Happy New Year from the EPF Secretariat!
The year 2020 and the unexpected emergence and fight against the COVID-19 pandemic caught all of us by surprise. We also came to experience the knock-on effects of the virus, which quickly proved the initial hypothesis ‘the virus does not discriminate’ wrong. Women and girls have been disproportionately exposed to the virus. Additionally, measures aimed to mitigate the pandemic magnified existing gender and social inequalities. Despite these challenges, there were also inspiring signs of solidarity around the world, which had political impact and brought a heightened sense of awareness on issues of inequality.
Here’s to 2021 and what will hopefully be a year with many opportunities for a better, more gender-equal world.
Check out our most popular tweets of 2020 in review below, giving insight to how the year unfolded:
January:
We kicked off 2020 with an in-person SRHR training in the European Parliament.
February: In February, a delegation of 17 parliamentarians from 14 countries across Africa participated in the 9th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights.
March: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for telemedicine as a way to facilitate access to reproductive health supplies and administer them autonomously. At the same time, telemedicine is also a long-term opportunity to safeguard every person’s sexual and reproductive health and well-being far into the future.
April: The Polish government took advantage of the COVID-19 measures, attempting to ban abortion and sexuality education. As the first international outlet to report on the proposed bill, EPF was able to raise awareness on the issue and gather parliamentary support. Due to large resistance, the “stop paedophilia” motion against comprehensive sexuality education and abortion was halted at the commission level and tabled for further examination.
May: As the impact of the pandemic on women and girls became more apparent, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner issued 8 guidelines for to mitigate the negative effects of the crisis on women’s rights and gender equality and reminded member states that full respect of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights is an essential component of Council of Europe member states’ obligations to guarantee women’s human rights and advance gender equality.
June: In June, EPF briefed European Members of Parliament on the deceptive anti-gender networks attempting to reverse women’s rights in Europe and beyond under the umbrella of Tradition, Family, Property (TFP). It is important for policy-makers to recognise TFP organisations for the challenge they pose to democracy and human rights and act accordingly to protect these.
July: For the UN World Population Day, EPF drew attention to the increasing vulnerability of women caused by the pandemic and the need to safeguard the sexual and reproductive health needs of the most vulnerable population groups.
August: On International Youth Day, WHO Secretary-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recognised young people around the world demonstrating their resilience, collective action and creativity in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this speech he stressed the importance for youth to enjoy lives of safety, dignity and opportunity. Retweeting this post, the WHO acknowledged that these entitlements are linked to access to safe, affordable and accessible sexual and reproductive health services.
September: EPF joined the conversation for World Contraception Day 2020 and reminded policy-makers of their duty prioritise contraception coverage under national health systems, ensuring that women have access to the most modern and efficient contraceptive methods, such as long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), as well as devising supporting mechanisms for vulnerable groups. Additionally, EPF launched its first ever Global Contraception Policy Atlas for Africa in collaboration with UNFPA and the Ouagadougou Partnership Secretariat in an online webinar with parliamentarians and an expert panel.
October: In solidarity with Polish women, 121 parliamentarians across Europe signed a joint call to action voicing concern about Poland’s “constitutional tribunal” attempting to issue a ruling which would likely ban abortion in the case of fatal foetal anomaly. Pressured by nation-wide protests, demonstrations in European capitals and petitions, the government restrained implementing the bill and from pursuing further actions.
November: In cooperation with the All of Us Network, over 200 Members of the European Parliament, National Parliaments, Senates and Regional Governments joined forces to send a call to action to the European Commission, urging them to launch an infringement procedure against Poland to protect women's rights, LGBTI rights & the rule of law.
December: We rounded up the year with a virtual EPF Council Meeting reviewing the year’s challenges and successes, and looking ahead to the 2021 workplan. In the meeting, with 46 attendees, parliamentarians elected six board members including Polish and Italian parliamentarians for the first time in EPF’s history.
We look forward to working together to continue to protect sexual & reproductive rights in 2021!
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