The Government’s development policy, One World, One Future, contains an explicit commitment to the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), through efforts that reduce maternal and infant mortality and promote universal access to reproductive healthcare, including ante-natal care and family planning services. We are committed to working to ensure that the Programme of Action is fully reflected in the new global development framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals after 2015.
Since last year, Ireland has played a prominent international role, through our EU Presidency and at UN level, on the post-2015 development negotiations. We are an active member of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations which is the main intergovernmental forum tasked with developing recommendations on the Post 2015 framework. The Open Working Group’s report will be central to the UN Secretary General’s consideration of the issues in advance of formal intergovernmental negotiations, leading to a Summit meeting at the United Nations in September 2015.
We have made it clear that Ireland recognises universal access to reproductive healthcare as a critical element in ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment, and to achieve better health outcomes for millions of men and women, girls and boys. We have consistently and clearly supported its inclusion as a target in the Post 2015 framework.
It is important to recognise that the Open Working Group is primarily a forum for Member States to discuss the post 2015 development framework; UN agencies, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) while providing technical input in the initial phase do not currently actively participate in the discussions. We support the view of the UN Secretary General that UN agencies should maintain an impartial supportive role in this process.
Last week I held discussions with the Director General of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, when she visited Dublin. We agreed that progress on universal access to reproductive health is crucial for progress on the elimination of maternal and child mortality, as well as for other development goals, including gender equality, women’s empowerment and education.
