The Guardian: ‘Women need the same rights as men, because development needs equality’
Samah Krichah of Le Labo’ Démocratique; Nzira Deus of Movfemme; Natasha Sajjad of Rutgers WPF Pakistan; Mariana Mancilla of Balance; Diakhoumba Gassama of the Senegalese Council of Women; and Sarah Gold of the International Women’s Health Coalition

“[Last] week, ministers and women’s rights activists convened in New York for the annual Commission on Population and Development, which assesses progress against agreements made at a conference in Cairo in 1994. We asked members of Resurj, a global alliance of young feminists, what their governments are doing to support young women and the changes they would like to see…” (4/17).

Huffington Post: A Golden Opportunity to Tackle Gender Inequality
Tewodros Melesse, head of the International Planned Parenthood Federation

“…This month, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD 48) — which tracks progress of the Programme of Action laid out in the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) — is taking place. It’s theme, ‘Realizing the future we want: integrating population issues into sustainable development, including the post-2015 development agenda,’ and its timing couldn’t be more significant. The original ICPD put women’s rights, empowerment, and well-being at the center of discussions about population growth and development and this year — more than ever — it’s critically important that we stay true to those goals…” (4/17).

The Guardian: Sustainable development must prioritize women’s sexual health
Sarah Shaw, project manager for the ICPD at the International Planned Parenthood Federation

“…Between now and September, governments will continue to discuss the proposals for the post-2015 development framework, and there is no guarantee that one, if not both, references to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights will remain in the document. While there is a lot of support from governments from every region, there is still opposition. There are some countries that would like to block attempts to promote gender equality and initiatives that would give women control over their lives. If this happens, we will be failing the 800 mothers who die each day from preventable causes, the 225 million women who want contraception yet can’t get access it, and the young people who are not given the sexual education to protect themselves from HIV. … We are on the brink of a global change. We can make that happen” (4/18).