Parliamentarians focus on women, children and adolescents in relation to peace, climate and technology

Parliamentarians from 110 countries gathered at the  144th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The meeting resulted in a broad range of discussions and resolutions related to peace and security, climate, and technology, with implications for policy and legislation related to women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being.

PMNCH, a longstanding partner of the IPU, participated in the meeting to share knowledge and evidence about status and trends of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, including in relation to lived experience during COVID-19.

Resolutions passed during the Assembly included:

• Peace: Emanating from an emergency item on the war in Ukraine, parliamentarians adopted a resolution recognizing the disproportionate impact of the war on women and children, calling for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure the safe passage of all civilians, particularly women and children. A landmark resolution on Rethinking and reframing the approach to peace processes with a view to fostering lasting peace was also passed, calling on parliaments to ensure that peace processes are as inclusive as possible, reflecting the perspectives of those most affected. The resolution also urges parliaments to prioritize the security needs of women and children and to strengthen or establish national mechanisms to register their grievances and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
• Climate: The IPU agreed the Nusa Dua Declaration on climate, recognizing the urgent need to address the climate crisis, which disproportionately impacts women and youth, and reinforces harmful gender norms and power dynamics that work against them. The impact of the climate crisis on food insecurity and gender-based violence was also recognized, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. As stated by Khaddouj Slassi, Member of the House of Representatives of Morocco, parliaments have the power to decide whether they want their countries to emerge from the pandemic with women who are battered or with women who are empowered.
• Technology: The Assembly also adopted a resolution on Leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an enabler for the education sector, including in times of pandemic. It recognizes that unequal access to broadband internet can deepen inequalities between and within countries, and that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution to the advancement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Realities and actions needed to further strengthen women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health

PMNCH took part in several meetings during the Assembly, including the  33rd session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, which was dedicated to understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected WCAH, including access to health services, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and adolescent well-being. Sue Mbaya, representing the PMNCH secretariat, joined the session alongside representatives from WHO, UN Women and Girls Not Brides to share evidence and lived experiences of women, youth and adolescents during the pandemic, including those experiences shared in the PMNCH-led publication Finding Hope (2021), based on survey findings from more than 30,000 women and young people in 43 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. “Parliaments have the necessary tools required to ensure women, children and adolescent health emerges stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, the time for parliamentarians to act is now”, noted Ms. Mbaya.

Other meetings attended by members of the PMNCH delegation included the Health Advisory Committee meeting, as well as a broad range of bilateral meetings with parliamentarians from over 20 countries including Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as the host of the next IPU Assembly, Rwanda. In doing so, PMNCH collaborated closely with Ms. Ulrika Karlsson, Swedish MP, Special Advisor on Health to the IPU Secretary General and a longstanding ally of PMNCH.

During these meetings, PMNCH sought to gain parliamentary support for key campaigns, including the COVID-19 Call to Action, as well as the Call to Action for Adolescents. The IPU’s Forum of Young Parliamentarians discussed the importance of increasing youth participation in parliaments, noting specific concern for protecting and supporting adolescent mental health -- a shared priority with PMNCH.

More broadly, the need to protect access to essential services for adolescents, as well as women and children, were discussed by parliamentarians at the meeting in the context of advancing the implementation of the landmark 2019 resolution on universal health coverage (UHC), calling on all parliaments to take legal and policy measures in order to achieve UHC by 2030.

IPU resolutions reflect not only powerful commitments, but powerful levers to act. As stated by H.E. Puan Maharani, Speaker of the People’s Representative Council, Indonesia: "Joining international commitments and agreements is not enough. We need to translate that commitment within our countries into tangible actions."

The next IPU Assembly will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 11 to 15 October 2022.