'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative

With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

“Would world leaders honour their commitment to deliver on SDG-3 and SDG-5? Would they be held accountable for the lack of progress? That is yet to be seen. But what we do find today is that anti-rights pushes and anti-gender pushes are rising and threatening whatever little progress was made,” said Shobha Shukla, Founder Executive Director of CNS and SHE & Rights coordinator, who served as SDG-3 Lead Discussant at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2025.

Kenyan lawyer and activist Kavutha Mutua also raised alarm over punitive laws such as the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act and similar proposals in Ghana and Kenya. She said these regressive measures, along with policy rollbacks like Kenya’s withdrawal from commitments on comprehensive sexuality education and safe abortion rights, severely undermine sexual and reproductive health and rights. “We must defend progress made in laws and courts where possible,” she stressed.

Nepal was highlighted as a country demonstrating leadership on SDGs. Dr Bikash Devkota, Secretary at Nepal’s Department of Health and Population, pointed to the country’s extraordinary public health gains, including a three-fold rise in life expectancy since the 1950s, a 70 percent reduction in maternal mortality, and the World Health Organization’s recent declaration of Nepal as rubella-free. “These are not merely statistics, but reflect lives saved and futures secured,” he said. Nepal has also reduced new HIV infections by over 75 percent since 2010, a landmark achievement in Asia-Pacific.

From Africa, Benedicta Oyedayo Oyewole of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) urged governments to prioritize investments in primary healthcare, enforce laws against gender-based violence, end child marriage, and fund women’s rights and community-led organizations. “We are not asking for charity, but justice. The time for political rhetoric is over. What we need now is courage, financing and political will,” she said.

In Asia-Pacific, feminist advocate Anjali Shenoi of ARROW warned that one-third of countries in the region are not on track to reduce maternal mortality and that unsafe abortions remain a major source of preventable deaths. She highlighted the increase in child marriages in Bangladesh since the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed the need for inclusive, rights-based health systems and removal of legal and social barriers to services.

Thailand’s recent legalization of marriage equality was hailed as a landmark victory. “The Marriage Equality Act ensures equal rights for all couples regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It brings life-changing benefits to LGBTIQ+ individuals, couples, and families,” said Matcha Phorn-In, founder of Sangsan Anakot Yaowachon. But she cautioned that across Southeast Asia, LGBTQIA+ communities continue to face criminalization and marginalization. She also stressed that conflicts, invasions, and violations of indigenous rights remain major barriers to advancing the right to health.

The SHE & Rights session also showcased the SWEET (Street Women Engaged and Empowered to End TB) project of Humana People to People India, which supports urban poor women affected by TB and HIV. “By engaging street women as peer educators, SWEET not only improves health outcomes but also combats stigma and discrimination,” said Lisbeth Aarup, Head of Programme Development.

The session was co-organized by Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2025, Family Planning News Network (FPNN), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and CNS.

The recording of the discussion is available online, and applications for the SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 are open until 15 September. Registration is also underway for the next session on 5 September, titled “Abortion Rights are Human Rights,” scheduled ahead of UNGA, World Contraception Day, and International Safe Abortion Day.

Comments

What mainstream economists won’t tell you about Chinese modernisation

By Shiran Illanperuma China’s modernisation has been one of the most remarkable processes of the 21st century and one that has sparked endless academic debate. Meng Jie (孟捷), a distinguished professor from the School of Marxism at Fudan University in Shanghai, has spent the better part of his career unpacking this process to better understand what has taken place.

10,000 students deprived of classes as Ahmedabad school remains shut: MCC writes to Gujarat CM

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, urging him to immediately reopen the Seventh Day Adventist School in Maninagar, Ahmedabad, where classes have been suspended for nearly two weeks. The MCC claims that the suspension, following a violent incident, violates the constitutional right to education of thousands of children.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Revisiting Periyar: Dialogues on caste, socialism and Dravidian identity

By Prof. K. S. Chalam* S. V. Rajadurai and Vidya Bhushan Rawat’s joint effort in bringing out a book on the most original iconoclast of South Asia, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, titled Periyar: Caste, Nation and Socialism, published by People’s Literature Publication, Mumbai, is now available on Amazon and Flipkart . This volume presents an innovative method of documenting the pioneering contributions of a leader like Periyar, and it reflects the scholarship of Rajadurai, who has played a pivotal role in popularizing Periyar in English.

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Bhojpuri cinema’s crisis: When popularity becomes an excuse for vulgarity

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Bhojpuri cinema is expanding rapidly. Songs from new films are eagerly awaited, and the industry is hailed for its booming business. Yet, big money and mass popularity do not automatically translate into quality cinema or meaningful content. The market has compelled us to celebrate numbers, even when what is being produced is deeply troubling.

Result of climate change, excessive human interference, can Himachal be saved from natural disasters?

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* These days, almost all districts of Himachal Pradesh are severely affected by natural disasters such as heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, landslides, land subsidence, mudslides, and flash floods. Due to frequent landslides and falling debris, major highways, including the Chandigarh–Manali and Manali–Leh routes, as well as several other roads, have been closed to traffic. Although this devastation is triggered by natural events such as heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, and flash floods, it is not entirely a natural phenomenon. The destruction in Himachal Pradesh is largely the result of climate change and excessive human interference with the state’s fragile environment.

Counterview

Search This Blog