Last month, Governments, civil society and activist working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) convened in New York at the UN Headquarters for the 56^th Session of the Commission of Population Development (CPD). During the weeklong gathering, tough negotiations took place between member states to agree how to advance their commitments on the global programme of action for ICPD. But despite great efforts governments did not reach consensus for an agreed outcome on this year’s important theme of Population, Education and Sustainable Development. We spoke with Levi Singh, Regional Policy Officer at SRHR Africa Trust and part of the official delegation of South Africa, and Jim Monkel, Youth Ambassador SRHR, The Netherlands, who both attended the CPD to share their reflections from inside the negotiation room. 

Why was CPD important to you this year? 

Jim: “The CPD is the global space where SRHR-related commitments from the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD), such as my focus theme inclusive Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), are being discussed, negotiated and reviewed. Because I was part of the official delegation, the opportunity was provided for young voices to be represented at the UN. I delivered the Dutch national statement at the commission, and I was able to amplify the perspectives of the lived realities of young people all over the world and highlight the importance of inclusive Comprehensive Sexuality Education for young people living with disabilities. It is important to remember that the lives of young people are behind the resolutions we are negotiating about.” 

Levi: “The last 5 years within the Sub-Saharan African region have been incredibly opportune for political advocacy to advance Comprehensive Sexuality Education, making important links to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and between school and health systems. Since 2018, CSE has been part of the core package of interventions prioritized by the SADC SRHR strategy 2030 and its scorecard to track progress. And in 2021, we celebrated the successful renewal and extension of the ESA commitment on education for health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people until 2030.  

What are your main takeaways from this year’s CPD? 

Jim: “Likeminded states and likeminded civil society organisations (CSO’s) were well-coordinated. Due to this strong coordination, cohesive evidence-based arguments were put forward highlighting the importance of CSE. This was especially visible during the CSO statements, where most like-minded CSO’s were in line and complimentary to each other’s reasoning, making one big stance in favour of CSE.   

On the other hand, it was also painfully visible how polarized the CPD is, with a vocal regressive minority claiming space, whilst a silent majority of states and CSOs were less vocal.  With this it felt nearly impossible to find compromise on CSE during the negotiations, national statements and plenary sessions.”  

Levi: “The open-mindedness and eagerness displayed by fellow delegates to engage set a positive tone for the commission, with the negotiation Chair (Moldova) as well as the facilitators (Indonesia & Mexico) working hard to build consensus.  Unfortunately, certain Member States did not want to include any references to sexuality education in the negotiated text and it was not possible to reach agreement. The CPD therefore ended without an outcome, an all too familiar pattern which sets progress back when instead we should be moving forward and delivering on our commitments to ICPD and the Sustainable Development Goals.  

A positive take-away was seeing likeminded Governments stand firm in the commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, working constructively throughout the negotiations to counter misinformation and to speak to the importance of Comprehensive Sexuality Education, delivering a cross-regional statement signed by 58 Governments.”  
 

Looking ahead to ICPD+30, what do we need to prioritise to ensure that global goals and commitments are met by 2030?  

Jim: “Priorities for ICPD+30 should be about finding a balance between building bridges and taking a stance. Depending on context (e.g. polarised space), it is important to evaluate how much you want to draw a line in the sand (like the good coordination of EU), or try to look for other ways of working, and how you can build bridges. 

A good example of building bridges in this year’s CPD on CSE was during the closing ceremony Papua New Guinea delivered a touching statement on how they perceive themselves as conservative but still see the importance of CSE implementation. It is important to give space and reach out to countries from various regions to share their stories and to build bridges on the importance of SRHR and CSE.   

Levi: We need to start early and intentionally with cross regional outreach. As it stands, Africa is the only region without any confirmed dates for its regional review of ICPD+30, which restricts the opportunities for civil society and Governments alike to evaluate progress and exchange in dialogue to tackle the unmet needs of communities’ health and rights.

