A new joint statement endorsed by leading human rights and development organizations calls for human rights be placed at the core of the new development agenda.

Founded in 1990 in João Pessoa, the capital of the poor, northeastern state of Paraiba, Cunhã Feminist Collective (Cunhã Coletivo Feminista—Cunhã) advocates for improvements in family planning services and programs to prevent maternal mortality, violence against women and HIV/AIDS.

The mission of non-governmental organization Mujer y Salud en Uruguay (MYSU) is to promote and advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights from a gender-sensitive and generational perspective. IWHC has supported the network since 2002.

Centro de Estudios y Promocion Afro-Peruano (LUNDÚ), or the Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Empowerment, founded in 2001, is a non-profit organization that promotes the development of the population of African descent by combating racism, sexism and other types of discrimination from an inter-cultural, inter-generational and gender perspective.It advocates for the human rights of people of African descent and contributes to the development of programs, laws and policies that benefit this population.Its multi- and inter-disciplinary team conducts educational, artistic and research activities in coordination with local, national and international organizations.

Reprolatina, Innovative Solutions in Sexual and Reproductive Health, is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization founded in 1999 and located in Campinas, State of São Paulo in Brazil. It carries out strategic and innovative actions to help enhance the quality of sexual and reproductive health of women and men (adolescents, young people, and adults) in disadvantaged populations in Latin America.

"The present organizations and networks from Latin America and the Caribbean in this meeting made up of women from regional networks throughout the region on the theme of Cairo +15 manifest our profound concern that 15 years after the Cairo Program of Action was agreed to, Latin America and the Caribbean is still the region with the greatest socio-economic inequality in the world."

Each year, the International Women's Health Coalition issues the "Top Ten Wins for Women's Health and Rights." 

Summary: By Gillian Kane, former Assistant Program Officer, Latin America, IWHC.  Published in Gender and Development, July 2008. Uses the recent experiences of Colombia, Mexico City, and Nicaragua to highlight shared challenges, establish linkages with other countries in the region, and demonstrate that the many different strategies which have been adopted present an opportunity to expand access to safe, legal abortion throughout Latin America. 16 pages.

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