Africa-Press – Angola. Representative Luísa Damião defended this Thursday, in Oslo, Norway, the commitment of the Angolan Parliament to continue to be an important actor in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in different areas.
Luísa Damião was speaking at the 30th International Parliamentary Conference on the Implementation of the Action Program for Population and Development (CIPD), which takes place from the 10th to the 12th of April.
The parliamentarian considered sexual and reproductive rights as a decisive factor in the full realization of this Agenda.
He highlighted that, in line with the “Ottawa Declaration of Commitment (Canada 2018)”, Angola recognizes the importance of providing sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, as a factor promoting the social and economic progress of its people, development of societies and countries in general.
He explained that the National Assembly signed an agreement with the SADC Parliamentary Forum on the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, the official launch of which will be made later this month.
It will be, in the deputy’s opinion, an opportunity to strengthen the capacity of Angolan parliamentarians in this matter.
It recognized that the full materialization of Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa is still a very sensitive issue, considering, on the one hand, the weight of the cultural burden surrounding issues inherent to gender, sexuality itself and, on the other, the scope of scope of sexual and reproductive rights as a whole.
He highlighted that sexual and reproductive rights represent a vast social contribution that involves different categories of rights, with emphasis on the rights inherent to sexual and reproductive health.
He emphasized that Angola maintains its commitment to fulfilling women’s rights, within the framework of the “Maputo Protocol”.
He highlighted that the Angolan Government, in relation to sexual and reproductive health, seeks, within the scope of different governance instruments, to provide adequate, accessible and humanized health services.
She mentioned that the component of information, education and community programs for women, especially aimed at young women and those living in rural areas, has been a central pillar in the definition of gender policy in Angola.
He informed that in collaboration with social partners, Angola has developed several programs aimed at increasing female literacy, controlling the birth rate, combating domestic violence and other risks to women’s full development and social affirmation.
He highlighted that women are, in this way, encouraged to practice family planning, having at their disposal a range of contraception method options.
He mentioned that health services, and not only have ensured access to information, which allow women to make the best decisions in relation to their motherhood.
He stressed that in Angola young women have received special attention so that traditional impediments, such as early pregnancy, discrimination and early marriage, are no longer arguments for dropping out of school.
He mentioned that Angola’s strategy in relation to meeting the goals inherent to the SDGs by 2030, in accordance with the commitments of the last ICPD, involves, among other aspects, promoting access to universal, inclusive and quality education for young people.
The international conference on population and development constitutes a global meeting that addresses aspects of human life in a comprehensive way.
It is an opportunity for dialogue between parliamentarians to address topics on the promotion of human rights, sexual health and reproductive rights, gender equality, access to education, elimination of violence against women and issues relating to the environment.
It is also an occasion to mobilize resources and create an enabling environment around sexual and reproductive health and rights that translates into policies and financing for countries.
This conference marks the thirtieth anniversary of the one held in 1994 in Cairo.
So far, similar conferences have been held in Canada on two occasions, as well as others in France, Thailand, Ethiopia, Turkey and Sweden.
Parliamentarians from 112 countries are taking part in the conference that will culminate in the Oslo declaration of commitment.
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