With the 2^nd UN High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) planned for September 2023, we need to ensure that civil society and member states maintain the focus of SRHR in UHC. In 2019, we saw how politicized this issue became especially pertaining to a minimum integrated services package for SRH services. We need to ensure that what has been agreed to is not rolled back upon, and most importantly, new financial commitments are made – especially towards improving SRH commodity security, supply chains and innovative (people centered) delivery channels.  

Finally, in my experience having participated in CPD since 2015, what we seem to be seeing year on year is more of a case of a vocal minority of member states overwhelming a silent majority. It is encouraging to see many countries doing impressive domestic programming on SRHR, CSE & gender equality. It is these stories of progress that need to be amplified. “

From the rise of misogynistic influencers online to growing restrictions on girls’ rights to education, harmful gender norms are impacting communities across the globe. So, how can the most persistent harmful norms be tackled and how can community and faith leaders support these efforts? We spoke with Kalpana Rai, a gender expert and young activist from Nepal and member of the Beyond Beijing Committee (a project funded by ARROW) about her experience of working with faith leaders to build more gender equal communities.

Over the past ten years Kalpana’s journey has led her from being a reserved girl in a world marked by harmful norms into a vocal advocate for young people’s right to sexual and reproductive health. Kalpana shares: “In Nepal, women don’t always have decision-making power, often taking the role of ‘home managers’ and remaining inside the home. I learned that these gender norms are not good as they limit women and girls’ participation in society.“

Nowadays, Kalpana and other SRHR advocates are encouraging the government to include CSE within curriculums at secondary school to college level. Additionally, Kalpana and her peers have been providing CSE sessions to young people out of the school system. This brought its own unique challenges:

“During a CSE session in one of the districts, parents questioned “What are you teaching our children?”. The facilitator explained that this is Comprehensive Sexuality Education and outlined the different components of the course and the benefits that pupils would get from it. The facilitator urged the parents to send their children to the session again and if they still didn’t like the method or teaching style then the children could leave whenever they wanted to. The parents agreed and sent their children back to the CSE sessions….the children enjoyed it so much that in the end they joined for the whole CSE course.”

This experience and others like it underlined the importance of engaging community members in conversations around CSE: “We engage parents, interfaith leaders, teachers and health professionals on CSE conversations at the local level. We are also mobilising interfaith leaders. They have a vital role to play because they preach about religion, honesty and what is considered sinful or not. If we address and change harmful norms with them, they can help change parents’ mindsets as well.”

Engaging religious leaders isn’t easy but Kalpana remembers a particular instance in which she and other advocates were successful in doing so: “We organised a national consultation meeting on ending gender-based violence and we had a conversation with interfaith leaders from different religions – including Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim leaders. By having open discussions and providing different case stories on the benefits of CSE, we collectively concluded that interfaith leaders have the power to help transform society for the better, and they can only do this when they change their principles or perceptions of gender equality. Those attending realized: if we change ourselves and our perceptions and take this step to change society it will be easier to create change in Nepal’s context. So, we keep collaborating and are still having good conversations with faith leaders on how to end harmful gender norms and practices. Interfaith leaders have a vital role to play.”

A specific example where religious leaders can play an instrumental role in promoting positive gender values is with Chhaupadi. Chhaupadi is still practiced in the far Western parts of Nepal where girls have to stay separated in huts during their menstruation, even though the practice is illegal. Some families believe that if they do not follow this ritual then someone may die, something bad will happen, or that their God won’t forgive them. “So these perceptions still exist in our society and faith leaders can help end them as families will listen to what they say.“ shares Kalpana, “When we speak with them, we say that in the Gita (i.e. prominent Hindu texts) it is not mentioned that menstruation is a sinful act. We explain that menstruation is a natural cycle and that girls need proper nutrition and rest instead of being discriminated against. Interfaith leaders have a vital role to play. We are mobilising them and can see positive changes.”

So, given her experience of changing harmful values and promoting positive norms in Nepal, what tips does Kalpana have for others looking to shift the needle through providing CSE?

