The United Nations Population Fund called for the inclusion of reproductive health provisions in the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the Bangsamoro Development Plan in support of sustainable peace and development in the areas covered by the proposed law. 

In a talk delivered at a learning session with members of the House of Representatives on the BBL, UNFPA Country Representative Klaus Beck emphasized the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the peace process. 

“If there is no peace, SRHR suffers; women and girls suffer,” Mr. Beck said in the forum organized by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD). 

“Globally, we see that conflict or war breaks the will of support communities, especially of women and girls, by disempoweiring them physically, psychologically, economically and socially,” Mr. Beck said. 

He added that in many of today’s conflicts, women are disempowered not only by the severe lack of basic social services, but also by rape or the threat of it, and by the HIV infection, trauma and disabilities that often result from it. 

“The need for SRHR services under such circumstances cannot be over-emphasized,” Mr. Beck said. “In a crisis or refugee situation, one in five women of childbearing age is likely to get pregnant. Conflicts put these women and their babies at risk because of the sudden loss of medical support, compounded in many cases by trauma, malnutrition or disease and exposure to violence.” 

As he urged the inclusion of provisions pertaining to reproductive health in the BBL and BDA, Mr. Beck identified three ways in which SRHR can help promote and sustain peace and development: It will ensure that more women will survive child birth and less will be at risk of morbidity related to complications of child birth; it will save women and girls from sexual violence; and young people will be more likely to finish their schooling. 

“All of these will make the population healthy and better educated, hence, allowing them to contribute more productively to development and to reducing poverty, which can be a source of conflict,” Mr. Beck explained. 

Given the Philippines’ commitment to international agreements such as the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), along with the national and ARMM RH Law, the UNFPA is optimistic to see explicit references to promotion, fulfillment, and protection of SRHR and access to SRH information and services in both the BBL and the BDP. 

“There are some key elements to be found in both the BBL and the BDP through which SRHR can be promoted and carried forward through policies and programmes in the Bangsamoro,” Mr. Beck said.

“It is my personal hope that 2015 will be the year that the Bangsamoro can further accellerate its journey towards a more peaceful and just society. In the near future, we hope to see a Bangsamoro where no woman dies giving birth and where every young person’s potential is fulfilled,” he said.