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Success for SRHR in UN Review of Bolivia

Bolivia has received a large number of recommendations on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the latest UN review. RFSU's partner organisations, which played an important role in the process, see success in both the number and content of the recommendations. Now, the next step begins: ensuring that they become reality.

Approximately every five years, each Member State is reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This is a process where other countries make recommendations to the government of the country under review. When it was Bolivia's turn recently, RFSU's partner organisations were heavily involved. Mónica Bayá Camargo from the organisation Comunidad de Derechos Humanos (CDH) is very pleased with the results:
"A total of 23 countries made recommendations on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), 22 on sexual violence and child marriage, 30 on violence against women, and 10 on LGBTI rights. Overall, this shows a very strong international commitment to our issues."

In quantitative terms, there was a marked increase in progressive recommendations related to SRHR and LGBTI rights compared to the last time Bolivia was reviewed at the UN. But also qualitatively, there was an improvement in the content of the recommendations.
"They were not just general recommendations but very specific, concrete calls from various states. Several countries made clear recommendations to decriminalise abortion, which puts pressure on Bolivia to reform its abortion legislation," says Mónica Bayá Camargo.

However, it is not only the positive outcome that pleases RFSU's partner organisations. The process itself is important, not least because this time, over 300 civil society organisations from across the country worked together.

Representanter från några av de 300 organisationer som samverkade i påverkansarbetet för att lyfta SRHR i rekommendationerna till Bolivia.
Representatives from some of the 300 organizations that collaborated in advocacy efforts to highlight SRHR in the recommendations to Bolivia.

The Advocacy Process

The advocacy work consists of four steps:

  1. Producing a joint report based on facts and statistics. Thanks to broad collaboration, detailed information on specific issues such as access to abortion, sex education, and LGBTI rights could be included in the report.
  2. Presenting the findings of the report to influence decision-makers locally, nationally, and internationally. Twelve of the 300 organisations met with government representatives, ambassadors, and diplomats at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
  3. Influencing the Bolivian government to accept and implement the recommendations once they have been received.
  4. Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations in practice, evaluating their impact, and contributing to their enforcement.

Carlita Guardia Pastrana from the organisation Igual was also active in the process. She is particularly pleased that issues related to trans men and trans women were included in the dossier.
"Cooperation has been the most important thing—ensuring that everyone was visible and that all issues were addressed. There was no focus on just one particular theme within SRHR; instead, everyone had input."

Key Outcomes

What were the results? Ana Kudelka from the organisation CDD highlights several successes regarding SRHR:

  • Several countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, and Iceland, made clear recommendations to decriminalise abortion.
  • Mongolia, Mexico, and Ecuador emphasised the importance of reducing maternal mortality and unwanted pregnancies.
  • Israel proposed measures to protect people working in the field of SRHR, highlighting the security aspect of the field.
  • Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Chile, and others recommended amending the Family Code to explicitly prohibit child marriage.
  • Colombia, Uruguay, and Belgium suggested that Bolivia introduce an SRHR law or strengthen the national SRHR plan, which could contribute to long-term structural improvements.
  • Spain, Panama, Cyprus, and Ireland recommended aligning legislation on sexual offences with international standards.

"A positive surprise was that the Dominican Republic made a recommendation on HIV prevention and that Gabon, unexpectedly but courageously, raised the issue of improving SRHR in rural areas," says Ana Kudelka.

RFSU's partner organisations are now embarking on the next important step in their advocacy work. Although there are conflicting interests, Mónica Bayá Camargo remains hopeful:
"Unlike the last UPR, which took place in 2019, today we still have hopes that the recommendations will be followed. Last time, they came at a time when we had a super-conservative government. The current government is more progressive, but it is not unanimous, and there are conservative elements that may influence decisions in the future. This year, the Bolivian people will elect a new government that we hope will be committed to the human rights agenda."