“Firstly, we need to understand the social context when providing CSE at the local level. We are working to stop discrimination and harmful gender norms, and change mindsets and attitudes so that women and girls have the right information and support they need, in an equal society. Secondly, we should also integrate ourselves in recognizing that young people are diverse and have different needs. Lastly, we should not overlook the marginalised young people who aren’t in school by focusing on using activity-based or visual learning methods as some may not be able to read or write”.

Kalpana Rai (She/Her), Advocacy & Campaign Officer at Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC) Nepal. She is currently working as Advocacy & Campaign Officer at Beyond Beijing Committee Nepal is a feminist national network organization in Nepal working on women’s and young people Sexual & reproductive health and rights and empowerment and Feminist Movement & leadership. Her works focused on the advocacy on Women’s Human Rights, Gender Justice, SRHR and CSE for young people. She has more than 10 years of experience working with diverse young people and women. She holds Master’s Degree in Gender Studies.

Last month, on the sidelines of CSW67, SheDecides and The Global Partnership Forum on CSE hosted a high-level event to spotlight the important role that Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) plays in achieving gender equality. We followed up with three of the speakers from the panel event – Government representatives from Argentina, Portugal and South Africa – to ask them more about Comprehensive Sexuality Education and its role in building a gender equal world.  

From Argentina: Paulina Calderón, State Secretary, Equality and Diversity Portfolio, Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity of Argentina & Head of Delegation; from Portugal: Minister Mendes, Ana Catarina Mendes, Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and from Parliamentary Affairs and from South Africa: Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development. 

Why is Comprehensive Sexuality Education a priority for your government? 

Argentina:  Comprehensive Sexuality Education has been a priority for Argentina for a long time, because it means moving towards a more just and equal society. We know that there are gaps and inequalities in access to and participation in education. These gaps are deepening in developing countries, being greater in girls, women and LGBTI+ who are in situations of greater vulnerability. These inequalities are strongly linked to poverty. Through education in general, and CSE in particular, we can build a more a equal society. 

Portugal: To put it bluntly: because guaranteeing the right to Comprehensive Sexuality Education saves lives. It is a key tool in preventing sexual abuse, in defending sexual and reproductive rights and fighting against prejudice and disinformation. CSE enables young people to understand their rights and build knowledge so they can make informed decisions about their health and well-being.  And this is the foundation to achieving gender equality for all. 

South Africa: The government of South Africa is committed to making sure that young people have the education they need to live a healthy life. To not be discriminated against and to be treated equally. Comprehensive Sexuality Education is all about building skills for life. Young people have the right to decide about their bodies, lives and futures. We must give them the tools to do that, and deliver on the global, regional and national promises we have made. This is how we as governments ensure equal rights for all, including for youth and adolescents.     

Tell us how Comprehensive Sexuality Education can advance gender equality? 

Argentina: For Argentina, CSE is key to challenging gender stereotypes and building an equal society. We know from decades of experience that when CSE is delivered in a comprehensive way we manage to disarm negative stereotypes, habits, customs and norms that limit the possibilities of girls; such as the stereotype that girls are not good at science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  Our position on CSE is that it is an important tool to build and achieve gender equality and social equity, together with eliminating gender based violence, through a model of sustainable development that includes us all. 

Portugal: Because Comprehensive Sexuality Education helps young people to understand what gender inequality and discrimination is and how to change it. In CSE classes, young people discuss and learn how to challenge and eliminate negative social norms, gender stereotypes, discriminatory values or harmful behaviors, such as sexual and gender- based violence and harassment.  Young people need to learn about this! This is why the Portuguese government stands up together with many other governments across the world to point to the important value of comprehensive sexuality education, as a solution to achieving gender equality in society. We know it works. 

South Africa:  CSE gives young people self-esteem and capacity to make healthy and informed decisions in their lives. We have seen positive trends in South Africa since CSE has been strengthened. These include a drop in HIV rates among adolescent girls and women, decreases in early pregnancies, health seeking behaviours have improved, young people can identify and report sexual abuse, prevent HIV infections and stay on treatment. Young people better understand how to prevent bullying and stop negative peer pressure. Additionally, CSE prevents school dropouts caused by ill-health or unwanted pregnancies. This is why CSE is so important. CSE help keep our girls in school, where they have the right to be. We know this – CSE works and gives results! 

