By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, September
19 --
In the run up
to the
Population
event of the
UN General
Assembly on
September 22,
Inner City
Press asked
UN officials
Thomas Gass
and John
Wilmoth of
the place of
sexual and
reproductive
health issues
in the event.
Gass said the
question goes
to the heart
of what humanity
is, citing gender
equality and
access to
sexual and
reproductive
health
services.
Wilmoth emphasized
that the Cairo
Declaration is
not being re-negotiated;
the previous
position, that
abortion
should be safe
where it is
legal,
remains.
Back in April
2014 there was
an all-night
session of
fight over the
Commission on
Population and
Development. Past
11 pm the
Permanent
Representative
of Kenya, that
month's chair
of the African
Group, said
there would be
no sleight
of hand
solution.
He went into
Conference
Room A with
other
Permanent
Representatives,
including
those of
Norway and
then of
Cameroon, who
told Inner
City Press
that "in
Africa we
don't do
Programs of
Action, we do
Declarations."
And
after a long
and murky
night in the
basement of
the UN, a text
was in fact
adopted
followed by a
slew of mostly
angry speeches
from 6 to 7
am.
Argentina's
Permanent
Representative
regretted that
language about
unilateral
sanctions,
debt was not
retained. She
was followed
by speakers
from Jordan
and Australia,
all Security
Council
members this
year. There
are not a lot
of 6 am
Security
Council
meetings. But
this is
another part
of the UN.
Iran, set for
a big role in
CPD 48, joined
with Egypt and
Oman in
slamming the
deletion of
language about
"foreign
occupation."
South Africa
pointed out
paragraphs on
which it
negotiated in
it national
capacity, NOT
as part of the
African Group.
The US speech
was
surprisingly
upbeat, glad
for citations
to sexual and
reproductive
health, eager
for the ICPD
session in
General
Assembly. (Here
is a John
Kerry speech,
since.)
Hungary said
it does not
take
"reproductive
rights" to
include
abortion. The
Holy See took
this further.
The European
Union's deputy
said that
principles
agreed to in
Cairo 20 years
ago are being
re-litigated
now.
But on
September 19,
that's not
what the UN's
John Wilmoth
told Inner
City
Press. And as Inner
City Press and
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
have asked
before,
what of
Myanmar's
anti-Royhinga
census and
reproduction
policies?
Speaking of
reproductive
issues?
At the September
19 press
conference,
Inner City
Press for the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access thanked
Gass and
Wilmoth. Only
two questions
were asked:
press briefings
are being privatized
as the UN, by
its Censorship
Alliance.
We will be
covering that,
and the
September 22
event. Watch
this site.
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