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| BHUTAN
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| The
State of World Population 2008 |
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Statement
of Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations
Population Fund |
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| Thank
you for joining us today. It is a pleasure, once again, to be in London
to launch The State of World Population 2008 report from UNFPA, the United
Nations Population Fund. I am also pleased to share with you the youth
supplement, Generation of Change: Young People and Culture, which features
incredible stories from young people around the world.
Our
2008 report is called, Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human
Rights.
This
report is a call to action to increase cultural knowledge, awareness and
engagement in efforts to promote development and human rights, especially
the rights of women.
At
UNFPA, we promote gender equality and reproductive health, and that is
the focus of this report. |
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Culture
is the way we think, act and believe. And values and practices that infringe
human rights can be found in all cultures-all cultures.
We
know that cultural traditions and beliefs are often stronger than laws.
We have seen this in our work to end female genital mutilation or cutting
and child marriage. In many countries, these practices are illegal-they
are against the law-and yet, they persist. They persist because they are
deeply rooted within the culture.
And
we have found that if we want to make greater progress, we have to engage
at a deeper level to facilitate change in the lives of individuals, families
and communities. We call it being culturally sensitive.
Human
rights are everybody's work and being culturally sensitive and understanding
the context is everybody's business.
Cultural
sensitivity and engagement do not mean acceptance of harmful traditional
practices, or a free pass for human rights abuses-far from it. Understanding
cultural realities can reveal the most effective ways to challenge harmful
practices and promote human rights.
One
of the main messages of this report is that change cannot be imposed from
the outside; to be lasting, change must come from within.
Culture
is created by people, and people can change culture. Communities have to
look at their cultural values and practices and determine whether they
impede or promote the realization of human rights. Then, they can build
on the positive and change the negative.
There
are positive and negative currents in every culture. There are people within
every culture who oppose harmful cultural practices and violations of human
rights.
As
development workers, we have to partner with forces of positive cultural
change to protect human rights and human well-being. Our experience shows
that we can work closely with these positive forces for cultural change
to protect human rights.
We
see this clearly in the case of female genital mutilation or cutting. This
harmful practice carries significant cultural meaning-it is seen as part
of a girl's transition to womanhood. Today, we are working with community
leaders to keep the celebratory aspects of the tradition and remove the
harmful aspect of cutting.
And
we have to change the culture within our own development organizations.
We have to take a more participatory, inclusive approach. We have to listen
to people. They know what they need and we have to support them.
In
this report, we dismiss the assumption that culture is only an obstacle
to the realization of human rights. Culture is not a wall to tear down.
It is a window to see through, a door to open to make greater progress
for human rights.
In
conclusion, I would like to stress that what happens to the lives of women,
men and young people will shape our common future. Now is the time to begin
a concerted international effort for Reaching Common Ground, as the title
of this year's report suggests.
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CULTURAL
SENSITIVITY CRITICAL TO SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES |
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Development
strategies that are sensitive to cultural values can reduce harmful practices
against women and promote human rights, including gender equality and women's
empowerment, affirms The State of World Population 2008 report from UNFPA,
the United Nations Population Fund.
Reaching
Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights, launched 12 November 2008,
reports that culture is a central component of successful development of
poor countries, and must be integrated into development policy and programming.
The
report, which coincides with this year's 60th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, is based on the concept that the international
human rights framework has universal validity. Human rights express values
common to all cultures and protect groups as well as individuals. The report
endorses culturally sensitive approaches to development and to the promotion
of human rights, in general, and women's rights, in particular.
"Human
rights are everybody's work, and being culturally sensitive and understanding
the context is everybody's business," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive
Director of UNFPA.
Culturally
sensitive approaches call for cultural fluency-familiarity with how cultures
work, and how to work with them. The report suggests that partnerships-between
UNFPA and community-based institutions and leaders, for example-can create
effective strategies to promote human rights and end their abuses, such
as female genital mutilation or cutting.
Culturally
sensitive approaches seek out creative solutions produced within cultures,
and work with them. "Communities have to look at their cultural values
and practices and determine whether they impede or promote the realization
of human rights. Then, they can build on the positive and change the negative,"
said Ms. Obaid.
The
State of World Population cautions that cultural sensitivity and engagement
do not mean acceptance of harmful traditional practices, or a free pass
for human rights abuses - far from it. Values and practices that infringe
human rights can be found in all cultures. Understanding cultural realities
can reveal the most effective ways to challenge these harmful cultural
practices and strengthen beneficial ones.
Despite
many declarations and affirmations in support of women's rights, the report
argues, gender inequality is widespread and deep-rooted in many cultures.
Coercive power relations underlie practices such as child marriage-a leading
cause of obstetric fistula and maternal death-and female genital mutilation
or cutting. These and other harmful practices continue in many countries
despite laws against them. Women may even support them, believing that
they protect their children and themselves.
The
UNFPA approach encourages change from within, says the report. The Fund
works with governments and a variety of local organizations and individuals
through a "culture lens". "There are people within every culture who oppose
harmful cultural practices. Our experience shows that we can work closely
with them for cultural change to protect human rights," said Ms. Obaid.
The
report emphasises the importance of a culturally sensitive approach not
only to development, but also to humanitarian response. It stresses that
humanitarian assistance in conflicts must protect whatever progress women
have made towards gender equality, including reproductive health and rights.
Describing women as victims and men as aggressors ignores cultural realities
and the variety of responsibilities that women take in wartime as heads
of household, breadwinners, caregivers and combatants.
Culturally
sensitive approaches are essential for reaching the Millennium Development
Goals, says the report, including Goal 5: to improve maternal health. "To
be healthy throughout the life cycle - before pregnancy, during pregnancy
and after pregnancy - is a human right," said Ms. Obaid.
The
report concludes that analysing people's choices in their local conditions
and cultural contexts is a precondition for better development policies.
"Cultures
change, for better or worse, in good times and bad. The report is about
promoting human rights in all circumstances," said Ms. Obaid. "Culture
is not a wall to tear down. It is a window to see through, a door to open
to make greater progress for human rights."
UNFPA,
the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency
that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of
health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population
data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every
pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of
HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
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| Source:
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, November 2008 |
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Ashi
Sangay Choden Wangchuck,
Queen
of Bhutan, UNFPA Goodwill
Ambassador
for Bhutan |
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