The delegation of Belgium supports addressing climate change and promoting a sustainable future through two agendas: 1) empowering youth and 2) ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights. Belgium actively promotes these rights through its development programs and supports international organizations working in this area. Some challenges to sexual health include high teen pregnancy and STD rates. Belgium believes these issues can be addressed through a cross-sector approach including improving access to education, empowering youth participation, and ensuring access to healthcare and information.

1. Ssssssss
Position Paper
Committee : United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA)
Theme : “Climate Change and Sustainable
Future”
Agenda : a. Generation of Change: Young
People and Sustainable Future
b. Sexual and Reproductive Health
in the face
Country : Belgium
Delegate : Sabrina Chowdhury

2. The delegation of Belgium is delighted to be a part of this committee, United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and greets fellow delegates to cooperate in sorting out attainable solutions to the obligatory
agendas of the theme “Climate Change and Sustainable Future”. According to the International
Conference on Population and Development, reproductive health "implies that people are able to have
a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if,
when, and how often to do so. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which is the enhancement
of life and personal relationships, and not merely counselling and care related to reproductive and
sexually transmitted diseases" (Cairo, 1994, paragraph 7.2). Failure to respect sexual and reproductive
rights results in serious problems such as a rise in the number of teenage pregnancies, high maternal and
infant morbidity and mortality, rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, a
high rate of abortions, including unsafe and illegal ones, and female infertility. WHO/Europe assists
countries to evaluate their situations and to choose the optimal way to improve them. The following
information comes from "A snapshot of the health of young people in Europe", WHO/Europe 2009,
which draws information from the Health Behavior of School-aged Children (HBSC) study, covering 44
countries in and beyond Europe. Evidence suggests the rates of adolescent pregnancy have been
decreasing in the last 20 years. The gender gap between age at first sexual intercourse is narrowing in the
European Union (EU). Rates of first sexual intercourse for girls are highest in northern Europe, and
relatively low in southern and western Europe. Condoms are the most commonly used form of
contraception among 15-year-olds at their last sexual intercourse, with wide variations between countries
(from 65% in Sweden to 89% in Spain). Among 15-year-olds, the contraceptive pill is more commonly
used in western Europe. Pregnancies among young women vary widely across the European Region,
ranging from about 12 per 1000 women aged 15−19 in Italy to about 59 in Bulgaria. Lower levels are
found in western and central Europe (except in the United Kingdom), while moderate rates (40−60 per
1000) are found in eastern Europe. Each year 3 million young girls are victims of genital mutilation. In
sub-Saharan Africa, 74% of young people aged between 15 and 24 living with HIV are girls. It is estimated
that each day 1,500 children under the age of 15 are infected by HIV most often through mother-to-
child transmission.
Belgium actively promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in its multilateral cooperation
and in its bilateral cooperation. The primary concerns are the violence and sexual exploitation, in particular
trafficking in young women, the impunity of those who commit these crimes and offences and the
stigmatization of victims and vulnerable people are also consequences of the failure to respect these rights.
This situation is fostered by gender inequality, the lack of empowerment of women and serious
gaps in education, including teaching about sexual and reproductive health. The lack of access to health
services, family planning centers, means of contraception and centers for screening and treating STIs/HIV
is both the cause and consequence of the failure to respect SRHR. The main victims are adolescent boys
and girls. A structured questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of students from selected
schools in Belgium. Students of either sex, aged between 16 to 19 years and entering grade 10, 11 or 12
during the 2005-2006 school year participated in a cross sectional survey. It showed that almost 50% had
heterosexual intercourse. More than 85% of sexually experienced had used contraception at coital debut.
Mean age at coital debut varied between 15.2. Lack of respect for SRHR falls within the general
framework of underdevelopment and extreme poverty and is, therefore, among the goals assigned to
Belgian Development Cooperation. Indeed, Article 3 of the law of 25 May1999 on Belgian
international cooperation emphasizes that “the priority goal of Belgian international cooperation
is sustainable human development, to be achieved by combating poverty based on the idea of partnership
and with respect for criteria of relevance to development…”. Article 3 also emphasizes that the goals
of Belgian international cooperation include contributing “to respect for human dignity, (…), human
rights, and basic freedoms, with particular attention to the fight against all forms of discrimination
on social, ethnic, religious or philosophical grounds or based on gender”. Consequently, Belgium’s
policy must contribute to respect for human rights, basic freedoms and the fight against all forms of
discrimination. Sexual and reproductive rights are part and parcel of human rights and basic freedoms

