Fair Start Movement activists, who are attending the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, are urging leadership to Tell the Truth:

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, illegally  violated the first and overriding human right, the right to an ecosocial fair start in life for all, and as such has done more harm than good because it thereby exacerbated inequity and deadly ecocide, leading to the deaths of millions as the climate crisis accelerates. 

One fix?

Leadership should change course, consistent with the policy advice below, and further urge the United Nations Secretary General to back fair starts in life, and measurable political equity, as overriding any system of governance that does not prioritize those things.

FAIRSTART’S ADVOCACY PAPER FOR CSW69: CENTERING CHILD RIGHTS IN REPRODUCTIVE POLICIES

Integrating Child Rights into Reproductive Policies: A Fair Start Approach

The Fair Start Movement advocates for a fundamental shift in reproductive policies, moving beyond traditional frameworks focused solely on fertility rates and contraception to a holistic, child-centered approach. At its core, the Fair Start Movement is committed to ensuring that every child is born into an environment that fosters their well-being, growth, and future success. Aligning with global frameworks, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Beijing Platform for Action, the Maputo Protocol, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our mission is to ensure that every child is born into conditions that foster their well-being, rights, and future opportunities, granting them the ability to influence their outcomes in a just and equitable society.

In line with this, FS has initiated petitions before the UN and ACHPR, and has launched a Tell the Truth (TTT) campaign, to bring these changes to the forefront of international legal discourse.

Reproductive Rights as a Foundation for Child Well-being

For too long, reproductive policies have been narrowly defined by access to contraception and abortion, neglecting the broader socio-economic realities that shape family planning choices. Fair Start advocates for a paradigm shift from simply reducing fertility rates to creating environments where informed reproductive choices are supported by education, economic security, and child welfare protections as exemplified in our Seed for Future Africa Program across Africa.

Key Policy Advocacy

• Governments must prioritize investments in education to empower individuals to make informed reproductive choices.
• Reproductive rights frameworks should be integrated with child rights protections to ensure intergenerational equity and sustainability.

 

Child Rights in Reproductive Policies

Current reproductive policies often ignore the long-term welfare of children born into poverty, conflict, or fragile health systems. To achieve sustainable development, 

reproductive policies must be framed within a child rights perspective, ensuring that every child is born into conditions that allow them to thrive.

Key Policy Recommendations

• Right to Survival and Development (UNCRC Article 6): Ensure reproductive policies are not solely focused on reducing birth rates but also on providing conditions for child survival, growth, and development.
• Right to Health and Nutrition (UNCRC Article 24): Strengthen reproductive policies to reduce child mortality rates, prevent malnutrition, and promote maternal well-being.
• Right to Protection from Poverty and Exploitation (UNCRC Articles 26 & 32): Link family planning policies to economic and social protections to break cycles of poverty.
• Right to Education and Equal Opportunities (UNCRC Articles 28 & 29)

 

Aligning with Global Frameworks

Fair Start’s policy advocacy aligns with major international frameworks, ensuring a unified approach to reproductive and child rights policies:

• Beijing Platform for Action (1995): Calls for universal access to reproductive health services while recognizing the role of socio-economic conditions in reproductive choices.
• Maputo Protocol (2003): Advocates for women’s reproductive autonomy but must be expanded to include policies that enable delayed fertility for child well-being.
• AU Agenda 2063: Supports human capital development, gender equality, and social transformation, aligning with sustainable reproductive policies.
• SDGs (2030 Agenda): SDGs 3, 4, and 5 highlight reproductive autonomy, education, and gender-responsive health policies as integral to global sustainability goals.

 

The Fair Start Movement’s Advocacy: UN Petition, ACHPR Petition, and the TTT Campaign

The Fair Start Movement is actively working to bring systemic change through various advocacy platforms, including our UN petition, ACHPR petition, and the recently launched TTT campaign.

The UN petition led by the Fair Start Movement calls for the integration of child rights into global policy frameworks, with an emphasis on addressing the long-term impacts of the climate crisis on future generations. The petition urges the UN to prioritize child welfare, ensuring that the rights of the future generation are safeguarded, especially in the face of environmental degradation and climate-related harm. It highlights the need for climate reparations to support communities most affected by environmental destruction, guaranteeing that future generations inherit a world capable of supporting their rights and opportunities.

