Help empower women and girls and protect biodiversity

The inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework is crucial for addressing root causes of biodiversity loss.

Given the acknowledged importance of the empowerment of women and girls to the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, it is concerning that there is no mention of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including the provision of access to voluntary, human rights-based, modern family planning, in the draft post-2020 Gender Plan of Action.

The increasing presence of elements relating to the empowerment of women and girls as being crucial to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is very welcomed. In this regard, the Gender Plan of Action (GPA) must address the importance of empowering women and girls through promoting SRHR, including access to voluntary, human rights-based, modern family planning services, if it is to support the gender-responsive implementation of the post-2020 GBF. 

Sexual and reproductive rights are fundamental human rights, crucial to women and girls all over the world. Those without these rights are often not in a position to take advantage of a range of opportunities, including education and work, and in turn struggle to help lift their families and communities out of poverty and thus will engage less with elements and actions that are crucial for halting biodiversity loss. Therefore, these issues must be discussed during negotiations on SBI Item 5 (Gender) on 17 th March.

In terms of women’s empowerment, the current draft of the Gender Plan of Action does explicitly highlight the promotion of women’s empowerment through access to safe, quality and paid employment – something many women won’t be able to achieve if they don’t have control over their own bodies, including the right to choose when and how many children to have.  

CBD document (CBD/SBI/3/INF/41) on the linkages between the draft Gender Plan of Action and draft GBF, it defines the empowerment of women and girls as “the process of supporting women and girls in gaining control over their own lives.”However, the document is missing any  mention of sexual and reproductive human right such as access to family planning. These elements may further empower women and girls to make choices about their bodies and their lives, benefiting everyone, everywhere.

Long-term benefits to the Earth and its biodiversity through the easing of population pressures on biodiversity reinforces the need for sexual and reproductive human rights to be

included in the Gender Plan of Action. 

In this regard, we highlight IUCN Resolution 087, which recognises the importance for the conservation of nature of removing barriers to rights-based voluntary family Planning. SRHR, and other proven voluntary, human rights-based mechanisms that can secure sustainable populations, are consistent with and in many cases enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals such as SDGs 1 on ending poverty, SDG 10 on reducing inequality, SDG 4 on providing universal access to high quality education, SDGs 3 and 5 on women’s empowerment and access to and uptake of  modern family planning. Recognition of the value and role in reducing population pressure on biodiversity is therefore appropriate and necessary for inclusion in the GPA. These issues must be discussed during the CBD contact group on Gender on March 19th.

By Andrew Howard, Population Matters

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