RESURJ members from Mexico and Costa Rica engaged in the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2022, in San Jose, Costa Rica. Our member from Costa Rica engaged to understand and assess the forum’s relevance and impact on their own advocacy while our member from Mexico, who has been engaged with the forum from its inception and co-created the civil society engagement mechanisms, aimed to influence language around CSO participation and Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). The latter was part of the official delegation from Mexico to the forum.
During the forum, RESURJ member from Mexico delivered a civil society statement that highlighted the importance of meaningful engagement of CSOs in the forum, considering the ever widening gap between governments and CSOs which has been further exacerbated by the hybrid format of the session. The statement also urged states to ensure that no one is left behind in the attainment of the goals by deliberately ensuring the representation and meaningful participation of all persons, including those often socially marginalized in such platforms. Further, the statement recognized the crucial role that CSE plays in the understanding and enjoying of human rights, free of discrimination and violence. In addition, a feminist we supported during the forum made an intervention calling on states to end the culture of privilege and to promote education for all people which incorporates an intersectional gender perspective. We were able to contribute to our Action Agenda on ensuring the leadership and meaningful participation of young South-based feminists,pushing for policies and programs that guarantee universal access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health services, and promoting a positive approach to young people’s and adolescents’ sexuality.