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Haz click aquí para leer este boletín en español.   IPPF expresses our concern about the situation in Venezuela and our total solidarity with its people, who on 28 July received the news from the National Electoral Council (CNE) that the current president, Nicolás Maduro, was elected for a third presidential term. There are serious allegations of a lack of transparency in the process and we join the international community in demanding the publication of the election results, because, as of today, July 31st, the CNE has not shown the results of the election to prove the victory of Nicolás Maduro.    It is worrying that the state security forces have responded with violence and repression since the beginning of the mobilisations, which continue, with hundreds of people arrested and a growing number of deaths. In addition to the current emergency, inequality, gender inequality and lack of access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health, have been on the rise for the past 25 years.    It is impossible to forget: in Venezuela, the number of femicides has doubled in the last 6 years; 28.7% of people of sexual and gender diversity have been victims of violence by state security forces; 91.5% of complaints of violence against women are shelved or dismissed; legislation on abortion is extremely restrictive and services are very limited; in addition, 7.7 million people have been forced to move because of the socio-political context.   With extreme concern, IPPF in the Americas and the Caribbean condemns the Venezuelan government's repression and violence against citizen mobilisations. It is unacceptable that while exercising their right to protest and free expression, Venezuelans are victims of criminalization and physical and political violence.  IPPF ACRO joins the Venezuelan society in their demands for respect of democracy because the will of the people through authentic elections is a right and must be guaranteed by the State.    ‘The situation in Venezuela further exacerbates the escalation of authoritarianism and violence in our region,’ said Alessandra Nilo, Director of External Relations at IPPF ACRO. ‘Democracy is conducive to states that guarantee and advance rights, including sexual and reproductive rights which, we know, in times of high tension and crisis, are the first to be violated. At this difficult time, we demand that the Venezuelan State returns to the democratic path, strengthens its institutions and respects the rights and wishes of its people. It is essential to protect the dignity and hope of all people, especially girls and women in all their diversity.’    ‘IPPF ACRO and Member and Partner Associations in the region are attentive to the development of events, we remain committed to Venezuelan people and their integral wellbeing, and we will continue to provide sexual and reproductive health care and services in Venezuela and, given the projected intensification of the migration wave, also in surrounding countries such as Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.’    Header image credit: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

All LGBTQI+ people in Peru and in the Americas and the Caribbean have the right to lives free from violence! In recent months, IPPF ACRO Member Associations, Collaborating Partners and the IPPF ACRO Secretariat have witnessed how some governments in the Americas and the Caribbean, even some that have historically acted to protect and advance human rights, have become the main opponents of people's rights, freedom and self-determination. So, after writing about our concerns about the new Argentinean government, today, on the International Day Against LGBTIQ+-Phobia, we want to demonstrate our strong concern with the actions of the government of Peru, which undermine the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ people. The IPPF Americas and Caribbean Regional Office joins INPPARES, Member Association in Peru, in expressing its rejection of the Supreme Decree Nº 009-2024-SA issued last May 10th by the Peruvian Ministry of Health which, by updating the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), violates the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people.   Some context: The PEAS contains the list of interventions that can be addressed by health insurers in Peru, so it is vitally important that it is kept up to date with the guidelines and standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). From time to time, the WHO revises its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) to update it based on recent scientific evidence and thus adequately guide global clinical practice. Recall that in 2019, the 11th revision of the ICD made history by removing trans identities and expressions from the chapter on ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders’. However, last week, the government of Peru decided to use an outdated revision of the ICD, which pathologises sexual orientation and gender identity. This decision of the Peruvian government to use ICD-10 is very serious, as it violates binding codes and agreements at local, regional and international level. On the one hand, it violates the constitutional right to health established in articles 7 and 9 of the Political Constitution of Peru, which establishes the right to health on the basis of equality and non-discrimination. Furthermore, it disregards the information, guidelines and standards of the WHO, the United Nations specialised health agency, and the requests of the Office of the UN High Commissioner since 2015 to stop the pathologisation of LGBTIQ+ people, in particular trans and intersex people. It also goes against commitments adopted by Peru in numerous regional and international declarations, such as the Montevideo Consensus, whose implementation and follow-up was officially adopted in 2016 by Supreme Decree N° 051-2016-PCM. Today, it is necessary to reaffirm that LGBTIQ+ people have the right to live free from violence, to live their gender identity and sexual orientation freely, to access health and reproductive services where their identities are respected and their specific needs are met. It is the responsibility of governments to ensure that these rights are fulfilled.

At a time of profound and multiple crises, it is worrying that the focus of any government's action is to go back on already consolidated international commitments, particularly those which recognize, based on evidence, that Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights, central to eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development across its social, economic, and environmental dimensions. SRHR – which encompasses a range of issues, including universal access to SRH services and supplies, comprehensive sexuality education, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices such as early, child and forced marriage – are fundamental to the ability of all people, especially women, adolescent girls and young people, to lead full, satisfying, healthy and productive lives. SRH services are a critical aspect of SRHR, but a complete understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights goes far beyond on access to health facilities and services to include an array of social, legal, institutional, and financial arrangements that enable individuals to exercise their rights in general and addresses the underlying social determinants. In this regard, our Latin American community urges the government of Zambia to review its position and, on the contrary, to improve and expand the SRHR services, including increasing funding in this sector, for example by investing in fulfilling the human rights of women and girls, in all their diversity, as gender discrimination is one of the leading determinants of poor health and unwanted SRHR outcomes. It is also key to addressing inequities in access due to poverty and multiple forms of discrimination, stigma and social and economic exclusion affecting various population groups. We conclude by highlighting the importance of evidence-based policies and, in 2023, the data indicates that effective policies are not those based on stigma and discrimination or elimination of rights. On the contrary, effective policies are those that include, care for, and treat all people as subjects of rights, capable of making decisions about their health and reproductive life, with the support of a State committed to promoting citizenship and the human dignity of their people. Here, at IPPF ACRO, we will remain attentive and always willing to contribute so that rights do not go backwards and no one is left behind.   In solidarity, Eugenia Lopez Uribe Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean