Exploring Cultural Diversity and Gender Equality: towards universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights

October 15-16, 2008
Berlin, Germany

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The conference opens on the evening of 15 October with a panel discussion designed to appeal to a
broad general audience.

The guests are drawn from different sectors of society and will be presenting their own particular perspective on sexuality, gender and culture.

The issues addressed focus on:

• globalisation
• the situation of young people
• the role of power, politics and culture
• raise questions about the role that religion and tradition play in the area of sexuality

The conference on 16 October will be opened by high-ranking keynote speakers whose specialist
expertise will illustrate selected aspects of the complex issues in the 7th International Dialogue.

Subsequently, all the international experts will be gathering at a 'World Café' event for an exchange of
experience structured towards finding joint answers from a range of perspectives – from development
policy, academia and science to industry and politics.

The questions to be addressed include how to
combine due respect for culturally determined values, norms and taboos with the focus on sexual and reproductive health and associated rights.

An exhibition (Cultural Forum) will be presenting numerous country examples and providing an insight into the chances and experiences in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights in diverse cultures. The exhibition will be officially opened during the panel discussion. It can be visited from the start of the conference on 16 October and during lunch and the coffee breaks.

Background

Fourteen years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, the goal of 'universal access to reproductive health by 2015' is still far from being a reality.

Although there have been recent successes in combating maternal mortality, maternal health is proving to be the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) where fewest advances have been made.

An estimated 536,000 women continue to die each year from avoidable complications in pregnancy and birth.

Over 200 million women and couples continue to have no access to contraceptives even though they have expressed the wish to use them.

Women make up around half of all those infected with HIV/AIDS, and their risk of infection is increased by the legal, economic and social inequality theyf ace daily.

Undoubtedly, one reason for this situation is that sexual and reproductive health is not only a
controversial and sensitive issue but also broad and complex.

It is anchored in the societal context and touches cultural values, norms and taboos.

Moreover, it is strongly related to gender issues and is accompanied by problems that are largely different on the local, regional and transnational levels.

This year's 7th International Dialogue is focused on the nexus between culture, gender, human rights,
and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

This will be the first time that discussions on these highly sensitive issues have been included in the International Dialogue.

Specific country examples are intended to show how a sensitive cultural approach can help to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, information and education by 2015.