Proposition 53K2801

Proposition de résolution relative à la santé et aux droits sexuels et reproductifs dans le cadre des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement post-2015.

General information ¶

Authors

CD&V Roel Deseyn
Ecolo Thérèse Snoy et d'Oppuers
Groen Eva Brems
LE Georges Dallemagne
MR Corinne De Permentier
PS | SP Karine Lalieux, Christiane Vienne
Vooruit Dirk Van der Maelen

Submission date

May 8, 2013

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

AIDS family planning resolution of parliament development aid reproductive health public health

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld MR

Voted to reject

VB

Abstained from voting

∉ N-VA LDD

Party dissidents ¶

• Peter Luykx (CD&V) abstained from voting.

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

Oct. 24, 2013 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, in the Committee on Foreign Relations we recently discussed the proposal for a resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the context of the post-2015 Millennium Goals.

The authors of the resolution call on the Government to take the following concrete actions at international level: promote decent work at international level, advocate sexual and reproductive health and rights, work on the post-2015 frameworks in accordance with the Belgian law on development cooperation, specific goals on gender equality and empowerment of women and initiate the debate on how a blocking minority in sexual and reproductive health and rights can be avoided.

With the present resolution, the applicants specifically want to bring the issue of sexual and reproductive health care to the attention of the government. They also hope to create more attention at the European and international level to the problem in question, which is the future for many women and girls.

During the debates, the need for quality and accessible healthcare was repeatedly addressed. Among other things, my colleague from Open Vld is of the opinion that not only women and children but everyone should have access to basic health care, so as to get out of underdevelopment.

During the debate, it was also cited that birth planning and the freedom for women to dispose of their own bodies are crucial in order to continue the path to development. If a woman wishes to do so, or if it is medically possible or necessary, abortion must be possible.

My colleague from the CDH and also co-presentator of this resolution also pointed out that countries that respect fundamental rights and recognize the sexual and reproductive rights of women are constantly making socio-economic progress.

My colleague from Ecolo-Groen warned me not to blindly look at the sexual and reproductive rights of women. In fact, they are also often missed in the field of fundamental rights, social and economic rights, such as inheritance and access to land.

During the debates, it was also cited that the promotion of rights should not be encouraged only on the part of women. If the rights in question are not respected, it should be avoided that the woman or girl is stigmatized. It must also ensure that there is a sufficiently functioning system to punish the perpetrators.

This is not just a political or administrative change. Certain cultural ideas should also be adapted to the extent possible.

So far the report.

Now I would like to explain some of our vision.

Dear colleagues, it was a short but powerful discussion, in which the values of the Millennium Development Goals were not challenged, but rather the pace at which they are realized. Although the draft resolution contains concrete proposals, I still have questions regarding the support of those proposals. Mr Labille stated in the committee that he has already taken action on many of the proposals. An additional incentive can never hurt, but I wonder if we have not done unnecessary work and focused too much on a part aspect, while the other Millennium Goals also have great value.

As I said, the resolution proposal contains good aspects. However, we have some problems with it. The text specifically refers to the financial transaction tax. I am surprised that the tax was included in a proposal for a resolution, while there is still no agreement on the financial transaction tax even in the euro area. Furthermore, there is no agreement in the federal majority on the destination of the proceeds of that financial transaction tax. I cannot imagine that the liberal parties would agree to the automatic flow of revenues to development cooperation.

Even lawyers from the European Council have criticized the FTT, as the current plans discriminate against the 17 EU countries that do not participate in the FTT. The FTT will cause distortion of competition in those countries, and is, in their opinion, to some extent illegal.

All in all, the resolution proposal contains a lot of good initiatives. However, I cannot get rid of the idea that it is a mask to again discuss the financial transaction tax, outside the legal framework. We are committed to areas in which there is no European consensus. This is a dangerous way of working. We will therefore remember.

As the Co-President of the Parliamentary Group for the Millennium Goals, I present this text today. First of all, I would like to thank all the colleagues who worked on this text and made it possible to see it come to light.

It is true that the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) form an ambitious plan approved by all countries of the world and by all major institutions. On September 25, the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations held a special event on the monitoring of the SDGs during which world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving these goals. They agreed to hold a summit in September 2015 to adopt a new set of targets, the post-2015 SDGs. It is in this dynamic that we are entering today.

In addition to the work of the Senate, we introduced this proposal on sexual and reproductive rights. This theme is based on a simple conclusion: the socio-economic development of a country is closely linked to progress made in the field of health and sexual and reproductive rights. Access to contraceptives and sexual education is essential for empowering women and to increase the chances for young people to access education and thus improve their future prospects. Current WHOs already recognize the importance of reproductive health and the fight against HIV. Nothing is achieved, however, as conservative pressures and international forums are strong. These pressures seem to deny or ignore how underdevelopment in family planning, the fight against STDs, undermines efforts to eradicate hunger or poverty in the world. Yes, demographic pressure is a source of pressure on natural resources and food security.

