Targets encouraged coercion, it was argued at Cairo. And it was mainly women who opposed targets for family planning and reproductive health programs. They got their way. The document that finally emerged from Cairo made no mention of targets and other countries were urged to take note. Some did, some did not.
Targets are now very much in.
They are already being stressed by some of the leading advocates of women's rights. How can you hold governments accountable unless you set specific goals, rhetorically asked Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director, Center for Women's Global Leadership. What is sorely lacking is the need for targets around women's economic advancement and rights. Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a former President of Ireland, spoke about the legal commitments that governments have made on women's rights. Targets and coercion go together.