Representatives of almost 50 governments from all continents and hundreds of parliamentarians, international organisations and civil society participants gathered in Brussels to express their support for women’s rights during the She Decides conference. The Conference raised a total of €181 million for the ‘She Decides’ Global Fundraising Initiative that seeks to fill the funding gap for sexual and reproductive health and rights created by the Global Gag Rule. The Conference was co-organised by Alexander De Croo and his Dutch, Swedish and Danish colleagues. |
Ahead of the high level She Decides conference of March 2nd in Brussels, Belgium’s All-Party Parliamentary Group ‘Parliamentarians for the 2030 Agenda’ called a parliamentary pre-meeting in the federal parliament. The implications of the Global Gag Rule (GGR), the rise of anti-choice movements and the question how to counter the effects of the GGR were on the agenda. Belgium is hosting the International Conference ‘She Decides’ in support of the rights of girls and women. Like-minded countries, NGOs and international organizations will express their support to sexual and reproductive health organizations affected by the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy or ‘Global Gag Rule’ (GGR). In the wake of this conference, the Belgian All Party Parliamentary Group ‘Parliamentarians for the 2030 Agenda’ organizes a pre-meeting in the Belgian parliament on Wednesday March 1st.
The parliamentary pre-meeting will address the impact of the GGR on women’s rights and their access to family planning, elaborate on the international anti-gender and anti-choice movement and address the question of how to best advance sustained political support for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe and beyond. Speakers include Dr. David Paternotte (ULB), Suzanne Ehlers (Population Act International), Caroline Hickson (IPPF European Network), Ton Coenen (EuroNGOs), Neil Datta (European Parliamentary Forum), Arthur Erken (UNFPA). More information and registration form Timing: Wednesday 1 March 14:00-17:00 Venue: Congreszaal, access through Federal Parliament, Leuvenseweg 21, 1000 Brussels Participation is free but registration is required. Please register through the online form before 24 February. For security reasons it is recommended to arrive well in advance. Vice-Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation, Alexander De Croo, presented his General Policy Note on International Development in the Parliament. The guidelines for this note are the Sustainable Development Goals, approved in 2015 by the United Nations.
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