On 13th May in Skopje as part of the launching of the new global campaign “I decide” was held a meeting with representatives of the government, civil society and the international organizations in our country. This meeting was aimed to present the global processes that are part of creating the new global developing agenda and respectively the new sustainable development goals.
In the past 20 years, on the global level and nationally, through implementation of the interventions part of the Program of Action of the International Conference of Population and Development and the Millennium development goals, in different areas achievements to enhance sexual and reproductive health and rights were made. Nevertheless, all planned goals were not reached and that will guide the planning of the future development.
After the discussion it was concluded that (1) based on the experience from the creation of the Millennium development goals, this process for the new sustainable development goals is more inclusive and open and this opportunity should be utilized, (2) this process shall be used to influence the national realities or through involvement in the global processes to put forward responsibilities that shall be implemented by the national authorities, (3) on the global level there is a consensus that the human rights must be guaranteed and to be part of the new development framework, therefore the mechanisms of the human rights should be used to streamline the new agenda, (4) besides the increased need of involvement in the global processes the involvement in advocating for improvement of the national situations should not be minimized, this include advocating for accessible modern contraception, comprehensive sexuality education and access to safe services of abortion.
The campaign “I decide” in Macedonia is promoted by HERA, as a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, is aimed to send this messages on global level. This campaign in the next 18 months will share the message that we cannot beat poverty without safeguarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
In order to support this campaign sign in the petition, this will be handed out to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Mun in the summer 2015.
