Global Declaration on Abortion

This joint declaration on abortion for the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 (November 12-14, 2019) was developed by the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Center for Reproductive Rights, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), SPECTRA and Vecinas Feministas por la Justicia Sexual y Reproductiva de America Latina y el Caribe. Safe abortion is critical to the comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights commitments of the International Conference on Population and Development, and the continued commitments following ICPD+25. 

Preamble

Over the last 25 years, governments, health providers and civil society have taken major steps to advance women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights, in line with international human rights standards and public health guidance, including liberalizing abortion laws in over 50 countries. In addition, medical abortion has revolutionized access and improved safety of abortion around the world.

Yet more must be done. Of the 56 million abortions that happen each year, 25 million are unsafe with a resulting 44,000 women and girls dying—roughly 8 percent of all global maternal deaths—and 7 million more women in developing countries suffering serious, often permanent, injuries. The vast majority of these deaths and injuries are preventable and occur where laws are most restrictive. Evidence shows that restricting access to abortion does not decrease women seeking abortion, it only makes it less safe, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable women and girls. The Sustainable Development Goals will not be met if access to safe abortion care is not urgently addressed.

We therefore urge governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, health providers, the private sector and the donor community to:

• Make abortion, including abortion self-care, safe, legal, available, accessible and affordable by eliminating all laws and policies that restrict or criminalize access.
• Ensure that universal health coverage integrates–and makes accessible and affordable–an essential package of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, and services, including abortion, post-abortion and contraception, into national strategies, budgets and programs.
• Provide children and young people—both in and out of school—with comprehensive sexuality education that supports their right to informed choice and autonomy, including evidence-based information on contraception and abortion, and connects them with sexual and reproductive health services that are free, accessible, age-responsive, nondiscriminatory, and do not require third-party authorization.
• Increase access to early, quality medical abortion to make abortions safer, particularly in low-resource settings, by training providers at all levels, and by providing information, funding and resources for out of clinic access through hotlines, telemedicine and self-care referral systems.
• Meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of marginalized groups such as young women, indigenous women, women with disabilities, unmarried women and girls, and trans men by addressing the multiple barriers that prevent them from accessing services, by training and sensitizing providers, and by designing intersectional interventions that address social, cultural and economic needs, and help to improve equity and ensure their access to contraception and abortion.
• Promote gender equality and women’s and girls’ autonomy by implementing interventions at all levels to change harmful social and gender norms and stereotypes around sexuality, pregnancy and abortion; and by engaging partners, relatives and community members as supportive advocates for sexual and reproductive rights and abortion.
• Provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare to those affected by sexual and gender- based violence, including access to emergency contraception, safe abortion services and psycho-social support as defined under CEDAW, ICCPR and CAT.
• Guarantee sexual and reproductive health information and services, including comprehensive abortion care and contraception, in humanitarian settings, especially for all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Signatories

1. Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
2. Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
3. Action Works Nepal
4. ActionAid
5. African Women Rising
6. African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
7. African Youth Safe Abortion Alliance (AYOSA)
8. Agrupación Ciudadana por la Despenalización del Aborto
9. AIDOS - Italian Association for Women in Development
10. Aidsfonds
11. Akina Mama wa Afrika
12. Albanian Center for Population and Development
13. Alianza por la Solidaridad
14. Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC)
15. Allliance for Choice
16. Amazone Advisors
17. AMICALE DU NID
18. Amnesty International
19. Área Salud, Economía y Sociedad, CEDES (Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad)
20. ARROW
21. Articulación Feminista Marcosur
22. ASFAMM-association pour la Sante des Femmes d’Afrique du Maghreb et du Moyen Orient
23. Asociación Ciudadana ACCEDER
24. Asociación Familia Sana
25. Associação Moçambicana de Obstetras e Ginecologistas (AMOG)
26. Association Congolaise pour les Droits et la Santé
27. Association de Lutte contre les Violences faites aux Femmes
28. ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES DE L EUROPE MERIDIONALE
29. Association européenne de la pensée libre AEPL-EU
30. Association for Human Rights and Active Citizenship PaRiter
31. Association for Human Rights and Citizen Participation PaRiter
32. Association for Research and Social Innovation (ADT)
33. Association of Belarusian Guides
34. Association of Women of Ukraine «DIYA/ACTION»
35. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
36. August Vermeylenfonds
37. Austrian Family Planning Association (Oegf)
38. AwazCDS-Pakistan
39. Balance Promoción para el Desarrollo y Juventud AC
40. Balanced Stewardship Development Association (BALSDA)
41. Balay Alternative Legal Advocates for Development in Mindanaw, Inc.
42. Belarusian Organization of Working Women
43. Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC) Nepal
44. Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health at UCLA
45. BLAST
46. Bori se ženski! (Бори се женски!)
47. Borisov women social public association "Provincia"
48. British Society of Abortion Care Providers
49. Business women club Southwest Pinsk
50. Catholics for Choice
51. Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir
52. Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir Perú
53. Center "Women's perspectives"
54. Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)
55. Center for Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT)
56. Center for Reproductive Rights
57. Center Women and Modern World
58. Centre d'Action Laïque
59. Centre d'Initiatives et d'Actions pour le Développement durable au Burundi (CIAD Burundi)
60. Centre for Girls and Interaction (CEGI)
61. Centre for Solutions Journalism - Malawi
62. Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE)
63. Centre Ombre de la Femme du Burundi
64. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
65. Centro de Estudios y Capacitación Familiar (CEFA)
66. Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva
67. Centro de Promoción de la Mujer Micaela Bastidas - Trujillo
68. Chambre Transversale des Jeunes Entrepreneurs du Burundi
69. CHANGE
70. Chipembere Community Development Oreganisation
71. CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality
72. Clopsy
73. Coalition for Prevention of Unsafe Abortion
74. COJET/PLATE-FORME
75. Colectiva Feminista MAPAS
76. Colectiva Matria
77. Colectivo por la Igualdad De Género Piura
78. Colectivo Rebeldía
79. Colectivo Sonqo Warmi Cusco
80. COLLECTIF DES ASSOCIATIONS FEMINIES POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT
81. Collective for Social Science Research
82. Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres (CLADEM)
83. Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres, CLADEM – Bolivia
84. Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres, CLADEM – Perú
85. Community Initiative for Social Empowerment (CISE Malawi)
86. Community Youth Development Foundation
87. Concept Foundation
88. CONSORTIUM FEMME ET JUSTICE
89. Coordinadora de la Mujer
90. Coordination française pour le Lobby Européen des Femmes
91. COPUA
92. Corporación Casa de la Mujer
93. CREA
94. Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University
95. Dance4Life
96. DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era)
97. De Maakbare Mens
98. DEBOUT FILLE
99. deMens.nu
100. Department of Health
101. Development and Relief Solutions - DRESO
102. Deverlanges Blandine
103. DKT International FWACA
104. DKT WomanCare Global
105. Dynamic Femmes
106. Educating Girls and Young Women for Development (EGYD)
107. Ehsas Films Project
108. ELA - Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género
109. Ella vzw
110. Emthonjeni
111. EngenderHealth
112. Equality Fund
113. Equidad de Género, Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia - México
