Greatly concerned by the increasing world-wide attacks on women's rights and gender equality at the international and the State levels;
Considering that these current attacks on the existing rights of women by conservative movements which seek to deny women the right to control their own lives, their own bodies and their own destinies threaten decades of hard earned progress;
Noting that these conservative movements are largely male dominated and that the rollback of women's rights will assure male dominance, power and control;
Aware that such attacks are demeaning to women and are contrary to the fundamental human rights and to the principle of equality;
Regretting the failure of the 56th CSW session to reach agreed conclusions;
Noting the same pressure from conservative movements to restrict women's rights at the recent UN RIO+20 conference in Brazil, and in forthcoming UN meetings such as the CSW 57th session and the proposed Beijing+20 conference;
Stating that no woman should be denied full and equal access to all health care services, including those related to sexual and reproductive health rights, for any reason, including a provider's beliefs;
Recalling the firm commitments of the international community and state governments to the Beijing Platform for Action (PFA, 1995) and the recommendations of the Cairo Conference on Population and Development (1994);
Recalling the rights of women as stated in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, 1979), and the Optional Protocol, and confirmed in the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee;
Because we believe in the protection of full civil and equal rights for all women and work towards the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women based on gender, age, origin, religion, belief, race or ethnicity, origin, sexual orientation or disability;
THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN calls upon all member National Councils to urge their respective governments and their UN delegations
• to renew their commitments – without any reservations – to the full implementation of the Beijing PFA, the recommendations of the Cairo conference, the CEDAW Convention and other international agreements on gender equality and women's human rights;
• to reject any attempt both within their own countries and within the UN institutions and other international bodies to weaken agreed language and gender equality principles, including sexual and reproductive health rights;
• to move forward implementation of policies and programmes that secure the equal human rights and freedoms of girls and women;
• to recognise and support the important role of women's groups and organisations combating traditional values and practices that are incompatible with fundamental human rights norms and principles.
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Source: International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) — 33rd General Assembly, Seoul, Republic of Korea, September 2012. Resolution No. 3.
