The 24th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 18-29 January 2016. Here is a recap of sexual rights at UPR24.
Fourteen countries were reviewed during UPR24 including: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Palau, Paraguay, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Somalia.
This list has been compiled by the High-Level Task Force for ICPD. The task force is an independent body to provide a bold, progressive voice for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, especially for those living in poverty and otherwise marginalized, and to advance gender equality and the human rights of women and girls, and the rights and participation of young people.
For more information
January 2016
Source: AWID
During the 62nd CEDAW session held in November 2015, AWID, ARROW, SRI and the World Council of Churches presented a thematic briefing to the CEDAW Committee in Geneva titled “Religious Fundamentalisms, Extreme Interpretations of Religion and Gender Justice”
The SRI is competing for a permanent spot on the Global Giving fundraising platform this month. Through Global Giving, donors can now receive American charitable receipts for donations to our global work on sexual rights. By simply supporting our project “Proudly Pushing the Global Sexual Rights Agenda” you can help us win a permanent spot on the Global Giving platform.
Will you help us earn a permanent spot on this valuable American fundraising platform?
Partners in the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) coalition – Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, Akahata, Coalition of African Lesbians, CREA, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and Federation for Women and Family Planning – condemn the detention of Egyptian journalist Hossam Bahgat by the military police.
UPR23: Joint stakeholder submissions in collaboration with national organizations
Submission by the Sexual Rights Initiative for the Human Rights Council report on the protection of the family and the contribution of families in realizing the right to an adequate standard of living
The following is an overview from the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council. It includes resolutions, panels and discussions, statements and parallel events related to sexual rights of which the SRI was engaged with during the session.
During the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the SRI collaborated with national-level organizations and advocates to deliver oral statements regarding outcomes from the Universal Periodic Review ‘s (UPR) of Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Malawi, Maldives, Panama, and the USA.
The SRI also delivered statements pertaining to:
On September 29th, during the 30th session of the Human Rights Council, we co-hosted a side event to discuss the importance of addressing unsafe abortion in order to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.
Panel Highlights
The panel opened with a video from Ipas on the lack of access to safe and legal abortion in Rwanda.
On September 22nd, during the 30th session of the Human Rights Council, we co-hosted a side event to discuss protection gaps around sexual rights. The five panelists discussed the nature and causes of existing protection gaps in sexual rights, and gave recommendations to further protections for all individuals in the field of sexuality.
The Sexual Rights Initiative is hosting a panel on Unsafe Abortion and Maternal Mortality and Morbidity during the 30th session of the Human Rights Council from 12:00PM to 1:00PM on 29 September 2015.
The Sexual Rights Initiative is hosting a panel on Unsafe Abortion and Maternal Mortality and Morbidity during the 30th session of the Human Rights Council from 2:30PM to 4:00PM on 22 September 2015.
The SRI joined more than 50 NGOs in calling upon the U.N. Human Rights Committee to elaborate on the measures States must take to realize women’s right to life, including by guaranteeing access to safe and legal abortion, and other sexual and reproductive health services. The joint statement is below.
Distinguished Committee Members:
During the 29th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the SRI collaborated with national-level organizations and advocates to deliver oral statements regarding outcomes from the Universal Periodic Review ‘s (UPR) of Guyana, Kenya, Turkey, and Spain.
The HRC28 Wrap-up provides information on some of the key sexual rights related resolutions, panels and presentations, statements, and parallel events that the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) was engaged with during the 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council from the 2nd to the 27th of March 2015.
Sexual Rights-related Resolutions
Towards better investment in the rights of the child
The Sexual Rights Initiative welcomes the adoption by the United Nations Human Rights Council of three resolutions that advance gender equality, empowerment and the human rights of women and girls. These resolutions are entitled:
The Sexual Rights Initiative condemns the adoption of the Protection of the Family resolution by the UN Human Rights Council on Friday the 3rd of July. This is a set back to the advancement of the human rights of individuals as it seeks to elevate the family as an institution in need of protection without acknowledging the harms and human rights abuses that are known to occur within families, or recognizing that diverse forms of family exist.
During the 29th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, four UN Special Procedures — the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography — sent a letter to the President of the Human Rights Council expressing concerns regarding the debates on the Protection of the Family resolution.
The 29th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from the 15th of June to the 3rd of July 2015.
The 22nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 4 – 21 May 2015.
Fourteen countries were reviewed during UPR22 including: Andorra, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Honduras, Jamaica, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Panama, and the United States of America.
Written by Fernando D’Elio of Akahata (with input from Neha Sood of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights) as part of the 2015 ILGA Report on State-Sponsored Homophobia.
The 22nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 4 – 21 May 2015.
The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) welcomes the adoption by the UN Human Rights Council (the Council or the HRC) on 27 March 2015 of its annual resolution on the rights of the child, entitled ‘Towards better investment in the rights of the child’. By means of this resolution, the Council calls upon governments to ensure access of all people, including children, without discrimination, to a range of health services, including sexual and reproductive health care services (paragraph 28).
