54th COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
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19 - 13 April 2021 Population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development: Your excellencies, honourable delegates, and fellow advocates: This statement is delivered on behalf of Swasti, a global public health organization, and a member of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APA), a regional network that mobilizes civil society action to ensure accountability for commitments related to sexual and reproductive health and rights and bodily autonomy. We welcome this year’s theme on population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development, and commend the member states for their commitment to achieving the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Agenda. Asia and the Pacific have two thirds of the world’s hungry people and the highest number of undernourished people on the globe. Women and girls disproportionately suffer from food insecurity, malnutrition and undernourishment due to pervasive gender bias, directly impacting their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Pregnant women, women of reproductive age, adolescent girls, and infants and young children who have specific nutritional and dietary needs are especially worse off during natural disasters, crisis, and epidemics. The COVID19 pandemic has exacerbated deeply entrenched structural and gendered inequalities. Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination have unfairly impacted women and girls and other marginalized groups, including adolescents and young people, LGBTIQ, people living with HIV, migrants, and sex workers, amongst others. Increases in sexual and gender based violence have been observed across the region as economic opportunities and resources dwindle, coupled with greater food insecurity. There has also been a rise in the number of child and early forced marriage, with the closure of schools limiting the educational opportunities for girls. Just and sustainable development that tackles structural inequalities cannot be achieved without the fulfillment of the national, regional and global level commitments of the ICPD Programme of Action, and the Nairobi Summit. The Asia Pacific review conferences contain priority commitments for the region identified by our governments, including the achievement of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; ensuring access to comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents and young people; and eliminating all forms of discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence. We urge Member States to continue to show leadership in addressing the gaps, challenges and priority issues of Asia and the Pacific and the world, and welcome an inclusive approach to ensure the meaningful participation of civil society in implementation, monitoring and review; and as a key dimension for achieving gender transformative change. Thank you.
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