Activists urge renewed women’s rights focus as UN meets in New York

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http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/22/activists-womens-rights-un-new-york
Activists urge renewed women’s rights focus as UN meets in New York
Activists still demanding progress 20 years after Cairo deal, as UN meeting also aims to tackle newer problems of climate change and migration
Liz Ford in New York
theguardian.com
Monday 22 September 2014

A landmark conference in Cairo 20 years ago that sought to put women’s rights, empowerment and well-being at the centre of discussions about population growth and development has brought some change, but has not lived up to its promise, according to women’s rights campaigners.

As world leaders meet in New York on Monday to discuss progress on the agreement and seek to address future challenges, Noelene Nabulivou, from the organisation Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, said: “Here we are, 20 years later and there is still so much we need to do. Cairo didn’t go far enough.”

The programme of action from the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, held in the Egyptian capital, moved the debate about population growth away from the idea that it can be fixed solely through family planning, to see women’s social and economic empowerment as key to sustainable development.

The outcome document contained 200 recommendations designed to uphold women’s reproductive rights, improve access to decent reproductive healthcare, including family planning services and safe abortion, ensure access to quality education, address the needs of indigenous women, migrants, older women and those with disabilities, and support more economic opportunities for women....

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