The sessions on the 3rd day of the UNDP Committee would leave a smile in the biggest pessimist’s face. The delegates are sharing ideas, proposing solutions and working together to undo the barriers of achieving reproductive freedom. The delegates are also expressing disagreement with each other, which is encouraging in so many ways. More importantly, the delegates are putting effort.
Despite the obvious disputes, which are a result of the different points of view on reproductive freedom around the world, the cooperation can be felt across the room. From pushing hard to educate people -especially on developing countries- on contraceptive measures to striving for allocating the right equipment for telemedicine, the solutions presented were also very creative and, most importantly, practical.
There were still very few discussions about the hurdles presented by the lack of healthcare personnel or by the “conscientious objection” performed from doctors and nurses especially in developing nations.
Efforts are also being made to make sexual education a reality for schools around the world, so that topics such as contraception and abortion do not get stigmatized anymore. Funding and campaigning for abortion have also been discussion topics of the committee.
However, a Working Paper, where all the ideas discussed could be synthesized and translated into concrete measures, still seems far away. Time is indeed ticking, but the delegates still have a few committee sessions ahead of them.
If the delegates keep this pace, we might be having a very effective Draft Resolution on our hands soon. If the delegates get caught in definitions and chase perfection, things might not be looking very good for women around the world waiting to have free choice over their bodies.