Centers

Over the course of recent decades, increasing attention has focused on the social and cultural dimensions of sexuality. It has become apparent that sexuality is not only a key aspect of human experience, but that it is linked to and implicated in many of the most important social policy issues of the contemporary world. Whether in relation to sexual health and well-being, sexual education and human development, or sexual rights and diversity, sexuality has become a central area of debate both within the United States and globally.

In this same time frame, there has also been growing concern about the relationship between sexuality and social policy on local, national, and international levels. The reasons for this are complex and multiple, ranging from the broad social, cultural, economic, and political changes taking place as part of the processes of globalization, to the specific challenges emerging in relation to issues such as reproductive health and rights, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the apparent increase in levels of sexual violence and abuse.

In countries and communities around the world, important new initiatives have emerged to address the interface between sexuality and social policy, and major international activities and negotiations (such as the international conferences on population and development and on women, together with their follow-up meetings) have highlighted these issues.

In line with these developments, the Ford Foundation has provided support for the establishment of Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW), a global forum of participants from diverse regions of the world committed to building effective linkages between activities at local and regional levels and to analyzing global policy debates related to sexuality, sexual health, and sexual rights. To reflect its global composition, SPW relies upon a secretariat based both in the Center for Gender, Sexuality and Health in New York City and in the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA) in Rio de Janeiro. Its activities focus on the development of international meetings and activities and the production and dissemination policy-relevant publications.

To learn more about our work and access our full range of publications, please visit the Sexuality Policy Watch website.