We know that we are facing social issues that some will call “sensitive.” However, I am intimately convinced that as political leaders, we cannot abstain from such debates. These remain essential both in terms of law and human development in a democratic society that recognizes its citizens to freely dispose of their bodies and lives.

It is not about being for or against sexual and reproductive rights; it is about accepting that everyone can make free and informed choices at any time of their life, including the right to abortion.

Poverty should not only be seen as a lack of material resources; social factors, such as health, education or gender, must also be fully taken into account as essential elements in which it is appropriate to invest for sustainable and just development.

In Belgium, the Minister of Cooperation is ⁇ sensitive to this point of view; he has told us and repeated it. Nevertheless, at the European and international level, under the pressure of some conservative states, we cannot guarantee the presence of these themes in future frameworks for sustainable development and the fight against poverty. This Tuesday, the rejection in the European Parliament of the report on health and sexual rights of socialist Edite Estrela is another proof of this.

Dear colleagues, I observe that I speak in the utmost indifference, not from the socialist group, but from others. Nevertheless, what happened in the European Parliament, that is, the rejection of a report simply calling for the sexual and reproductive rights of women by the conservative parties and the EPP – I look at the social-Christian group: Anne Delvaux also voted for the postponement of this report – this rejection constitutes a danger for all women.

That is why the debate this afternoon and the vote that follows is ⁇ important. I see that no one is interested in this, but I continue hoping that all this will be noted in the report. In fact, for now, the Conservatives are gaining ground, at the European level as well as at this parliamentary level.

Hence the importance of continuing to exert parliamentary political pressure and explaining the link between the SDSR and the fight against HIV-AIDS and formulating, on the basis of an assessment of the current framework of the SDGs, proposals on the integration of these rights in future SDGs after 2015. We are working at an appropriate time.

In the resolution of Mr. Dirk Van der Maelen was included in this proposal, I would like to add a word about health.

Health is a human right. Nevertheless, an estimated 100 million people fall into poverty each year due to high healthcare costs. Universal social protection could be an important tool for ensuring this right to health, all integrated into a process of political accountability of all countries, including developing countries.

I would also like to add, as my colleague said, that the transaction tax is obviously important. It is important, and I would like to point out that we voted here a pledge for this tax, and that Europe is realising it. This tax may at some point also be used to finance the Millennium Goals.

It is clear that proposing goals and great principles without financial means is of course useless! In times of crisis, we must therefore think of new ways to finance cooperation and development in the world, and development, I recall, for all women in this world who also have the right to well-being, health, and sexual and reproductive rights.

To conclude, dear colleagues, I hope that with your support, our assembly will be able to send a clear message as part of the work, which has just begun, in preparation for the high-level summit in September 2015. It will play a crucial role in adopting a new set of objectives.

These objectives should not be seen as futile, but rather as an indispensable challenge in the face of an increasingly interconnected, but also increasingly unfair world, including in terms of sexual and reproductive rights.

This sustainable world as we call it is only possible through a coherent approach that fully integrates the challenges of sexual and reproductive rights. Because if they are an integral part of our being, they are also a source of inequality and discrimination. They cannot therefore be taken hostage by exacerbated conservatisms, under the penalty of turning the development of each one into a brake. I thank you.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, I have traditionally been a cool lover of resolutions, because I believe that the House should prepare legislative texts, control the government and finalize budgets. It rarely happens that I sign a resolution or hold a debate about it.

This time, however, I found that it really paid off the effort. I thank the applicants, Mrs. Lalieux, Mrs. Vienne, Mrs. Brems, Mr. Dallemagne, Mr. Deseyn, Mr. Van der Maelen, Mrs. De Permentier and Mrs. Snoy et d’Oppuers, for submitting the proposal. I am also grateful to them for having taken into consideration, in a broad and tolerant manner, the amendments with which I did not agree. I am also grateful to the reporter for describing these elements in the report.

Resolutions in the Chamber sometimes seemed to be a bit of begging. They are directed to the government. Thanks to our former colleague Hilde Vautmans, who at that time had the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber adjusted, we know that the policy letter of the competent minister must give account of the submitted resolutions at the end of the year. That system has a six-month repetitive character, which in a way of speaking can give more meat to the leg.

