Outline

1. Human Rights, Gender and Sexuality Education A Paradigm ShiftBy Mona KaidbeyWAS 2017 Gold Medalist Lecture30 May, 2017, Prague

2. Outline Acknowledgments Sexuality Education around the world A paradigm shift: • Holistic vision of Sexuality and Sexual Health and empowerment approach • Foundation: Universal values of Human rights • Key to success: A Gender-Focus The Future of CSE • Recommendations for sustaining progress

3. Acknowledgement • Thanks to WAS, what a great honor! • Thanks to Dr. Roy Levin the chair of the Gold Medal Selection and to its members and to Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh chair of the Middle East committee for her tireless efforts to break down cultural barriers to CSE • Special thank you to gurus who inspired me DoortjeBraeken, IPPF Esther Corona, Mexico/WAS EleonorFaur, Argentina Nicole Haberland, Population Council Chandra Mouli, WHO

4. Acknowledgement • Thanks to the tireless advocates around the world without you there will be no CSE! In particular, I would like to recognize the spectacular work of young leaders, youth coalitions and Networks. • Finally, I will be amiss if I do not thank the CSE experts at UNFPA and UNESCO especially the teams I worked with at HQ and Regional offices, their passion and technical expertise form an invaluable asset for countries around the world.

5. Significant and accelerated progress with diversity of programs, and quality vary by region and among and within countries • Most programs do not start early in childhood and are limited in content and scope • International and regional guidelines and technical standards generated confidence and accelerated progress • Opposition is fierce • New research paved the way for a paradigm shift Sexuality Education in the World

6. What we know: CSE is effective if well delivered CSE programs reduce sexual risk behaviors: • About 62% of programs had a positive effect on at least one behavioral or biological outcome • 30% reduced significantly the odds of reporting unprotected sex CSE does not lead to earlier sexual initiation or riskier sexual behavior Abstinence-only program results are inconclusive or are not effective

7. What we know: Gender-Focused CSE Programs are Most effective Gender Equality is a gateway to achieve better health outcomes and learning outcomes • CSE programs that address Gender Equality are 5 times morelikely to be effective than those that do not: • Of the CSE programs that address gender , 80 % were associated with a significantly lower rate of STIs or unintended pregnancy • In contrast, of non CSE programs only 17% had such an association

8. Europe Set the Tone: Long Live Love! • Basic education about the human body, sexual feelings, and sexual behavior—and how to communicate clearly, making sure that such behavior is intentional, safe, pleasurable, respectful of others, and only results in pregnancy when pregnancy is wanted.“ Long Live Love”, in the Netherlands, “Good Lovers” in Belgium; and “Love Talks” in Austria, among other • This education takes on gender, rights, and how to relate confidently to romantic and sexual partners—and everyone else. • The 2010 European standards, focused on sexual wellbeing beyond mere health concerns, shifting the mentality of behavior change in favor of facilitating growth and development, “sex-positive” education, and respect for rights and diversity.

9. Latin America’s Educacion para La sexualidad : Holistic, gender, human rights and citizenship • Feminists and sexual rights advocates within and outside government institutions led the CSE movement • Effective Advocacy campaigns created commitments for action from Education and Health sectors • Legal mechanisms in Latin American have interpreted human rights treaties to include the right to CSE, and states have incorporated these interpretations in their constitutions facilitating the expansion of programs • Expansion of CSE national programs with leading models of integration of citizenship competencies, human rights and gender in Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay… • The ground breaking Montevideo Consensus

10. Progress in other Regions …but limited • Continued use of the euphemistic label “family life education,” as though sexuality were solely about family formation rather than individual feelings and expression, emotional and physical health, and social relations • At its worst, sexuality education is absent, leaving kids unprepared and with limited capacity to lead a healthy and enjoyable sexual life and limited skills to take free, informed, voluntary and responsible decisions • In Africa, USA: Prevention of pregnancy, HIV and STIs, and abstinence • In Asia much diversity: Prevention of Gender Based Violence, important entry point for programs • In Middle East and Africa: Out of school programs with limited quality assurance

11. A Global Effort to Unify the Concept • Vital to the progress of CSE around the world are technical standards and guidelines that built on each other and expanded the concept based on emerging evidence: • A set of International Technical Standards at the UNESCO (2009), • IPPF guidelines 2010 • European standards WHO/ BZgA, 2010 • Population Council/IPPF gender-focused and sexual rights curriculum Its All One, 2009 • WAS declaration of sexual rights, 2014 • Elaboration of sexual rights as human rights • Commission for Population and Development 2012 resolution • Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, 2013 • UNFPA review of evidence and programmatic guidelines, 2014

