Gains and Gaps- ICPD + 15: A Civil Society Review in India

CHSJ, between 2009-10 hosted the secretariat for Gains & Gaps – ICPD+15: A Civil Society Review process to take stock of the gains and gaps in terms of ICPD promises in India. The process aims to build consensus among various stakeholders on issues around population and development and to review progress on different indicators of the ICPD PoA. Some of the key stakeholders who have been associated with this review process include the following:

• Civil society: community-based organisations and federations, organisations and networks working on related themes e.g. women’s groups, health groups, youth groups, Dalit groups, networks working on maternal health, family planning, abortion rights, sexual health and rights, sex workers and sexual minorities, HIV/AIDS, etc, working both at the national and state levels.
• International organisations – UN agencies, bilateral organisations
• Donors
• Government at the national and state levels
• Academics from reputed institutes across India

ENTER WEBSITE

A Steering Committee comprising of representatives from a diverse set of organisations, including CHSJ, planned and conducted the review process. The Secretariat created and ran a website (www.icpd15india.org) devoted to the review process. As Secretariat, CHSJ prepared 12 briefing sheets in English and Hindi on the various themes related to the ICPD Po A and held the following meetings in 2010-2011:

• Consultation on Declining Sex Ratio was jointly organized with Women Power Connect, SUTRA & Voluntary Health Association of Punjab. More than 40 participants from women's and health groups, media organisations and other CSO’s from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh were present. The consultation provided a platform to address the issue of the declining sex ratio within the context of gender discrimination and to raise concerns about the systemic gaps in the states’ enforcement of the PCPNDT Act.
• National Consultation on Addressing the Concerns of the Youth was held in collaboration with CHETNA, Gujarat. It was attended by 64 participants including grassroots activists, NGO workers and students working on youth issues. The objective was to place concrete recommendations before the government on the needs, aspirations and rights of the youth.
• HIV & AIDS – A meeting of 16 participants working on HIV & AIDS, sexual minorities, public health, women's issues and human rights was co-organized with NAZ Foundation (India) in New Delhi, to discuss ways of integrating and building bridges between HIV & AIDS activism and broader health rights issues and ways to move forward.