Similarly, the ACHPR petition, presented to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, calls for the integration of climate justice into policy frameworks across Africa. It stresses the need for African governments to advocate for child rights and demand reparations given the impact of climate change in Africa. This must be done in order to mitigate the effects of environmental damage on children, especially the future generations in order to have the opportunity to grow, thrive, and enjoy basic rights, free from the consequences of climate-induced harm.

The Tell the Truth (TTT) campaign is Fair Start Movement’s latest campaign, focused on raising global awareness about the need for accountability and justice in the face of the climate crisis.  

What Fair Start Is All About

At the core of the Fair Start Movement is the belief that every child should be granted a fair start in life, free from the constraints of systemic inequalities. We criticize any political standard that fails to prioritize child rights, particularly policies that perpetuate cycles of disadvantage. The standard we criticize is anything that does not use child rights to constitute nations with such investment in each child that there are equal offsets of each child’s capacity to influence outcomes relative to zero, or 0, 1, 2,……0. 

In other words, political legitimacy should be based on ensuring that every child is equipped with the means to influence their future, starting from birth.

The Deadly Lie: Privatizing Freedom and Political Legitimacy

World leaders privatized freedom in the birth-creation of political relations after 1948 by conflating the act of having and not having children under a singular umbrella of autonomy, rather than treating the former as requiring political equity for the child. This hid the nature of freedom by privatizing the creation of political relations. And it led to 

the measuring, assessing and reporting of public interest outcomes based on standards meant to take oneself out of one’s birth and development context, ensuring children of color were treated as deserving less and placing them at increased risk. This was the hiding, linguistically, of birthright white supremacy and massive death debt with a fraudulent assessment and reporting standard that inverted political obligation, hiding the need for nations to invest equitably in each child just to have basic authority over citizens – to be “representative.”  

Leaders conflated the two by defining power narrowly as the violence of the state, rather than any form of human influence, so one would be free to terminate pregnancies without law enforcement blocking you, only to now die in a heat wave because one had no influence over climate policy, and could not afford air conditioning. 

As Zaharah poignantly states:

“How dare you? In this inequality and climate injustices that have harmed us from the global south, our children are dying and have no accountability, using a top-down system that isolated victims from the global south. The wealth you enjoy was made from the innocent blood of poor people from the global south. You will not escape blame, and it will pass into your children because your children are born in the luxury that was taken from us.”

This sentiment reflects the reality that wealth accumulated at the expense of the Global South has left many children dead, with millions more at risk of dying from inequality and climate injustices. We must adopt and support an Afrocentric model while dismantling the top-down systems that perpetuate these inequalities.

A Call to Action

The Fair Start Movement calls on governments, policymakers, and global institutions to radically transform reproductive policies by embedding child rights at their core. This transformation is not just a matter of political or social reform—it is a moral and legal imperative that ensures the survival, growth, and development of every child.

We demand a departure from outdated, population-control driven narratives and call for a shift toward child-centered policies that prioritize equitable investments in every child’s future. It is time for nations to acknowledge their responsibility to invest in each child from the moment of conception, ensuring that every child is afforded the opportunity to influence their own future and thrive in a world free from systemic inequalities.

 

Additional Advocacy Talking Points for CSW69: Integrating Child Rights into Reproductive Policies & Promoting Delayed Fertility

Reproductive Rights Must Evolve Beyond Contraception and Abortion

• Historically, reproductive rights policies have focused primarily on access to contraception and abortion without ensuring long-term socio-economic sustainability.
• A more holistic approach is needed—one that integrates child rights, economic security, and education policies into reproductive health frameworks.
• Key advocacy point: Shift the narrative from “reducing fertility rates” to “creating enabling environments for informed reproductive choices and child well-being.”

The Case for Delayed Fertility as a Policy Priority

• Studies show that delayed fertility (having children at a later age when socio-economically stable) leads to better health, educational, and economic outcomes for children and parents.
• Policies should focus on empowering women and families to make reproductive choices that align with their aspirations and economic security.
• Key advocacy point: Governments must invest in education, employment opportunities, and financial security for women to enable informed family planning decisions rather than just controlling fertility rates.

