From 28-30 April 2008 more than 70 Members of Parliament across Europe, representatives from International Organisations such as UNFPA and the Council of Europe, researchers, scientists, SRHR experts and NGO representatives gathered in Uppsala/Sweden to discuss the future agenda of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender issues, women’s rights and how to deal with a growing opposition movement towards SRHR.

The 3-day conference that generated significant media coverage throughout Sweden not only took stock of the present SRHR situation in Europe from a political and legal point of view. Participants also engaged in strategic discussions on how to deal with new scientific, societal, cultural and political challenges, such as immigration, the integration of (ethnic) minorities and their access to SRHR, the influence of religion in decision-making processes, the growing opposition movement, the need for a comprehensive sex education in school, a better integration and a heightened respect for the needs of young people in this process.

The conference that was organised by the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF), the Swedish Family Planning Association RFSU and the Swedish All-party Parliamentary Group also saw the much appreciated launch of “Political Party Mapping”.

This EPF research project has mapped 79 political parties in 12 European including the parties in the European Parliament according to their line on issues like sexual orientation, international development and termination of pregnancy. The findings and results that were presented were considered a great leap forward to a better understanding of political parties’ voting patterns on these sensitive issues and will help to educate and influence the SRHR positions of the political parties in the future which will be of particular importance with regard to the upcoming pan-European elections in June 2009.

The conference’s last day was dedicated to leadership in formulating and implementing a future SRHR agenda. 2008 and 2009 will be crucial for SRHR and gender policies in Europe and beyond. With the upcoming high level conferences in Accra and Doha in the second half of 2008, the elections to a new European Parliament, the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the election of a new EU Commission in 2009 the necessity of a renewed and a sustainable leadership will be paramount. In conclusion, conference participants were convinced that new coalitions and linkages reaching out to scientists, experts and the wider public, timely and better coordinated actions, more coherence in communication and a more transparent flow of information and knowledge are needed for a future SRHR agenda that deserves that name.