MY BODY IS MY OWN

A Two-Part Generation Equality Event with

the Asia-Pacific Launch of UNFPA’s 2021 State of World Population Report and

Panel Discussion on Addressing Adolescent Pregnancy in Thailand

20 May, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (GMT +7)

 

The Embassy of France in Thailand, the Embassy of Mexico in Thailand, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office cordially invite you to a special online launch of My Body Is My Own, UNFPA’s flagship State Of World Population Report on bodily autonomy, followed by a UN Women-moderated panel discussion on how Thailand has been addressing the significant issue of adolescent pregnancy in recent years, through landmark legislation and the involvement of multiple stakeholders including UNFPA and UNICEF, and how to tackle remaining challenges.

 

This is part of a series of events organized in Thailand under the framework of the Generation Equality Forum (GEF), a multi-stakeholder, civil society-centred global gathering convened by UN Women and co-hosted by France and Mexico.

 

What:

 

Nearly half of women in 57 countries, including several in the Asia-Pacific region, are denied the right to decide whether or not to have sex with their partners, use contraception or seek health care – egregious violations of bodily autonomy which should be a fundamental right for all.

 

Those are among the key findings contained within My Body is My Own: Claiming the right to autonomy and self-determination, the 2021 State of World Population  report from UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The first-ever UN report on bodily autonomy underscores why this right – integral to sexual and reproductive health - is crucial to achieving the vision of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action for advancing the rights of women, as well as the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the SDGs. 

 

A range of change-makers and activists from across Asia-Pacific will share their powerful stories and advocacy on bodily autonomy; sexual and reproductive health; gender equality; and human rights. Then, the panel discussion Mothers Too Young will focus on addressing adolescent pregnancy in Thailand – the progress made so far and the challenges that remain – through landmark legislation, and a coming together of government, UN partners and civil society, including the active participation of young persons themselves.

 

When: Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 2:00 p.m.  to 4:00 p.m. Bangkok time (GMT +7)

 

Where: Event live-streamed via: YouTube.com/UNFPAAsia, Facebook.com/UNWomenAsia and Facebook.com/embamextai  [Note: Thai subtitles will be provided in the live-stream]

 

PROGRAMME

Opening Remarks:

• H.E. Thierry Mathou, French Ambassador to Thailand
• Mohammad Naciri, UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Director
• Bjorn Andersson, UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Director
• M.A. Eugenia López Uribe, Civil Society Mexican Advisory Group, Generation Equality Forum

 

My Body is My Own: UNFPA State of World Population Report Launch

 

Moderator: Anjali Sen, UNFPA Representative in Indonesia

• Rachana Sunar, Sambad Centre, Nepal: Our Autonomy, Our Lives: Noted activist fighting to end child marriage explains how women’s power to control their own bodies is linked to how much control they have in other spheres of life.
• Senator Risa Hontiveros, Philippines: Laws that Empower, Laws that Control: Renowned legislator, who has long worked to strengthen women’s rights and end gender-based violence, discusses how laws and regulations impact bodily autonomy.
• Catherine Harry, “A Dose of Cath”, Cambodia: My Body, My Rights: Feminist video-blogger discusses her own challenges in accessing sexuality education and how this eventually shaped her life and work.
• Noelene Nabulivou, Diverse Voices and Actions for Equality (DIVA), Fiji: The Power to Say Yes, the Right to Say No: Veteran Pacific region activist discusses how achieving bodily autonomy depends on gender equality and expanding choices and opportunities for women, girls and excluded groups.

Mothers Too Young: Panel Discussion on Adolescent Pregnancy in Thailand

 

Moderator: Maria Holtsberg, Regional Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 

• Yothin Thongpawa, President, Child and Youth Council of Thailand and member, National Committee of the Adolescent Pregnancy Act: A pivotal figure in Thailand’s efforts to tackle adolescent pregnancy and safeguard the rights of young people including teen mothers.
• High-level representative of Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand as the secretary of the Act to Reduce and Solve the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem
•  Prapartsorn Misa, Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol University: whose work includes a focus on teen pregnancy among undocumented, marginalized communities in Tak Province, Thailand

Closing remarks by Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah, UNFPA Country Director a.i. in Thailand

 

For queries about the event, please contact: Roy Wadia, wadia@unfpa.org; +66 848 752 634 or Ms. Kullwadee Sumalnop, sumalnop@unfpa.org ; +66 819 175 602