12. A Global Effort to Unify the Concept • Building consensus on a minimum common core: • Aplanned sequential K-12 grade curriculum (at minimum) which addresses the development of the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of human sexuality • A holistic and Age Appropriate CSE that enables children to : • Acquire accurate information about human sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, growth and development, anatomy and physiology; • Explore and nurture positive values and attitudes concerning sexual and social relationships; and, • Develop life skills that encourage critical thinking, gender-sensitive, communication and negotiation, decision making and foster a sense responsibility for their own behaviour and to respect the rightsof others

13. New Paradigm: Positive view of Sexuality A holistic vision of sexual health as essential to physical, emotional, mental and social well being Sexuality is a dimension of who we are as human beings, experienced through out life with diversity of expression, encompassing sexual orientation, pleasure, intimacy-- and reproduction No safe, intentional, and harm-free variation of expression of sexuality is inherently abnormal. It is simply an integral part of each person’s being. To recognize this is an important step toward learning to respect the right of all individuals to express their sexual and gender orientations, free from violence or loss of privilege, and without interference or coercion from others. And to learn that…… is also to learn fundamental values about tolerance, compassion and the dignity of all human beings

14. The New Paradigm: Rights-Based CSE, Universal Human Rights Values at its core • Grounds young learners in core values of fairness, respect, equal treatment, participation, freedom of expression, protection of bodily integrity, and freedom from stigma and violence • Nurtures respect diversity, including sexual diversity • Fosters norms and attitudes that promote gender equality and inclusion. • Address vulnerabilities and fight exclusion • Develops critical thinking skills and empowers individuals to make autonomous decisions and fosters a sense of responsibility towards others • Sexual rights are human rights and are critical to achievement of sexual health

15. The new paradigm, gender – Focused CSE: Nurturing gender equal roles and attitudes Research findings are demonstrating that gender norms are a “gateway factor” for nurturing a range of individual outcomes, which influence sexual health such as: • Adoption of egalitarian attitudes about gender roles • Formation of more equal intimate relationships • Self-Empowerment in general

16. The Future of CSE • Is the paradigm shift sustainable in the face of the opposition? • Will governments accept the principle that encouraging healthy sexual development is an essential component of education?

17. Invest in continued generation of evidence on CSE effectiveness beyond health outcomes • For example: The impact on Gender attitudes, self-efficacy because….. Both are critical intermediate outcomes on the pathway to development of healthy sexual behavior • Gender attitudes shape partner relationships and expectations with broad effects • Self-efficacy is the critical link between knowledge and behavior • Self-efficacy around sexual matters is crucial to sexual health outcomes, but also to learning outcomes in general • Updating the UNESCO/UN 2009 Technical guidelines is welcomed effort, particularly updating the evidence and its gender and rights content

18. Advocacy Plays a Critical Role • Strong CSE programs are the result of at least a decade of concerted effort: Sustained advocacy is a crucial investment to ensure continuity when facing political change and opposition • Support Youth led Advocacy and coalitions, its effective! -- “Have you Seen my Rights, ” -- “Stand by Me” of WAS World Sexual Health Day … -- the new CSE Advocacy Hub, developed and managed by young people in partnership with global CSE experts. www.advocates4cse.com 

19. Human Rights Mechanisms to Monitor State’s Fulfillment of its Obligations A number of core human rights treaties have articles on health, education, non-discrimination and access to information – which link directly to the right to access CSE: • Convention on the Rights of the Child • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women • Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights • The Universal Periodic Review( UPR) process reviews States’ fulfilment of these human rights obligations and commitments

20. -- And Constitutional Courts weigh in • Constitutional human rights frameworks have been used as an accountability mechanism for duty bearer • In Latin America constitutional courts have litigated cases that succeeded to demand that: -- Educational institutions be Free from homophobic and any kind of bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment and violence -- Adopt zero-tolerance policies -- Implement appropriate support and training for teachers and staff • Delighted to learn about WAS elaboration of the human rights content of the sexual rights declaration!

21. Finally…“Rethinking Education”: A new niche for CSE in 2030 agenda • Long Live Love and Rights, could well be a motto for goal 4.7 of Education 2030 and related SDGs. • It is the essence of sustainable human life in a challenged century, where conflict and intolerance are on the rise and environmental crisis threatens long-term survival of civilization • Learners who internalize– along with their reading, writing and Math– Long Live Love and Rights are likely to become the citizens the rest of the 21st century so desperately needs!

22. Thank you!