Concept Note
Introduction
Share-Net Bangladesh successfully organised four SRHR Knowledge Fairs in the previous years where SRHR experts participated and shared their valuable knowledge. The aim of the Knowledge Fair is to promote dialogue on SRHR through four different tracks: scientific presentations, plenary sessions, poster presentations and a youth booth. The target group is everybody who is professionally dealing with SRHR and gender. Moreover, the knowledge fair aims to enable researchers, policymakers, practitioners, donors, change makers and media to come under one roof to exchange knowledge on SRHR to in the end create a better life for everybody.
Central Focus:
The fourth Knowledge Fair put the spotlight on SRHR and most importantly, Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.
The subject matter for the discussions in SRHR Knowledge Fair 2019 was SRHR: Key to Gender Equality. The overall theme was #KnowledgeEmpowers.
This goal aimed to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls to reach their full potential. The central question therefore was: How to reach women’ s full potential through SRHR?
Gender equality and women’ s empowerment require eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against them. Three targets of SDG 5 are related to SRHR:
– Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual and other types of exploitation
– Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child and forced marriage
– Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in accordance with the Program of Action of the ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action
About Share-Net Bangladesh
Share-Net Bangladesh is the country hub of Share-Net International, a Knowledge Platform focusing on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), based in the Netherlands. The platform aims to contribute significantly to policy and program development in the field of SRHR in developing countries. Share-Net Bangladesh is the first of its global node, drawing on the years of experiences and interventions by practitioners, researchers, and policymakers in the field of sexual reproductive health, especially placing at the centre of human rights.
Share-Net Bangladesh aims to bring together this dynamic community of practice (CoP) that consist of social and medical researchers, development practitioners, government officials, legal experts, students, and members of vulnerable and under-served groups to engage with one another to find solutions and take critical issues forward. Share-Net Bangladesh has more than 1000 individual members.
While Bangladeshi practitioners have been working on SRHR issues for an extensive period of time, creating best practices and generating knowledge through rigorous research, SRHR remains a possible thrust area in establishing greater human rights. Key functions of the network include:
1. Establishing links with key national, global partners, stakeholders and networks working on SRHR
2. Sharing and stimulating the use of existing SRHR knowledge
3. Generating new knowledge to address priority research and intervention gaps
4. Disseminating knowledge through effective communication tools
5. Creating space for finding solution and supporting advocacy
6. Bridging the gap between all involved in SRHR policy and services
Share-Net Bangladesh is hosted by RedOrange Media and Communications.
Venue: Spectra Convention Centre, Gulshan 1, Dhaka.
Date: One-day conference on 8th December, 2019
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
The Fourth Knowledge Fair wanted to contribute to the achievement of the three targets under SDG 5 through:
1. Facilitating dialogues on these three critical issues of SRHR and gender
2. Strengthening the network among the stakeholders and organisations to establish cooperation and partnerships in the achievement of the three targets
3. Strengthening joint advocacy towards government to invest in the achievement of the three targets
Main Sessions:
a) Plenary Session
- The role of donors, government and private sectors in advancing SDG 5, particularly in SRHR
b) Scientific sessions: The scientific sessions will focus on SDG 5: Gender Equality, particularly on the targets 5.2, 5.3 and 5.6
Track 1: Making quality sexual and reproductive health education available to all
– Targeting 5.6 of SDG 5: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in accordance with the Program of Action of the ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action
Track 2: Advancing justice and equity in sexual and reproductive health in health care,
– Targeting 5.6 of SDG 5: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in accordance with the Program of Action of the ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action
Track 3: Prevention and protection from sexual harassment in public and work places
– Targeting 5.2 of SDG 5: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
c) Youth Hub:
The knowledge fair involved 26 young people to bring their voice in the larger SRHR and Gender community of practice. These young knowledge leaders participated in the fair and co-created a Youth Action Plan.
The YouthHub was organised by the following Share-Net Bangladesh member organisations:
- BLAST
- SERAC
- Bandhu
- UBR Alliance
- VSO
Topics for discussions in the Youthhub were : Mental health, CSE, Youth Friendly Health Services, Child Marriage, Youth Strengthening, Transgender Rights
Outputs/results:
1. Outcome document with recommendations related to the plenary sessions and the scientific researches, to achieve the three SDG 5 targets
2. Presentation of two scientific researchers, related to the SDG 5 targets, to be published
3. Youth hub with a draft national action plan related to the three SDG 5 targets, to be included in the Outcome document
4. Articles in several newspapers
5. Article for the Share-Net Bangladesh website