The commitment to advance SRHR is articulated in multiple UN resolutions, the EU Consensus on Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ireland has demonstrated strong alignment with SDG commitments around SRHR concerning the reduction of physical, sexual or gender based violence. A Better World – Ireland’s policy for international development - recognises that access to ‘comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, is fundamental for realising SRHR and transforming women’s health outcomes’.
The Summit of the Future in September 2024 will be a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus and revitalise the multilateral system – building on the SDG Summit held in 2023, as well as the UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Paris Agreement, amongst others.
The aim of the Summit is to accelerate efforts to meet our existing international commitments and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. This will be achieved through a concise action-oriented outcome document called the Pact for the Future (the Pact), to be agreed by heads of state and government at the Summit, which will point the way for the innovations and reforms of the UN required over the coming years.
The Pact is currently being negotiated by the UN membership. Ireland strongly supports the Summit of the Future process, and has been actively engaged throughout the consultation process so far. We hope the Pact can build on the consensus achieved in the SDG Summit Political Declaration last year and contribute to accelerating progress in achieving the SDGs.
In negotiations on the Pact, Ireland has been focused on ensuring key cross-cutting issues, such as gender and human rights, and endeavouring to reach the furthest behind first, are reflected meaningfully throughout the document. The first revised draft of the Pact was shared with the UN membership this month and contains commitments relating to SRHR, which we will continue to support in the ongoing negotiations on the text.
