful socio-cultural norms,
age barriers and third-party consent requirements and restrictions. As a
result, they cannot access the information they need to make healthy
decisions, or get the health services to effectuate their choices. This
dire situation is also clearly reflected in the progress report of the
Secretary General. Although laudable progress is made, it is still much
too slow in critical areas such as violence against women and girls,
including child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
The report also clearly indicates that just over half of women worldwide
are making their own decisions about consensual sexual relations and
the use of contraception and health services. Improvements in the
collection, use and dissemination of quality age and sex disaggregated
data is needed to improve monitoring progress in these areas.
Against this backgrounds, realizing SDG 3 and 5, and in particular
universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights are key
for sustainable development and a pre-requisite for progress on all
other SDGs. It helps to address empower women and girls, inequalities,
eradicate poverty, improve educational attainment and public health
outcomes, foster productivity and labour force participation, reap the
benefits of demographic dividends, improve environmental
management, energy, food security, water and sanitation, and enhance
resilience and impact of climate adaptation efforts.
Investments in women, girls, adolescents and youths are an investment
in our collective future.
We respectfully request that these linkages between SRHR and
achieving SDGs 3, 5 and the other SDGs are reflected in the thematic
review of these two goals.
,·
We hope that in the further implementation and careful monitoring of
the 2030 agenda by the UN and its member states not a single target is
left behind.