The Strengthening the ICPD Ecosystem for Advocacy in Asia and the Pacific meeting brought together civil society experts on accountability and the ICPD PoA from across the region. The strategic meeting took place at a critical juncture for sexual and reproductive rights advocacy in the region, following the 56th Commission on Population and Development (56CPD) and multiple other landmark events ahead including the 30th year of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) in 2024. The meeting jointly hosted by the Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APA), and RFSU highlighted the current accountability landscape in Asia and the Pacific and will explore accountability tools of the international human right system and normative commitments, as well as how civil society can negotiate the current space and context to best utilize advocacy opportunities and strengthen commitments to ICPD PoA.
SERAC-Bangladesh’s Executive Director SM Shaikat joined the two-day strategic meeting on 17-18 May 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand and the events included a regional Asia Pacific launch of the Nairobi High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 Follow-up report, “Sexual and reproductive justice as the vehicle to deliver the Nairobi Summit commitments,” hosted by the Embassy of Sweden in Thailand. The Swedish Ambassador in Thailand H.E. Jon Åström Gröndahl, UNFPA AP Regional Office Program Specialist Madu Dissanayake, UNESCAP’s Chief of Sustainable Demographic Transition Section, Sabine Henning, RFSU’s president Hans Linde, and APA’s Executive Director Alexandra Johns were among the high level speakers in the event.