114. Equipop
115. Eugene Environmental FilmFestival
116. European College of Liberal Arts in Belarus (ECLAB, https://eclab.by)
117. Eyala
118. Fabs organization
119. Facultad de Psicología UMSNH
120. Family Health Options Kenya
121. Family planning Association of Nepal, palpa branch
122. Federación Planificación Familiar Estatal
123. Federation for Women and Family Planning
124. Federation of Women Lawyers-FIDA Kenya
125. Feminism UA
126. Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM)
127. FOKUS - Forum for Women and Development
128. FONDATION SOLIDARITÉ FAMILIALE, FOSOF
129. Fondo de Aborto para la Justicia Social MARIA
130. Fonds d'Entraide Georges Beernaerts / Onderling Steunfonds Georges Beernaerts
131. Fonds Lucien De Coninck
132. Food and Rural Development Foundation
133. Foro Regional por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de Arequipa
134. Fundación Arcoiris por el Respeto a la Diversidad Sexual
135. Fundación ESAR
136. Fundación Mexicana para la Planeación Familiar, AC MEXFAM
137. Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer (FEIM)
138. Fundación Si Mujer
139. Furia vzw
140. Gender-Centru
141. Genderise
142. Generation Initiative for Women and Youths Network (GIWYN)
143. Girls Go Green Initiative
144. Global Coalition of Women Against AIDS in Uganda (GCOWAU)
145. Golden Centre for Women's Rights Uganda
146. Governance Links
147. Gracious Foundation in Uganda
148. GROOTS Kenya(Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood)
149. Groupement des femmes vivant avec le VIH, GFV-VIH
150. Guttmacher Institute
151. Hábitat Mujer Salud
152. Hablemos de Derechos Humanos
153. Hand in Hand with Educated and Labour People (HHELp)
154. Haurralde Fundazioa
155. Health Development Initiative (HDI)
156. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia
157. HERA (Health Education and Research Association) Macedonia
158. Hidden Pockets Collective
159. Hivos
160. Human  Rights Law Network
161. Humanistisch Verbond
162. Humanists International
163. Humanists UK
164. Humanity Diaspo
165. Ibis Reproductive Health
166. ICRHM (Centro Internacional para Saúde Reprodutiva)
167. ICW Latina Comunidad Internacional de Mujeres viviendo con VIH
168. ILGA World
169. ILS Law College
170. Informational Legal Centre "VIALEX"
171. Insight Public Organization
172. Instituto de Salud Popular (INSAP)
173. Instituto Feminista Nísia Floresta
174. International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
175. International Federation of Business and Professional Women
176. International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
177. International Planned Parenthood Federation
178. International Planned Parenthood Federation - Western Hemisphere (IPPF-WHR)
179. International Public Association "Gender Perspectives"
180. International Women’s Health Coalition
181. International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP)
182. International Youth Alliance for Family Planning Uganda
183. Ipas
184. Irshad Ahmed Junejo
185. Julius Vuylstekefonds
186. Justice and Rights Institute-Nepal (JuRI-Nepal)
187. Kenya Human Rights Commission
188. Kijiji Afrika
189. Kuza Livelihood Improvement Projects
190. Kyrgyz Family Planning Alliance (KFPA)
191. La Cadejos - Comunicación Feminista
192. La Mujer en Africa Austral Mozambique (WLSAMOZ em ingles)
193. Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network
194. Le Planning Familial
195. LeadAfrica
196. LGBTI Support Center
197. Ligue pour la solidarité congolaise
198. Local Democracy Agency Mostar
199. London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign
200. Love Matters India
201. LUNA vzw
202. MANAB UNNAYAN KENDRA MUK
203. Marie Stopes International
204. Materské centeum Slniečko
205. Mauritius Council of Social Service
206. Médecins du monde France
207. Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Kirketon Road Centre
208. Medical Rights Watch
209. Medical Student for Choice Malawi Chapter
210. Medical Students for Choice
211. MenEngage Global Alliance
212. Moldovan A.O. Liceum
213. Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico (MAMPR)
214. Movimiento Manuela Ramos
215. Moyo the journalist
216. Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center
217. Nalane for Reproductive Justice
218. Naripokkho
219. Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa
220. Network for Building Peace
221. NGO Center "RESONANCE"
222. Non-commercial partnership " Woman today"
223. Nyale Institute
224. Observatorio de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de la Personas con Discapacidad, (ODISEX Perú)
225. Office for European Expertise and Communications
226. Organisation For Health in Substainble development (OHISD)
227. OutRight Action International
228. PARI o DISPARE
229. Partners in Sexual Health
230. Pathfinder International
231. People's Health Movement
232. PIAI "Region 119"