Why are we sensitive to this resolution and the amendments submitted by colleague Lieve Wierinck on behalf of the Open VLD group? The importance of sexual and reproductive health and the rights to development are undoubted. I repeat clearly that without the right to make birth planning, without the recognition of the physical integrity of the woman, without the struggle against HIV and AIDS, and without health care that pays special attention to this, there is no empowerment and therefore no development.

We have been able to contribute to the nuance of the draft resolution by detailing and bringing forward some points through amendments, with a general consensus. Point x was supplemented, also thanks to Mrs. Lalieux and her understanding of the matter. It calls for the protection of the reproductive rights of women: abortion must be legal, safe and accessible to all women. We have talked about this for a long time. However, it is capital to be able to harden this principle.

We also emphasize that states have the primary responsibility for realizing the right of their inhabitants to health. You know the developing countries very well. More than once, partner countries, who are there to help other countries, take on tasks that are neglected by developing countries.

Those countries abuse their scarce resources in armsing and politizing minorities and then leave the good work to the aiding countries. Mrs Lalieux, therefore, we have insisted that the state itself should act in this matter also in those states.

We also demanded that it all work in a democratically acceptable way, paying attention to security, fighting corruption, developing basic infrastructure, and very importantly – and that is brutally the case in some countries today – access to education for everyone, including women.

We have also mentioned that all partner countries need to be persuaded to spend a sufficiently large and appropriate portion of their GDP on health care in their struggle to realize the right to health for all.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution will soon be approved almost unanimously, ⁇ with a few reservations, and thus we will make a positive contribution, without any sense of superiority and without any antinomy, mental or otherwise, to bring forward our principles, to secure them and to support them globally as it can and contractually as it should.

So far, the Millennium Development Goals have been the most successful global effort to combat poverty. Significant and substantial progress has been made for a wide range of targets, ranging from the fight against malaria and tuberculosis to sustainable access to a drinking water source, through education and reduction of extreme poverty. They enabled the structuring of public assistance to the development of states and international organizations. Our Belgian cooperation, with Armand De Decker, Olivier Chastel and Charles Michel, was employed there thanks, at the time, to an increased budget. We can only rejoice.

Unfortunately, fifteen years have not been enough to overcome the north-south and gender inequalities. This last inequality concerns me most and affects me ⁇ . Women are too often left behind, ostracised, exploited because they represent the weaker sex. The discriminations of which they are victims are legion: discriminations in terms of the right to education, the right to health or the right to work. Freedoms are denied. Rights are denied.

Women are the main civilian victims in conflict and post-conflict situations. The example of the DRC and the situation in Kivu are in all of our minds. Women and girls living in these areas can no longer claim to their own bodies. And in the best of cases, their health and that of their children are not insured. This situation is completely intolerable. We must mobilize to ensure that women on all continents can freely dispose of their bodies and benefit from appropriate medical guidance.

These are the reasons why I support this proposal for a resolution that aims to promote and protect sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of the pursuit of the SDGs beyond 2015.

I ask that this theme be at the heart of the development cooperation programme, both in the 2014 budget and in the next government. Our experience of working towards achieving the SDGs has taught us that targeted and global development efforts can make a difference. Inequality is not inevitable. It is up to us to mobilize ourselves for, and by our work, to put an end to this state of fact. Gender equality is not only a goal in itself, but also an important means of achieving all other Millennium Goals.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, our group will enthusiastically support this text, inasmuch as it meets our objectives of increasing rights, autonomy and capacity of all genders granted to women in particular.

In this text, which is a collective work, we especially appreciate the human rights-based approach. This right must be made effective in all these countries, so that women’s organizations and women themselves can refer to it. It must be incorporated into national law so that it can then be used in their judicial, political and social systems.

This is a beautiful approach that we have used for the framework law on development cooperation. However, this approach is not always effective. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food is fighting to make this most fundamental right effective. We must therefore continue to work by following this human rights-based approach.

I also appreciate that, in this text, there is no fully narrow emphasis on sexual and reproductive rights. It also refers to social and economic rights, the right to education, the right to basic infrastructure, quality governance and democracy, insofar as all these rights interfere. I have also pointed out in a committee that social and economic rights will lead women to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights more safely.

I will return to the point of secondary responsibility that belongs to States with sufficient resources. This is one of the considerations that has been added. I insist on the fact that currently the resources allocated to development cooperation are decreasing every month.

Even when the government doesn’t officially mention it or insert it in a budget, ministerial circulars block commitment to programs and I don’t know what awaits cooperation in the coming years. But there is something to worry about!

It is important, dear colleagues, to ensure consistency between our votes on very generous resolutions and their subsequent implementation with the government, that is, the actual capacity to come in aid to these countries and these women, as we are talking about today.