56th Commission on Population and Development: Joint Nordic statement

Delivered on April 11th, 2023, by Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden

Mr. Chair,

I am honored to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and my own country, Sweden.

The Nordic countries continue to support the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and the outcome documents of its review conferences. As we will mark the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development next year, we need to scale up our efforts to leave no one behind. It is a fact that sexual and reproductive health and rights save and improve millions of lives. It is a fact that SRHR is also key to achieving gender equality and to empower all women and girls. And, not least, it is a fact that education, sexual and reproductive health, and rights and development are intrinsically interconnected.

The discussions that we have, and the standards that we set, at the CPD, are of great importance to the Nordic countries in order to advance our commitments made in Cairo almost 30 years ago. Here we set the tone for the advancement of gender equality, human rights, and sexual and reproductive health and rights – for all.

In this year´s CPD, we are discussing the clear interlinkages between population, education, and sustainable development. And I think this theme is of key importance to all of us:

Have you ever been in a situation where a child asks you a question you do not quite know how to answer?

Or, in a situation, where your answer leads to even more difficult questions?

Or, in a situation, where your answer was misunderstood?

I think in all those situations, we are thankful that we have evidence-based information available on the Internet, books, kindergartens, schools, and libraries, and, most importantly, we can turn to teachers and other professionals.

Sometimes those difficult questions raised by children, adolescents, young people, and even us adults are related to sexuality. If we don’t share evidence-based information, children can and will turn to other sources of information.

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) enables individuals to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights. It empowers adolescents and young people to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and to prevent early and unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

It also enables them to understand their right to bodily autonomy and integrity, to develop respectful relationships, and to dismantle gender stereotypes and negative social norms.

It is undeniable that the lack of access to quality education for all has serious long-term consequences for our children, adolescents, and young people and societies as a whole, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Secretary-General points out in his report,

– an estimated 70 % of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text with comprehension at 10 years of age.

These learning losses will lead to reduced incomes and increased inequality in the decades to come.

It is equally undeniable that the lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education for all has serious long-term consequences for children, adolescents, young people, and societies, such as unintended pregnancy and sexual and gender-based violence.

Unfortunately, when it comes to comprehensive sexuality education, lack of access often is a reality even without a pandemic and school closure.

The lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education is too often determined by it simply not being available.

In the Nordic countries, we have first-hand experience of the benefits of comprehensive sexuality education. Investing in comprehensive sexuality education combined with stigma-free youth-friendly health services has directly contributed to the very low levels of unintended pregnancies and HIV in our young people.

Access to education for all, including comprehensive sexuality education, enables children, adolescents, and young people to stay in school, to be economically empowered, and to reduce poverty. These all play a key role in ensuring sustainable development. It also gives children and adolescents the tools and knowledge necessary to become self-confident and informed adults and build the kind of life they want, with benefits for societies and development at large.

Mr. Chair,

As we engage in some key discussions in the CPD over the next week, let’s continue to make this meeting a platform for progress.

The normative standards that we set here in the CPD and in the outcome documents matter.

They lift the bar for women and girls’ opportunities around the world to claim their rights, to the benefit of all. And they matter especially for the generation of children and adolescents, in all their diversity, who are currently facing challenges to their fundamental right to education.

The Nordic countries will continue to engage actively and constructively in the CPD. We also look forward to supporting the ICPD30 process leading up to 2024.

Thank you.