UNFPA Releases New Study on Reproductive Health & the Rights of Women with Disabilities
On December 4, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office held an online presentation of the Study on Legislative Analysis and Recommendations on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in regards to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The presentation was attended by Sabine Makhl, UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia; Lela Bakradze, Head of the UNFPA Georgia Country Office; Tamar Barkalaia, Deputy Minister of Refugees from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs; Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia; Olga Kalina, member of the Georgian Network of Women with Disabilities; and Nino Odisharia, UNFPA Program Manager.
“On December 3, the world celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities,” Ms Bakradze noted. “We are pleased that today we are taking effective steps to ensure that women and girls with disabilities have access to services that are vital to them, that their rights are protected, and that each of them lives a full, dignified life. We are cooperating with the state, as well as with the non-governmental sector and community members, because we believe that it is the joint effort that will lead to a desirable, more equal and inclusive society.”
Ensuring women's reproductive health and advocacy all over the world is the ultimate priority of the UNFPA. In order to eliminate stigma, introduce appropriate services, and ensure that women and girls with disabilities enjoy sexual and reproductive health rights on an equal basis with others, it is essential to harmonize legislation and policy documents with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international standards. Accordingly, UNFPA has assessed and analyzed the legal framework and policy documents related to sexual and reproductive health and rights of persons with disabilities, and developed specific recommendations regarding their alignment with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international standards.
The document presented at the event will assist the legislative and the executive government to bring the legal framework and policy documents in line with international standards and obligations, and will support the achievement of sustainable development goals, which will lay a solid foundation for the development of relevant services and best practices in Georgia. This document will also support the NGO sector and community members to advocate for issues that are important to them.
The study was initiated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office and supported by the SDG Fund in the framework of the United Nations Joint Program "Transforming the Social Protection System for Persons with Disabilities in Georgia."