Child Rights Politics: Centering Children in Reproductive Policies

• Current policies focus on reproductive choices without considering the long-term welfare of children born into poverty, conflict, or fragile health systems.
• Child rights frameworks (such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – CRC) should be integrated into reproductive policies to ensure that every child is born into conditions that allow them to thrive.
• Key advocacy point: The shift toward child rights-based reproductive policies ensures that family planning policies contribute to intergenerational well-being, not just short-term fertility management.

Linking to Global Commitments: Aligning with Beijing Policy, Maputo Protocol, AU Agenda 2063, and SDGs

1. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)

• The Beijing Platform for Action remains a landmark policy framework that recognizes women’s reproductive rights as human rights.
• It calls for universal access to reproductive health services and highlights the role of socio-economic conditions in reproductive choices.
• Key advocacy point: CSW69 should advocate for full implementation of Beijing’s commitments, with an emphasis on integrating child rights and delayed fertility as part of women’s reproductive empowerment.

1. The Maputo Protocol (2003)

• The Maputo Protocol (Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa) guarantees women’s rights to reproductive health, autonomy, and access to safe abortion in specific cases (rape, incest, or when the pregnancy endangers health or life).
• Article 14(1) states that women must have the right to control their fertility and access family planning services.
• Key advocacy point: While Maputo advances reproductive rights, its implementation should extend beyond contraception and abortion to include economic policies that enable women to delay childbirth if they choose, ensuring child well-being and intergenerational equity.

1. African Union’s Agenda 2063

• Agenda 2063, Africa’s long-term strategic framework, emphasizes human capital development, gender equality, and social transformation.
• The Aspiration 6 of Agenda 2063 calls for an Africa where development is people-driven, relying on the potential of its women and youth.
• Key advocacy point: Sustainable reproductive policies must align with Agenda 2063’s focus on education, economic empowerment, and gender equality—ensuring that family planning policies are designed to uplift both women and future generations.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 3 (Health), SDG 4 (Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) all highlight the need for reproductive autonomy, access to education, and gender-responsive health policies.
• The ICPD 1994 framework emphasized reproductive rights beyond contraception, advocating for health equity, maternal support, and economic empowerment.
• Key advocacy point: The CSW69 discussions should align with global goals and commitments, ensuring that reproductive policies support women’s empowerment and child well-being holistically.

Addressing Potential Criticism and Challenges

Risk of Restricting Reproductive Freedom

• The shift towards child rights-based reproductive policies and delayed fertility must not be used to restrict access to contraception or abortion.
• Advocacy focus: Policies should be framed as expanding reproductive choices, not imposing delays on fertility through coercion.
  
  

Economic and Policy Feasibility

• Delaying fertility requires strong social and economic policies, including affordable healthcare, education, and job opportunities.
• Advocacy focus: Governments must invest in infrastructure that enables reproductive autonomy, rather than focusing solely on birth rate policies.

Avoiding Population Control Narratives

• Some policymakers might misinterpret delayed fertility as a population control strategy.
• Advocacy focus: This is not about controlling population but about ensuring sustainable reproductive choices and child well-being.

Key Child Rights Issues we can include in CSW69 Advocacy and How to Make Them Relevant

Child rights must be central to reproductive policy discussions because policies that affect fertility and reproductive choices directly impact the well-being, rights, and future of children. Below are the key child rights issues that should be included in the CSW69 advocacy, along with their relevance to the discussion on delayed fertility and reproductive policies.

1. Right to Survival and Development (UNCRC Article 6)

Relevance:

• A child’s right to life and healthy development is directly linked to maternal health, prenatal care, and economic stability of parents.
• When reproductive policies focus solely on reducing birth rates, they overlook the quality of life for children born under precarious conditions.
• Delaying fertility can ensure that children are born when parents are physically, emotionally, and financially stable, improving survival rates and reducing child malnutrition and preventable diseases.

