This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.
On 26 September, World Contraception Day, we reaffirm that
women’s access to modern contraceptive choice is a crucial component
of health, gender equality, employment and education.
Only a few national governments in Europe, among them Germany,
Netherlands, France, have targeted reproductive health and rights
strategies or public campaigns with information on contraceptives.
Meanwhile in five European countries – Albania, Armenia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Serbia
- the usage rate of modern contraceptives is below 22%, representing
the average for the least developed countries in the world.
International human rights law requires States to provide
women with access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health
services, including making affordable contraceptive methods available
and providing appropriate information on them.
We urge:
Governments
to adopt policies that will ensure access to all modern contraceptive
methods for people of all socioeconomic classes and age groups,
and to include age-appropriate sexuality education as a mandatory
element of their school curriculum.
The Committee of Ministers to address the inequalities
in access to modern contraception in Council of Europe member States
and bring this debate to the fore