3. and are based on international treaties and conventions ratified by Belgium.
The teaching of sexuality education in Belgium was established in a decree published in 1984. In the 1970's
rose the question of abortion and in the 1980's the issue of HIV/AIDS. With these two elements of sexual
and reproductive health and rights, sexuality education began to be taught in a less medical or scientific
manner and with a more holistic approach, integrating emotional aspects of relationships. By the year 2000,
sexuality education was included in the school curricula and became part of school evaluations. The
objectives of school-based sexuality education in Belgium are: "The development of gender identity and
roles, positive physicality and sexuality, sexual orientation tailored to the individual, ability to achieve
intimacy with others, acquiring sexual and relational morality, and risk prevention (STIs, HIV/AIDS,
pregnancy, sexual abuse)". The technical aspects of the organization of sexuality education are arranged
by school managers. The Briefing 'Sexuality Information, Education and Communication' by The Safe
Project mentions a non-school-based sexuality education called the 'Laura campaign'. In Wallonia,
sexuality education is implemented by family planning centers, which are administered by the FLCPF,
which is in charge of the training of the staff of the family planning centers so they can provide professional
sexuality education to young people. In June 2012, a decree project has been adopted by the Education
Commission of the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, making EVRAS (education to
social, emotional and sexual life) a part of the mission of every school in Wallonia, hence a mandatory
teaching. Belgium prefers providing core funding to multilateral SRHR and health organizations over
earmarked funding. Belgium supports several multilateral organizations with specific attention for
SRHR/FP, such as UNFPA, the GFTAM (e.g. PMTCT programs focusing on integration HIV and FP),
the WHO and the World Bank. As far as its multilateral cooperation is concerned, Belgium continues
to regard its contribution to UNFPA as crucial. This is because that organization plays a central role in
following up on and implementing the ICPD Action Plan. Belgium Supports for reproductive health and
gender needs for displaced populations with special attention to adolescents. This project, worth a total
of €2,354,990 (2000–2004) took place in seven countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Palestine, Rwanda,
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Colombia. The project of prevention and
response to sexual violence against women, young people and children in DRC (2004–2007), worth a total
of €7,820,000 was implemented based on the principle of joint programming with UNICEF and the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This programme was one of the most
significant specific actions of Belgium in this area. It was applauded as an exemplary programme by
the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and was also cited as an example to
follow in December 2006 at the meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board in Lusaka,
Zambia. Belgium supports the Reproductive Health and Research Department of the WHO and in 2014
invested over €1.3 million Euros in the WHO Health Pregnancy Initiative in Southern Africa. Belgium
increased its funding for health, including reproductive health and family planning, from €136 million
Euros in 2013 to €163 million in 2014, an increase of almost 20%. More than half of the total expenses
for health, including reproductive health, contribute to reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health
(RMNCH). In the 2014-2019 Policy Declaration, the Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation
committed himself to support SRHR including family planning. In 2014, Belgium delivered USD 2.4
billion in net ODA, which represented 0.45% of gross national income (GNI) and an increase of 3.3% in
real terms from 2013. As such Belgium is the 9th largest Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donor
in terms of ODA as a percentage of GNI. Belgium currently has 14 partner countries, including countries
with a high unmet need for FP, such as Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Benin, DR Congo, Burundi and
Uganda. During the post-2015 and other international decision making processes, Belgium has strongly
supported language and commitments to SRHR/FP. Belgium’s leading role in the promotion of SRHR is
supported by a vocal All Party Parliamentary Group on SRHR and gender equality.
Belgium believes that a cross sector approach and an integrated action plan can be of great help in making
the solution of the Adolescent sexual and reproductive health problems in achieving sustainable future. The
solutions can be as following:

4.  To foster education among adolescents like- access to secondary education and also young married
people’s access to education ,alternative learning opportunities for vulnerable.
 To foster the youth to actively access the communications technology.
 To promote social assets like-social & support networks , cultural creativity , positive
representations in media, sport and recreation, positive male role models among the adolescents.
 To remove obstacle like-ending discrimination, marginalization & exclusion, rejecting harmful
practices, reducing exposure to violence, poverty and ensuring access to justice etc.
 To respect national & local contexts and also observing global norms, standard and agreements.
 To enable youth leadership to strengthen-participation in decision making, personal agency, living
& relationship skills, networking & organization.
 To take into account the implications of country’s population age structure in medium and long-
term planning and make youth development a priority across all sectors;
 To urge states to invest in multiple actions to improve opportunities for young people to gain access
to productive employment and decent work, fair & safe work conditions , health & wellbeing,
human right and young entrepreneurs making links with education and training policies, among
others, and taking into account gender equality and the empowerment of women;
 To urge all states, and calls upon governments, with the full involvement of young people, to meet
the sexual and reproductive health service and information needs of adolescents and young people
and, in so doing, to safeguard their rights to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent;
 To provide young people with evidence-based and comprehensive education on human sexuality,
sexual and reproductive health, human rights, and gender equality;
 To pay particular attention to adolescents and youth, especially girls and young women, in scaling
up HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and provide comprehensive information, voluntary
counseling and testing to adolescents and youth;
 To eliminate harmful practices such as raping, female genital mutilation, and other violations of
girls’ and women’s human rights, and to enact and enforce laws and take other measures in this
regard etc.