What do you say to others that want to invest in the futures of young people? 

Argentina: We, as States must remember that we have an obligation to promote and protect the human rights of our populations. That is why we need to sustain and strengthen all efforts for girls and LGBTQI+ schooling, so that they do not encounter obstacles vis-à-vis boys. We have the responsibility to design common education guidelines to build skills with a gender equality and diversity perspective to address gaps in the implementation of human rights.   

Portugal: Comprehensive Sexuality Education gives us a very concrete solution on how to increase gender equality, well-being and health amongst young people - through education. Everyone has the right to education. We will never achieve the global goal on gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment if we don’t invest in education that teaches young people as well as adults about gender equality and human rights. We need to accelerate our political action to achieve the global goals by 2030. This is the time to advance our support for young people in the world. When young people are empowered through education to stand up for equal rights for all -  societies do change!    

South Africa: I would like to say this: listen to what young people say! We have the largest generation of young people ever in the world. They know what they need – and we need to support them! Comprehensive Sexuality Education is a solution – not a problem. We know that there is sometimes resistance, misunderstandings or misconceptions amongst decision makers, leaders, or even parents to Comprehensive Sexuality Education. But we need to look at the facts. And talk about the positive results we see when young people have access to this very important, life-saving education.  

At SheDecides, we know that comprehensive sexuality education advances gender equality and  fosters healthy relationships. In turn, healthy relationships lead to stronger societies. How? We spoke to Fòs Feminista, a partner of the Global Partnership Forum on CSE to learn more. 

Whether it’s a supportive family member, encouraging teacher, comforting friend or loving partner – you likely have had a relationship that positively impacted you.  So, it comes as no surprise that healthy relationships result in thriving communities and economies.

We know that people live happier and fuller lives when they can show up authentically, build trust, feel safe and work towards collective goals. What’s more, healthy relationships lead to healthy people as healthy relationships are stress buffers and increase people’s well-being ^[1],[2].  

Still, developing and maintaining healthy relationships isn’t easy. But comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) can make a difference! 

CSE builds knowledge, attitudes and values for healthy, respectful and gender equal relationships. It acknowledges respect, trust, acceptance, freedom of choice, positive communication and conflict management as the cornerstones of healthy relationships. CSE also reduces violence and harmful behaviours^[4].  Importantly, it helps young people identify abuse and coercion, set boundaries and seek help when needed. By supporting young people to learn about gender norms, power dynamics and consent, CSE plays an important role in preventing gender-based violence by engaging boys and men as allies and educating young people on their rights and existing laws.

Through our work with the Global Partnership Forum on CSE, we’ve witnessed how CSE supports young people to lead change for equality and diversity by helping them address issues of discrimination, stigma and bias both within themselves and their communities.

One example of excelling work using CSE to build healthy relationships is the global platform, Fòs Feminista, the International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice.  Expanding access to CSE for young people in all their diversity is a key priority for the Alliance and in 2021, its partners collectively provided CSE services to more than 1.5 million young people.

Fòs Feminista launched their ongoing campaign, #Families4CSE in light of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women in early March. The campaign challenges the notion that parents and guardians are against CSE by showcasing the wide support among parents, regardless of their political or religious beliefs, and reflecting the diversity of families amongst their partners.

On the importance of CSE, one parent from India said: 

“Comprehensive sexuality education is key for healthy development and healthy relationships while protecting our children from abuse and discrimination.”

Posts featured in the  #Families4CSE campaign reflecting why and how caregivers across the globe support young people’s access to CSE.

Reflecting on the campaign, Fadekemi Akinfaderin Fòs Feminista’ Chief Global Advocacy Officer shares: 

“We are dedicated to promoting the sexual education of young people through feminist narratives and campaigns. We aim to create initiatives that will promote comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and counter the misconception that families and guardians are unsupportive of CSE. 