233. Plan International
234. Planned Parenthood Global
235. Plateforme RHRN SÉNÉGAL
236. Population Connection Action Fund
237. Population Services International
238. Population, Health and Development Group (PHD Group)
239. POSITIVE WOMEN
240. Private citizen of Australia
241. Profamilia
242. Prokiti Jubo Sangsad (Bangladesh Model Youth Parliment)
243. Promundo-US
244. Queer Youth Group
245. Radanar Ayar Association
246. Radha Paudel Foundation
247. Red de Educación Popular entre Mujeres - REPEM
248. Red de Mujeres por una Opinión Pública con Perspectiva de Género AC
249. Red de Mujeres Trabajadoras Sexuales LAC (RedTraSex)
250. Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
251. Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir
252. REDAAS - Red de Acceso al Aborto Seguro Argentina
253. Reproductive Health Uganda
254. Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ)
255. Réussir l'Égalité Femmes-Hommes (REFH)
256. RFSL, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights
257. RFSU
258. Right Here Right Now
259. RNW Media
260. ROSHNI Foundation
261. Rutgers
262. SafeHands
263. SAMSARA
264. Sarajevo Open Centre
265. SARChI Chair in Gender Politics
266. School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape
267. Sensoa
268. Servicios Humanitarios en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, ac
269. Sex og Politikk
270. Sexual and Reproductive Rights Network
271. SEXUAL HEALTH Switzerland
272. Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance Uganda
273. SFBSP-Burundi(Solidarité des Femmes Burundaises pour le bien être et le progrès)
274. Simavi
275. Societatea de Planificare a Familiei din Moldova/Family Planning Association of Moldova
276. Solidarité avec les Victimes et pour la Paix-SOVIP
277. Solidarité des Femmes pour le Développement Intégral "SOFEDI"
278. Solidarité des jeunes filles pour l'éducation et l'intégration socioprofessionnelle, SOJFEP
279. Solidarité Femmes Burundaises pour le Bien Etre social et le Progrès au Buruni
280. Sonke Gender Justice
281. SOS SEXUALITÉ POUR TOUS
282. SOUTHERN AFRICA LITIGATION CENTRE
283. Space Allies
284. SPECTRA
285. SRJC
286. Stella Network
287. Sukaar welfare organization
288. Surkuna - Centro de apoyo y protección de los derechos humanos
289. Swaziland Women's Land Rights Alliance
290. Swichi uganda
291. Taller Salud
292. TERRE DES JEUNES Du Burundi
293. The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)
294. The Community Health Rights Network (COHERINET)
295. The Lotus Identity
296. Tusitukirewamu Group Bwaise
297. Udruženje "Ženska Vizija"  Association "Womens  Vision "
298. Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije (UDIK)
299. Uganda Youth Alliance for Family Planning and Adolescent Health
300. Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum
301. Uitstraling Permanente Vorming
302. Ujala Network
303. Ujima Doula Services
304. unis pour le developpement  et la communication
305. United for a Purpose Brigade (Up Brigade)
306. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
307. UNIVERSIDAD MICHOACANA DE SAN NICOLÁS DE HIDALGO
308. Universitair Centrum voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (UCOS)
309. University of Benin
310. University of California Irvine/Independent
311. UPV kern denderdstreek
312. UŽ "SEKA" Goražde
313. Väestöliitto - The Family Federation of Finland
314. Vecinas Feministas por la Justicia Sexual y Reproductiva de America Latina y el Caribe
315. Vishakha
316. Vision Spring Initiatives
317. Vrijzinnig Centrum De Fakkel
318. Wanawake Wavuvi Kenya
319. Woman Health & Family  Planning
320. WomanHealth Philippines
321. Women and Law in Southern Africa - Lesotho
322. Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust Malawi
323. Women Deliver
324. Women for Women's Human Rights - New ways
325. Women Law and Development Association
326. Women Spaces Africa
327. Women Spaces Africa
328. Women’s Probono Initiative (WPI)
329. Women's Energy Club of Ukraine" (WECU)
330. Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
331. Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights Africa (WGNRR AFRICA)
332. Women's Initiatives Supporting Group
333. Women's Legal Centre
334. Women's March Global
335. Women's Rights Center NGO
336. World Health Organization
337. WREPA
338. YOSHAN
339. YouAct - European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights
340. Young Feminists
341. Young Men Engage For Equality 2030
342. Young Women For Change
343. Youth Action Movement
344. Youth Changers Kenya
345. Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
346. Youth for Change Action Group
347. Youth Network for Community and Sustainable Development (YNCSD)
348. Youth Nexus
349. Youth Task Force
350. Youth For Change Action Group
351. YouthNet for Climate Justice
352. Zamara Foundation
353. ŽENY POMÁHAJÚ ŽENÁM
354. Хмельницька обласна ГО Подільський центр "Гендерна рада"