CONCLUDING REMARKS
The full implementation of sexual and reproductive rights and the improvement of the sexual and reproductive health in the CEE region will not take place unless there is a concentrated and intense effort by both national and international institutions.
Governments need to be held accountable for the commitments they have made through international conventions and consensus documents.
Valuable initiatives undertaken by non-governmental organisations in this field need to find support of national public and international institutions in order to be sustainable and more effective.
European Union should strengthen its policies related to sexual and reproductive health and rights and encourage CEE governments to give priority to these issues, in particular, in the light of the recommendations of the European Parliament made in the 3 July 2002 resolution.
The European Parliament 2002 resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights (excerpts): The European Parliament:
Recommends the governments of the Member States and the Accession
Countries to develop a high quality national policy on sexual and reproductive health, in
cooperation with plural civil society organizations, providing comprehensive information
concerning effective and responsible methods of family planning, ensuring equal access to
a range of high quality contraceptive methods as well as fertility awareness methods;
Recommends the governments of the Member States and the Accession
Countries to strive to implement a health and social policy which will lead to a lower
incidence of abortion, in particular through the provision of family planning counselling
and services, the offering of material and financial support for pregnant women in
difficulties, and to regard unsafe abortion as an issue of major public health concern;
Recommends that, in order to safeguard women’s reproductive health
and rights, abortion should be made legal, safe and accessible to all;
Reminds that active participation of young people (their rights,
views and competence) is important in the development, implementation and evaluation of
sexuality education programmes in cooperation with other parties, particularly parents;
enhancing parenting skills and capacities also has an important part to play in this;
Reminds that sexuality education should be provided in a
gender-sensitive way, i.e. that account must be taken of the particular sensitivities of
boys and girls, starting early in life, continuing to adulthood, with a focused approach
at different stages of development, and taking into account different lifestyles, whereby
due attention should be paid to sexually transmitted diseases (i.e. HIV/AIDS);
Calls upon the governments of the Member States and the Accession
Countries to make use of various methods in reaching young people: through formal and
informal education, publicity campaigns, social marketing for condom use and projects such
as confidential telephone help-lines, and to consider the needs of special groups,
encourages the use of peer educators in sexuality education;
Calls upon the governments of the Member States and the Accession
Countries to provide access to sexual and reproductive health services without any
discrimination based on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital
status;
Urges the Council and the Commission in their pre-accession strategy
to provide more technical and financial support to the Accession Countries in order to
develop and implement health promotion programmes and quality standards in sexual and
reproductive health services, and to ensure that existing EU aid to Eastern Europe and
Central Asia include these types of programmes.