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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">From the UN Under-Secretary-General & Executive Director of UN Women:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2022/05/speech-solidarity-and-networked-multilateral-action-for-the-exercise-of-womens-full-human-rights"><span style="color:blue">Speech:
 Solidarity and networked, multilateral action for the exercise of women’s full human rights | UN Women – Headquarters</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#181818">Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General & Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, at the SheDecides+5 Conference in Brussels<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt">19 MAY 2022 -
</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black">We know that women’s and girls’ bodily autonomy and decision-making around their health is central both to women’s and girls’ individual independence and the overall achievement
 of gender equality and sustainable development.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#C00000;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Women’s rights are human rights, and human rights include women’s rights to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality
 and individual agency, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Those rights are not universal. We are seeing the stark consequences for women of legal restrictions on sexual and reproductive health care at the moment. For
 example, depending on which border they cross, Ukrainian women and girls who have been raped as they escape war may be unable to escape the resulting pregnancy. Elsewhere in the world, a woman can be convicted of murder when she naturally miscarries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">The SDGs emphasize higher levels of informed choice in reproductive decision-making. Yet, data show that only 57 per cent of women are able to make their own decisions
 over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">One of our civil society partners, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), recently provided UN Women with evidence of how anti-rights, anti-gender
 backlash and polarization are paralysing intergovernmental spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">The pushback on gender equality is well-funded and well-orchestrated. It deliberately seeks to undermine access to the human rights system for women and girls,
 LGBTIQ+ people and other marginalized groups. This is linked to wider developments. These include the rise of populism, the rise of fundamentalism and the rise of violent extremism, along with efforts to call into question international human rights law and
 weaken multilateral cooperation. It also includes an increased emphasis on so-called ‘traditional values’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Issues such as comprehensive sexuality education, or CSE, remain contested. This is despite clear evidence that CSE is a powerful tool to prevent poor sexual and
 reproductive health outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections and early and unintended pregnancy. In many contexts, key stakeholders refuse to endorse entire CSE curriculums merely because of the word “sexuality”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Dear partners, it is up to us to meet such regression with solidarity and networked, multilateral action.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">We need to work together, and to further increase our work in the intergovernmental space. That means engaging with Member States to urgently bring about legislative
 changes that support women’s and girls’ bodily autonomy. It means funding long-term legal advocacy for these rights. And it means fully supporting women’s and girls’ networks and movements, including financially.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">At the local level, we must work to change the social norms that drive backlash against comprehensive sexuality education based on traditions and beliefs. We are
 guided in all of this work by the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">It is also critical to continue forging multilateral and intergenerational partnerships, supporting the participation of young people. We saw the impact of these
 at the Generation Equality Forum, which launched an Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Our task now is to ensure that commitments made towards comprehensive sexuality education, contraception, safe abortion and
 a world free from gender-based violence are accompanied by investment and action.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">We look to the SheDecides movement as a valued partner in this, with the ability to leverage movements and networks and create mass action and support. Going forward,
 we need see yet more progress in the work already being done by SheDecides in mobilizing solidarity worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Belgium and the SheDecides partners have convened an inspirational group of gender equality champions, including Generation Equality Commitment Makers and Action
 Coalition Leaders. I am honoured to be among you today, and UN Women stands with you and is committed to working together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:-.2pt">By working together, we can ensure that women, girls and diverse populations around the world can fully exercise their bodily autonomy and full human rights.</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Kind regards<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Paradise Tabucala<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Public Relations & Communications Officer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><img border="0" width="123" height="123" style="width:1.2777in;height:1.2777in" id="x_Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D86FB2.1D86E070"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Pacific Disability Forum<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Ground Floor, Kadavu House, Victoria Parade  |  GPO Box 18458  |  Suva, Fiji
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Phone: (+679) 3312008  |  (+679) 3307530
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Mobile: (+679) 8990 134 (Vodafone)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Fax: (+679) 3310469
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Email:
<a href="mailto:paradise.tabucala@pacificdisability.org">paradise.tabucala@pacificdisability.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Website:
<a href="http://www.pacificdisability.org">www.pacificdisability.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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 since 2012.</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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