Keep our reproductive rights free from [brackets]!

Statement of the Network of Asia Pacific Youth (NAPY) and the Youth Coalition to the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, Bangkok, Thailand

There are more than 700 million adolescents in the Asia-Pacific, which means that the majority of the world’s adolescents aged 15 to 19 are from the ESCAP region. This shows that the young people of this region are a significant force, but where are they at this meeting? The fact that there are only a handful of young persons in delegations from both governments and NGOs at this Regional Meeting means that the contributions of young people are not fully recognised.

We, the Network of Asian and Pacific Youth and the Youth Coalition, join our forces together to advocate for young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. We strongly support countries that confirm the promises they made during Cairo to the adolescents of this region and we ask you to stay strong and keep our reproductive rights free from brackets!

We not only urge governments to reaffirm ICPD at this meeting, we also ask you to move forward and implement fully the commitments you made 8 years ago. There is definitely no going back to before Cairo. Young people can no longer wait; we need actions before it is too late. We urge you to take action on the following pressing issues:

  • implement programmes for comprehensive sexuality education for all young people, including scientific and evidence-based information concerning their reproductive health whether in or out of school, in youth associations, or at home;
  • promote the rights of adolescents to make informed choices and decisions on matters affecting their sexuality, their health and their lives;
  • address the reproductive health needs of young people through effective, affordable, accessible, youth-friendly reproductive health services, including the provision of information on prevention, treatment and counselling with regard to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;
  • actively address the issue of unsafe abortion among young people, including making abortion accessible and safe in countries where abortion is legal. In all cases, we urge you to take positive actions to address complications arising from abortion, taking into account the health and life of the young women that are at stake, by making available treatment and counselling;

When you promote our rights to services and information, young people will be able to better protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies, STIs and HIV/AIDS. And reproductive health care and services must be youth-friendly, accessible, affordable and confidential. Sexual and reproductive rights are applicable to all young people, regardless of age, sex, race, language, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability, socio-economic class, or marital status; or because they are indigenous people, migrants, displaced youth or refugees; or because of their HIV status or sexual orientation; or whether they are in or out of school, homeless, orphaned or already working.

We urge you to make your ICPD commitments tangible through actions.

Deny us these rights, and you will deny us our futures. Thank-you.