Stories

Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español.   From June 30th to July 4th, fifteen Member Associations and Collaborative partners joined IPPF ACRO secretariat as a delegation to attend the 5th Regional Conference on Population and Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (RCPD). The RCPD brought together regional UN Member States, representatives of the UN system and civil society organizations to evaluate achievements and challenges in the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus, a regional roadmap essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   In our region, IPPF has been following up the Population and Development agenda through Cairo +30 as well as the Montevideo Consensus +10, advocating for more concrete progress at national, regional and international levels, including demanding adequate financing and accountability processes. For IPPF ACRO, following up on the Population and Development agenda means also advocating for legislative changes that support sexual and reproductive rights. This goes hand in hand with monitoring public policies to ensure that national and subnational governments provide sexual and reproductive health services that are available, accessible, acceptable, and of high quality.  This year, the IPPF ACRO delegation was comprised of representatives of Member Associations and Collaborative Partners in Antigua, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as a regional office team with Eugenia López Uribe, our regional director, Kamilah Morain, MA Support and Development Director, Ela Urquijo, Youth Networker and Gabriela García, Architect of Cooperation for the Americas.   Together we organized three side events and for the first time, we endeavored in an Advocacy School for Youth, in collaboration with Profamilia and FP2030, aiming to strengthen their advocacy skills.   Besides, since historically, the Caribbean region has been left aside from high-level spaces in our region, IPPF ACRO showed in Cartegena its commitment to changing the landscape  “Because of the dynamic nature of the Caribbean, it is extremely important to have the Caribbean represented in forums like the RCPD,” says Natasha Jervier-Carbon, Executive Director of the Dominica Planned Parenthood Association (DPPA), IPPF Member. “The only way the Caribbean can be truly reflected is by having the actual presence of the Caribbean in the spaces and allowing individuals who live the life, and who understand the nature of the Caribbean to speak on behalf of the Caribbean.” 

Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español. The High-Level Political Forum: Let’s rewrite the rules   From Monday, July 8th, to Wednesday, July 17th, IPPF ACRO, in collaboration with Gestos, our partner organization in Brazil, participated in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, to continue advocating for increased investment by governments in initiatives that are centered on and led by marginalized communities. The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) serves as a critical platform for member-states, UN agencies, and civil society to evaluate progress, address challenges, exchange best practices, and promote policies aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year it represents a significant advocacy opportunity to engage with the roadmap leading to the Summit of the Future, a pivotal United Nations debate scheduled for September, and offers a chance to enhance collaboration on essential issues around women and youth’s rights, in their diversity, and address gaps in global governance. The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are deeply intertwined with the mission and objectives of IPPF as a Federation. Achieving reproductive justice globally requires that women, girls, and all individuals have control over their sexuality, gender, and reproduction. However, for this to become a reality, the basic human rights of all must be guaranteed and protected, including the right to a healthy environment. And only by making progress toward achieving the 17 SDGs, we can move closer to realizing this vision. As a monitoring body for the SDGs, during the High-Level Political Forums, governments present their National Volunteer Reports (VNRs). This facilitates the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned, with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In 2024, eight countries from our region—Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru—presented their VNRs. These reviews enable civil society, including IPPF ACRO, to closely monitor how governments have progressed in advancing the Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly in relation to the populations we work with, such as women, youth, LGBTQI+ individuals, sex workers, and other marginalized communities.   Gestos- HIV, Communication and Gender, IPPF Collaborative Partner in Brazil, is the Latin America and the Caribbean Operative Partner of the Women’s Major Group and has been following the Agenda 2030 roadmap closely, as part of their country’s official delegation.   For Germana Aciolly, journalist and policy adviser at Gestos, this is a special year. Brazil is presenting their VNR for the second time and it responds directly to the reports that the Civil Society Working Group for the 2030 Agenda in Brazil has been publishing since 2017. “There is no VNR presented here with such a level of democratic dialogue between civil society and government. This is an important example because, at the same time, we are here to launch our own CSO Spotlight Report that monitors all SDG targets and, unfortunately, it shows that in Brazil only around 7% of the goals are making satisfactory progress. It opens the opportunity, for instance, to debate with the government the immense challenges for women and youth, in all their diversity, in our country that particularly increased by the actions from the previous government.”  

Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español.     International Women's Day is one of the most relevant Human Rights mobilizations worldwide. In 2024, it marks over 100 years of marches, strikes, worker stoppages, and silent resistances, all of which continue to emphasize the urgency of ensuring equal conditions for women in society. This year, the UN invited the international community to reflect on "Investing in women: accelerating progress," to reaffirm that investing in and guaranteeing women's rights, in all their diversity, benefits all people and society as a whole. To eradicate poverty, transition to clean energy, address hunger and, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, gender equality must be a priority for all countries and institutions, whether public or private. And universal access and coverage in health, decent work, quality education, digital inclusion, and the construction of comprehensive and shared care systems are rights that cannot be denied to women and girls.   IPPF ACRO – A diverse, community-centered 8M In IPPF Americas and the Caribbean, our main advocacy on March 8th and every day of the year is to guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health for all people. On this International Women's Day, Member Associations, Collaborative Partners, and Secretariat conducted commemorative activities in their services and shared with communities and groups to advocate for health and rights needs. Here are some of their actions:   Argentina In an unfavorable context following the election of an anti-rights president, Fundheg and allies took to the streets to join a social call against the government's extremist measures that endanger the laws and well-being of its people. Marching among feminist groups was, in this case, a powerful reminder that the Green Tide will  strive to ensure the sexual and reproductive rights of all people.

Revolutionizing CSE: Latin American and Caribbean Youth Leading the Charge!