"Women deliver much more than just babies"
.jpg
)
When a big dream turns out to be reality; you just get empowered to dream more. Its was just same feeling to me when I with other two friends were selected to be part of a big international conference, Women Deliver Conference 2016.
More than 5000 people from more than 159 countries gathered together to discuss women issues around world with the believe of building common arena of discussion for better world. It was held at Bella centre, Copenhegen, Denmark. Conference area was so big that we could build one small town over there. People around the world no matter white, dark, black or brown were gathered to discuss the issues of women with the thought of empowering people around world to invest in women and girls to get better world. As I entered into the conference, overwhelming participation of women was seen as if I was entering into women’s world. I was really touched by the speech delivered by CEO of women deliver, Jill Sheffield, and her quotation that ‘women deliver much more not just babies’ that made me realize that there are lots of women out there who are compelled to think that their world is only within their families, iits our duty to make their world bigger. Lots of renowned speakers and dignitaries around the were participated in panel discussions during opening session nd main idea of discussion surrounded on women, gender equality and SDGs.
In my view, Women deliver conference 2016 was the true initiation of including the gender as cross cutting issue throughout the 17 goals of SDGs. There was plenary session ‘looking SDGs of through gender lens” on the next day where it was concluded that without SDG 5 (gender equality), we cannot achieve any of the 17 goals. Multilateral, bilateral, INGOs ,NGOs, Expertise of institutional academy and business enterprise around the world were providing the appropriate strategies, information, tools as well as innovative approaches and products through the stalls in exhibition hall to give better solutions for overcoming the women related issues. Women related issues like: safe abortion. Menstrual hygiene management, ending child marriage, maternal and newborn care, comprehensive sexuality education, Gender based violence, Mens involvement in women issues, girls and women education were topmost highlighted topics throughout the conference.
There were plenary sessions, concurrent sessions and other session & exhibitions ongoing side by side. While I was attaining the plenary session, one the panelist (youth leader) said that “Women’s and girls’ can’t always spend her whole life fighting against the biological cycle, they need safe places and for that we should involve men for creating safe place.”On hearing that I realized I was so true, until we could make world safe place for women how could we dream about peace and prosperity.So, later two days I could attain three of the concurrent session on topics .i.e. intergenerational barriers and ways to overcome, Multisectoral approaches undertaken against GBV and investing on women health workers. Speaker zone and youth zone ongoing in the conference area was really new as well as interesting attraction of conference where audience were free to present their ideas, opinion and approaches.
Throughout exhibition areas I got chance to know about the organizations working on women issues around world and about the approaches of them. One thing that caught my head was that Delegates from African continent were dressed on cultural dresses . We could see them as speakers in most of the session, its not they are at topmost priority but that they know better about their issues. Since then my perception about the African region is quite changed. Throughout the conference, I met lots of national and international delegates that helped me to increase my international networks. On the last day, we were taken to Tiboly garden and we spend lovely evening there. Whole conference provided me great exposure to know women issues in relation to whole world and helped me to critically think about the progress made by our country on health and well being of women.
There were still lots of developing countries debating about free maternal and newborn package, safe abortion, comprehensive sexuality education, Free girl’s education, free FP services and so on. While our country knowingly or unknowingly have initiated all these concept and most of these are led by government sector also. But also made me realize that we have lot to work on to ensure that women deliver more than just babies.
