Amman, Jordan – 5 March 2020 – On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on the 8th of March, UNFPA- Jordan organized an intergenerational dialogue on women’s rights movement and sexual and reproductive health and rights last Thursday the 5th of March in Amman.
The global International Women’s Day theme for 2020 is: I am generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. Hence, the dialogue participants were distinguished women’s rights and gender equality activists representatives of civil society organizations and academia in Jordan from different generations.
In the opening remarks Ms. Pamela Di Camillo, UNFPA’s Gender-Based Violence Program Specialist reaffirmed UNFPA commitment to achieve three zero by 2030, that is zero preventable maternal mortality, zero unmet needs for family planning and zero gender-based violence. Civil society is at the forefront of the battle for the realization of women’s rights, with this dialogue the older generation is virtually handling the torch to the new one to continue to advocate and speak up for those rights. Facilitated by Dr. Suhair Salti Al Tal, an independent researcher on women’s movements in Jordan the dialogue on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) brought together eight speakers, women’s rights pioneers and younger generations that brought up core issues in the agenda of the women’s rights movement in Jordan as sexuality education and marital rape but also the question of language and gendered discourse.
The dialogue presented the lessons learned from multigenerational leaders of women organizations. They focused on challenges that inhibit women and girls from accessing knowledge that is fundamental to informing the choices they make in life and taking control of their bodies with regards to SRHR issues. Moreover, Dr. Al Tal touched upon the vital role of civil society and youth in implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goal no.5; which is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” and provide a space to highlight some interesting actions and best practices to advance the SRHR agenda in Jordan.
The interactive Q&A session with the audience at the end of dialogue gave participants from various organizations, youth networks and age groups a platform to voice their concerns and queries on women activisms and the right for women and girls to achieve full control over their bodies and attain their SRHR, as well as the role of technology and social media.