We are reclaiming the concept of ‘families’ and showcasing the support provided by various forms of families for expanding access to CSE. 

Through our partnerships, we have witnessed tremendous support for CSE from various stakeholders, including government officials, parents, teachers, religious leaders, and traditional leaders.” 

Fòs Feminista is committed to amplifying the voices of young people and caregivers to raise awareness on the importance of CSE in high-level spaces (such as The Commission on Population and Development). Moreover, they are working with youth in different countries to demand access to comprehensive sexuality education. Fadekemi adds: 

“Our feminist alliance seeks to promote social change by reframing the discourse on CSE. We aim to challenge the prevailing norms and beliefs that suggest a lack of demand for CSE.

Through our efforts, we strive to advance feminist narratives that can shape social norms and facilitate the implementation of CSE across the global south and beyond.’ 

The #Families4CSE campaign will run until the end of the year. To follow Fòs Feminista’s #Families4CSE campaign head over to their Facebook , Twitter and Instagram channels. 

So, following Fòs Feminista’s example, how can we make the most of the pivotal role CSE plays in supporting young people to build and nurture healthy relationships? Policy makers and decision makers must commit to ensuring that more funding goes to rolling out and supporting CSE programmes at the local, national and international level. And all of us must commit to finding ways to support young people’s access to CSE – be it within our own families, schools or social circles – as a pivotal way for our society and economies to flourish! 

For more information on CSE visit cse.shedecides.com.

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[1] Hawkley L. C., Cacioppo J. T. (2013). Social connectedness and health. In Hazan C., Campa M. I. (Eds.), Human bonding: The science of affectional ties (pp. 343–364). Guilford Press.

[2] Lamblin M., Murawski C., Whittle S., Fornito A. (2017). Social connectedness, mental health, and the adolescent brain. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 80, 57–68. http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.uncg.edu/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.010

[3] https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_downloads/demystifying-data-handouts_0.pdf

[4] Murray, C. E., Ross, R., & Cannon, J. (2021). The Happy, Healthy, Safe Relationships Continuum: Conceptualizing a Spectrum of Relationship Quality to Guide Community-Based Healthy Relationship Promotion Programming. The Family Journal, 29(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480720960416

On the sidelines of CSW67, SheDecides and The Global Partnership Forum on CSE hosted a high-level event to spotlight the important role CSE plays in achieving global goals on gender equality.

The evening reception, attended by over 130 leaders from Governments, UN bodies, civil society organizations and youth activists, marked the first day of CSW67 and provided an engaging and safe space for learning, discussion and networking.

An expert panel comprising three Governments, youth activists and UNFPA spoke to a packed room to share their views and experiences on how CSE is an essential piece in building a gender equal world.

Memory Kachambwa, Executive Director, FEMNET & Chair of the SheDecides Guiding Group opened the evening by welcoming guests and explaining what CSE is and its link to gender equality.

She said: “CSE is education that equips young people with the knowledge values and skills they need to make healthy decisions about their bodies, lives and future. It teaches young people how to protect themselves from harm and from harming others. It is an essential part of the solution to achieving global goals of gender equality and health. But not all young people have access to it. And not all Governments are prioritizing it.”

Eunice García, Executive Director, Youth Coalition was the first member of the panel of speak. She talked about the complexity of sexuality and the role CSE plays in keeping young people like herself safe:

“We know that to achieve gender equality we must change societal norms and behaviors that lead to harmful practices. If we really want to address the behaviors that are the root causes of gender inequality…we must approach CSE in a holistic way.”

Minister Ana Catarina Mendes, Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and for Parliamentary Affairs, Portugal spoke next. Portugal, who recently became a SheDecides Champion, is a leading advocate for CSE, emphasizing its role in upholding human rights – including gender equality, as enshrined in their national strategy. Minister Mendes said:

“The Portuguese Government is fully committed towards gender equality. CSE enables young people to understand their rights and build knowledge to make informed decisions about their bodies, lives and futures. This is the most basic foundation to achieve gender equality for all. It is like a bird with wings – we need both to fly. We need to have CSE as a part of the fight for gender equality.”

