In a sustainable abortion ecosystem, the government prioritizes health and SRHR, protects human rights, and ensures access to services. There are advocates for access to safe abortion at all levels, both in government and in the health sector, as well as a strong civil society movement that mobilizes to promote and defend women's rights.
During 2023, we had a presence in international and regional spaces to add to the defense of reproductive health and access to abortion.
Spaces at the international level
We participated in the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) International Dialogue and the Nexus Initiative retreat in Berlin, Germany. During these events, we shared Ipas LAC's actions and projects related to safe abortion care. We also coordinated one of the working groups and attended an exchange meeting with key Nexus Initiative partners. The purpose was to explore opportunities for more effective collaboration in the defense, protection and promotion of SRHR.
In the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, we participated in the Rising up for Abortion Rights event, a reception organized by the Swedish Government, the Argentinean Government and the She Decides collective. At the event, we gave a presentation on advances in abortion rights globally, highlighting examples of progress in countries such as Mexico, Thailand, Colombia and South Korea. The presentation addressed issues such as decriminalization of abortion, access to safe and legal abortion services, and the fight against stigma and discrimination against women who have abortions.
During the 53rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C., USA, we worked with three progressive coalitions: the sexual diversity, sexual and reproductive rights and women's health coalitions. During the strategy meeting of the allied coalitions, we led the monitoring of the opposition and gave a presentation on anti-rights actors at the OAS. We were also presenters at the workshop on Feminist Alliances to Strengthen the Gender Equality Agenda in the Inter-American Human Rights System.
We were part of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) Board meeting in New Delhi, India, which focused on four key strategic areas to promote coordinated action by countries to benefit the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. These areas were: engagement with global platforms, addressing the impact of climate change, participation in the World Adolescent Forum, and strengthening the alignment of partners at the country level. These approaches highlight the importance of comprehensively addressing the challenges related to the health and well-being of these populations, as well as the need for effective collaboration at both the national and international levels. Ipas LAC contributed a presentation that addressed the context of adolescent pregnancy in Latin America.
We participated in the PMNCH Cross-Cutting Committee retreat in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting focused on the implementation of the revised PMNCH approach for the promotion and accountability of commitments to the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. The event brought together more than 50 partners from diverse constituencies, including the PMNCH Country Partner Engagement Committee, the Strategic Advocacy Committee, the Governance and Ethics Committee, as well as the Knowledge and Evidence and Accountability Working Groups, along with the Executive Committee. It should be noted that our Executive Director, María Antonieta Alcalde Castro, is a member of the Board of Directors and chairs the NGO constituency.
Spaces at regional level
We took part in the Federal Meeting on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, organized by the National Directorate of Sexual and Reproductive Health (DNSSR) and the Secretariat of Access to Health (SAS) of the National Ministry of Health (MSAL) to analyze progress and challenges of strategies to continue expanding access to sexual and reproductive rights for the entire population. This meeting was attended by the provincial SRH directorates and referents, the National Plan for the Prevention of Unintended Pregnancy in Adolescence (ENIA) and the Advisory Council of the DNSSR.
We participated as panelists in the Conference of the Foundation for Adolescent Health (FUSA), with the presentation "The relationship of social organizations and public agencies with the field of sexual and reproductive rights", in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we shared our work regarding access to contraceptive services and methods, ensuring access to safe abortion and promoting the implementation of CSE. This activity was part of Casa FUSA's 10th Anniversary.
We collaborated in the conference A 10 años del Consenso de Montevideo: Towards a Population and Development Agenda with Territorial Equity, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In this event, we participated as panelists in the section: Sexual and Reproductive Health Policies in Argentina and the Region.
We attended the Fifth Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Santiago, Chile, commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Montevideo Consensus. During our participation, we contributed to the development of the Civil Society Declaration, highlighting 17 points of concern covering issues such as economic inequality, poverty, climate change and violence against women. Together with other organizations, we also called on States to adopt concrete measures to effectively address these challenges.
We held the meeting "Towards the strengthening of coordinated agendas to confront and contain anti-rights movements", in Bogota, Colombia. It was a space for articulation to continue advancing in a coordinated manner in the construction of agendas to confront and contain the anti-rights movement in the region. We had the participation of 39 representatives of allied organizations from 13 countries.
Advocacy actions at the international and regional level
In collaboration with the Ipas US team, we are part of the Advisory Group for a project aimed at neutralizing opposition in the OAS and the Inter-American Human Rights System. This project is coordinated by the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), with the support of the Canadian government. Ipas LAC contributed inputs for the first phase of the project and participated in the second meeting of the advisory group.
We prepared an advocacy report on the organization Political Net- work for Values (PNFV), a transnational network that brings together important opposition political leaders. The objective of this report was to provide background details on the organization, including its origin, financing and financial information.
We participated in the study Laws and Shadows. Abortion regulation in Latin America and the Caribbean, in collaboration with our partners at Clacai.in collaboration with our partners at Clacai. This study highlights inequalities in access to safe abortion in the region. It is the first report that analyzes and compares abortion laws, protocols and regulations in 16 Latin American countries with the purpose of providing information, recommendations and good practices in this area.
In the context of the case Beatriz vs El Salvadorbefore the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court), on March 22 and 23, 2023, we participated in the public hearing in San José, Costa Rica. We collaborated in the presentation of arguments related to DSR standards, as well as clinical issues in the briefs presented before the IACHR Court.
We played a key role in identifying four expert witnesses who contributed technical information relevant to the defense of the case. This included the preparation of a clinical expert admitted by the IACHR Court to testify at the hearing. In addition, we collaborated in the formation of a clinical team that provided expert advice remotely to the defense legal staff during the hearing.
We led the design and coordinated the deployment of the 360 communication strategy that allowed us to reach a total of 3 790 397 people through our social media posts on Facebook; 1 531 297, on X; 1 814 642, on Instagram; and 41 602 impressions on YouTube, related to the Beatriz case. In addition, videos about the hearing reached more than 48 000 views and the website accumulated 62 627 visits by 45 231 people, in addition to 15 523 signatures in support of the case. Through the media outreach component, 198 publications were published in digital and traditional, state, national and international media.
See all the political support and leadership actions in the PDF version of our report.
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