ICPD25 has beneficial items, say religious actors

Life is a gift from God, and therefore sacred; it ought not to be taken away through preventable causes, religious leaders have said.

The clerics drawn from Christian, Muslim and Hindu faiths spoke at the All Africa Conference of Churches, during a Religious Actors Pre-summit on International Conference on Population and Development.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the groundbreaking ICPD, which took place in Cairo in 1994.

Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi plays host to over 8000 delegates for a three-day global summit.

Concerns had been raised about specific areas in the ICPD25 program, including abortion and comprehensive sexuality education in reproductive health (SRHR), and LGBT under demographic diversity.

The religious leaders on Monday from Kenya, other African countries, Latin America, Europe and the USA maintained that religion plays a crucial role in promoting the wellbeing of humanity.

Director of Department of Gender, women and youth at All Africa Conference of Churches Rev. Lydia Mwaniki said religious leaders recognize and prioritise the dignity of every human being.

"We, as religious leaders and faith actors, provide enormous opportunities for and contributions to accelerating the quest for a better world," Mwaniki said.

In a joint statement released after the pre-summit, the faith actors expressed concern over the exclusion of their perspectives, especially from the majority world.

“We are minimally included in global processes such as ICPD25,” the statement read.

They also decried the use of terminologies, language and winding statements that are unclear and recommended simpler, directly interpreted terms for clear understanding.

The faith actors rebuked the provision of contraceptives to underage girls and boys as a solution to teenage pregnancies.

"Provision of contraceptives to underage girls and boys is not a solution for teenage pregnancies, and certainly not for STIs, nor HIV/AIDS," they said.

The leaders insisted many faith communities have educational programs to delay the age of sexual debut and responsibilities for adults.

In a collective voice, they called for concerted interventions to reduce deaths of mothers and children.

"Common and leading causes of maternal mortality especially those related to pregnancy and childbirth are known. However, global commitments lack explicit and practical ways of addressing these causes," they said.

The clerics urged the government and its partners to provide necessary infrastructure, effective referral systems and human resources for health.

They said increased skilled deliveries and quality of care is key in preventing maternal deaths caused by severe bleeding during delivery.

"Increased access to Antenatal care for pregnant women and post-natal care particularly for women living in rural settings would help address complications related to hypertension, and post-partum infections," read the statement.

The clergy nevertheless recognised that ICPD25 has some items that are locally and contextually beneficial to the people.

COMMITMENTS

They committed to providing information and services on family planning/child spacing, to all persons, as is consistent with their faith values.

“We, therefore, welcome our governments and the international community to partner with us in ensuring access to quality information and services," they added.

Rev. Fr. Joseph Mutie of Inter-Religious Council of Kenya and Organisation of African Instituted Churches said the church will inform and educate all persons to eradicate all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.

The teachings will also eliminate child, early and forced marriage, as well as female genital mutilation.

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims’ Sheikh Lattif Shaban, urged the government to desist from overtaxing citizens in the name of domestic resource mobilisation.

"We call on our governments to curb corruption by strengthening public policies, regulatory frameworks and financial management systems at all levels, unlocking the transformative potential of all people, particularly women, in economic development," Sheikh Shaban said.

He said faith institutions remain committed to providing health information and services and urged African governments to expand the cover of national health insurance schemes.

The faith actors called upon policymakers to strive for just societies, by including faith actors in decision-making forums that contribute to policy development.