We must ensure that the next 30 years of progress includes everyone. Our vision for the future must be a future for all.
A new vision of the world is gaining momentum, one in which strengthening the rights and welfare of individuals reinforces those of the collective, and vice versa.
Collective action offers the only path forward when it comes to many of the world’s largest concerns, from climate change to increasing demographic diversity to the digital revolution. Collective efforts that reinforce individual rights are also essential when it comes to sexual and reproductive health.
We know that sexual and reproductive health and rights are necessary enablers for the large-scale liberation of women and girls as empowered economic actors.
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
— Lilla Watson, an indigenous activist from Australia, at the 1985 UN Decade for Women Conference in Nairobi.
Before the earthquake, sexual and reproductive health work was more hidden, it was a kind of secret – now men are more understanding about these issues.
Ceylan Güzey, Türkiye Read story
Economic returns
Significant gains are unlocked when sexual and reproductive health programs receive investment.
- Each additional dollar spent on contraceptive services for adolescents above the current level reduces the cost of pregnancy-related and newborn care by $3.70
- Globally, intimate partner violence costs 5 per cent of worldwide gross domestic product, and nearly 15 per cent of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa
- It has been estimated that a $1 investment in family planning would result in a $60 to $100 return, over time, in the form of economic growth
- Globally, the limited educational opportunities for girls cost $15 to $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings
Every additional $1 spent on contraceptive services reduces the cost of pregnancy-related and newborn care by $3
As I have told several doctors… you do not have the experience I have – I started attending births before you were born.
Francisca Córdoba, Colombia Read story
Albinism being a genetic phenomenon, I also fight for my children.
Maïmouna Déné, Burkina Faso/Côte d’Ivoire Read story
The need for data
Historically, many countries have claimed that certain population subgroups simply do not exist within their borders – and there may be good reasons for such claims, as stigma and discrimination often force people to hide their identities, making data collection extremely challenging. But there are other reasons that disaggregated data are not collected and published. Challenges include cost and capacity, as well as political sensitivity and risks.
Choosing not to collect data can even reflect a lack of commitment to understand and reach the most marginalized and excluded, or can suggest that leaders are putting short-term political advantage above long-term development and inclusion. As some experts have asserted, “no data is data”.
Artwork
Textiles blur the boundary between art and function, practicality and beauty. Women’s movements have long used textiles to draw attention to a range of issues – from body positivity to reproductive justice and systemic racism. Contemporary artists and women-led textile collectives continue this tradition by producing artwork which reflects their local environments and traditions. As it has for thousands of years, textile art continues to offer women around the world the means to connect with previous and future generations of women in their families and communities.
We would like to thank the following textile artists who contributed to the artwork for this report:
-
Nneka Jones
-
Rosie James
-
Bayombe Endani, represented by the Advocacy Project
-
Woza Moya
-
The Tally Assuit Women’s Collective, represented by the International Folk Art Market
-
Pankaja Sethi