Next to speak was Paulina Calderón, State Secretary, Equality Portfolio, Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity of Argentina & Head of Delegation. The State Secretary spoke of how Argentia has prioritized CSE by mainstreaming it across schools despite some pushback, demonstrating how Governments can take concrete actions to ensure young people receive quality education as part of the national curriculum.

She said: “In Argentina access to sexuality education in all schools in the country is guaranteed by law since 2006. The national CSE programme in Argentina takes a comprehensive look at issues related to bodily autonomy. Its approach to gender & diversity perspective invites us to de-construct patriarchal practices that have been mostly normalised.”

Dr Julitta Onabanjo of UNFPA followed the Ministers remarks. Dr Onabanjo spoke of the importance of ensuring accountability to global commitments on CSE, especially as we approach CPD. “How do we translate those commitments into actions?” she asked. “It is the movements, global partnership and collective voices that will help us do this.” “We need to invest in CSE, it’s a no-brainer.” she added.

To wrap up, two youth activists from the Philippines and Morocco took to the stage to deliver a statement to the room. Shamah Bulangis, Co-Chair, Transform Education emphasized the importance of changing values in the education systems.  

Shamah said: “We need to train teachers on how to talk about CSE. It’s clear to us how CSE challenges the status quo and power dynamics between genders. The educational system has been long used by the patriarchy. CSE is one of the tools for young people to change this. It’s our turn now, we can’t let patriarchy win in our educational institutions!” 

Zouhir Adaoui, Executive Director of Y-PEER Morocco, emphasized that CSE integrated into school curricula, is important for young people in Morocco. He stressed that “It promotes good social values in the fight to stop sexual and gender-based violence, and child marriage”. “CSE changes discriminatory norms through information and education of values for well-being, safety, rights and sexual and reproductive health.”

Finally, Minister Zulu, Minister of Social Development, South Africa and SheDecides Champion closed the panel. The Minister thanked the youth speakers for their comments and talked about the importance of communication and of having honest conversations with young people about their bodies and sexuality. 

She said: “Studies show that targeted, informed CSE interventions have positive and lifelong implications for health and wellbeing of young people. Therefore making CSE investment in young people is very important.”

Following the panel, participants stayed to network with other guests, and many took part in the photobooth activity where they were pictured holding up key messages about CSE.

The event marked the start of SheDecides and The Global Partnership Forum on CSE’s joint campaign highlighting the role of CSE as a missing piece to achieving global goals on gender equality. By showcasing the global support that CSE has, and providing tools that encourage others to speak out in support for CSE, the campaign aims to spotlight how education is part of the solution to building gender equality for all. For more information on the campaign visit cse.shedecides.com

Ministers, youth activists and civil society came together at the SheDecides and Global Partnership Forum on CSE reception on the side-lines of CSW67 in New York. See the photos from the event.

December 2022

SheDecides facilitated collaborations and dialogue on CSE with SheDecides Champions, allies and leading experts from Rwanda, Canada, Namibia, Norway Sweden, South Africa and Argentina.

The roundtable event, called “Enabling Inclusive, Equitable, Safe and Healthy Schools through Comprehensive Sexuality Education” provided an opportunity for Ministers, young people and civil society to:

• highlight political leadership and progress on CSE, with positive examples from Rwanda, Argentina, Namibia and SheDecides Champions
• share evidence on the benefits of CSE, with technical expertise from UNESCO and UNFPA share key recommendations and call to action from the Global Partnership on CSE
• provide a platform for young leaders to present their CSE demands in the Youth Declaration
• strengthen a shared view that CSE is a vital part of transforming education and an essential life-skill to strengthen gender equality norms and values.

The roundtable reinforced the need to continue to advance CSE at the global level and in national policies.