Advocacy Point:

• Reproductive policies must not only provide access to contraception and abortion but also ensure that every child born has the conditions needed for survival, growth, and development.

2. Right to Quality Health and Nutrition (UNCRC Article 24)

Relevance:

• When young mothers (especially adolescents) have children before they are financially and emotionally ready, it increases child mortality rates and malnutrition.
• Studies show that children born to older, economically stable mothers have better health outcomes and access to healthcare.
• Unsafe abortions due to restrictive reproductive policies also lead to orphaned children or children left in unstable care systems.

Advocacy Point:

• Governments must strengthen reproductive policies to ensure that family planning services support women in choosing when to have children based on health and well-being factors.

3. Right to Protection from Poverty and Exploitation (UNCRC Articles 26 & 32)

Relevance:

• Children born into poverty are more likely to experience malnutrition, lack of education, child labor, and trafficking.
• Delayed fertility allows families to break cycles of poverty, ensuring that children have better access to education and resources.
• Young mothers, especially teenage girls, are often forced into economic vulnerability, leading to child marriage, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.

Advocacy Point:

• Governments must integrate reproductive policies with economic and social protection policies to ensure that children born into any family have financial stability and security.

4. Right to Education and Equal Opportunities (UNCRC Articles 28 & 29)

Relevance:

• Early and unplanned pregnancies often interrupt girls’ education, pushing them into economic dependency and limiting their ability to provide for future children.
• Children of economically stable, educated parents are more likely to stay in school and achieve their full potential.
• Adolescent pregnancy is linked to school dropouts, creating a generational cycle where both mother and child face educational barriers.

Advocacy Point:

• Reproductive policies must prioritize delaying fertility to ensure that women and girls complete their education before becoming parents.
• Governments should expand school-based reproductive health programs that combine contraception access with economic and career development programs for young girls.

5. Right to a Family and Social Protection (UNCRC Article 27)

Relevance:

• Many children born into unstable environments experience neglect, abuse, and separation from their families due to economic struggles or unprepared parenting.
• Orphanages and foster care systems are overburdened, and lack of support for struggling families contributes to the cycle of poverty.
• Reproductive policies should not only prevent unplanned pregnancies but also support families in raising children in safe and stable environments.

Advocacy Point:

• Governments must align reproductive policies with child protection policies, ensuring that children are born into environments where they have access to stable family structures and social support systems.

6. Right to Participation and Decision-Making (UNCRC Article 12)

Relevance:

• Reproductive policies often focus only on adult decision-making without including young people’s perspectives on their own reproductive futures.
• Young people should have a say in family planning policies, especially in regions where early marriage and adolescent pregnancy are common.
• Cultural and societal expectations often prevent young girls from exercising their reproductive rights freely.

Advocacy Point:

• Governments must involve youth voices in reproductive policy development, ensuring that adolescent reproductive health policies are rights-based and inclusive.

Integrating Child Rights into Reproductive Policies: What Needs to Change?

To bridge the gap between reproductive rights and child rights, the following policy changes are also necessary:

1. Shift the Focus from Population Control to Child Well-being

• Traditional reproductive policies focused on controlling birth rates rather than ensuring that every child born has access to a secure future.
• CSW69 should advocate for a rights-based approach that prioritizes the child’s quality of life, not just reproductive restrictions.

2. Strengthen Economic and Social Protection Policies for Parents

• Delaying fertility must be supported by strong economic policies such as:
  ✔ Paid parental leave
  ✔ Childcare subsidies
  ✔ School reintegration for young mothers
• Governments must integrate reproductive health services with economic empowerment programs.

3. Expand Legal Protections for Young Mothers and Their Children

• Policies must ensure that young mothers have access to education, job training, and financial support.
• Laws must protect children born from unplanned pregnancies from discrimination and economic hardship.

Key Advocacy Message for CSW69

• Reproductive policies must move beyond fertility control to focus on child well-being.
• Delaying fertility should be a choice, supported by social and economic policies that protect both mothers and children.
• Child rights must be integrated into reproductive health discussions to ensure intergenerational equity and sustainability.
• Governments must invest in reproductive education, social protection, and legal frameworks that allow families to thrive.

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