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10th
Anniversary of the
International Conference on Population and Development
The International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in
1994 was a milestone in the history of population and development,
as well as in the history of women's rights. The Programme of Action
(PoA), adopted by consensus by 179 countries at the conference,
is a forward-looking 20-year plan. While the Programme of Action
is comprehensive in scope and calls for action at various levels,
the strategic focus of its recommendations is for action at the
national level.
The first
five-year review of the implementation of the Programme of Action
was conducted by the General Assembly in 1999, which adopted, by
consensus, the Key Actions for the Further Implementation of
the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development . The review demonstrated that the ICPD goals
were still relevant and that much progress had been made in advancing
them. At the same time, it revealed that much greater and continued
action was needed in certain programme areas. The Key Actions
provided a new set of benchmarks for four priority issues:
education and literacy, reproductive health care and unmet need
for contraception, maternal mortality reduction and HIV/AIDS.
The 10 th
Anniversary of the ICPD, the mid-point of its 20-year Programme
of Action, offers an opportunity to celebrate and look forward.
Many countries have translated the commitments they made
in Cairo into policies and programmes designed to transform the
lives of women, men and children. But much more remains to
be done. Most member states, UNFPA, and other partners
believe that the best way to commemorate the ICPD is through an
in-depth, country-by-country analysis of achievements, constraints,
lessons learned and way forward to full implementation
of the ICPD PoA. The 10 th Anniversary is also an opportunity
to reflect on the diversity of the ICPD goals, and demonstrate how
their achievement will forward progress toward the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).
UNFPA is
grateful to the donors who provided financial support for activities
related to the ICPD 10-year review, namely, Australia, Canada, Sweden,
Switzerland and the UK.
Several
activities have been planned at the national, regional and global
levels.
The foundation
of the review process of the implementation of the ICPD PoA occurs
at the national level. National activities vary among countries
to include some, or all, of the following: responses to regional/global
inquiries, national reports, national review meetings, updates of
national programmes or strategies, and national advocacy events.
Common objectives in all are to: assess achievements;
identify challenges, constraints and opportunities; formulate lessons
learned; and strategize on how best to accelerate the full implementation
of the ICPD PoA. Ideally, the review process will reinforce
and complement efforts to track progress in achieving the MDGs,
and reflect the linkages between ICPD goals and the MDGs.
The UNFPA
Country Offices are playing a proactive and catalytic role in the
national reviews of the ICPD PoA, and provide modest support from
their country programme funds, when possible.
Global
Survey (previously called “Field Inquiry”)
UNFPA
has undertaken a Global Survey on national experiences among all
countries. The Global Survey is designed to capture progress
achieved by countries in implementing the various commitments and
recommendations contained in the ICPD PoA and Key Actions ,
as well as the difficulties and constraints they have faced.
The Global
Survey for developing countries assesses major sections of the PoA,
with a more in-depth examination of certain aspects, particularly
those of priority concerns to UNFPA programmes. The Survey covers
population and development; gender equality, equity and empowerment
of women; reproductive health and rights, including reproductive
health commodity security; youth; HIV/AIDS; behaviour change communication
and advocacy; partnership; resources; data, research and training;
and indicators.
The Global
Survey for donor countries looks at selected aspects of the PoA
and focuses on population, gender and reproductive health issues,
partnership with NGOs and civil society, and international cooperation
in population and reproductive health- the latter in the case of
donor countries only.
A total
of 169 countries completed the questionnaire, and a wealth of information
was collected. Based on this information, the Fund prepared a global
report on national experiences in implementing the ICPD Programme
of Action and Key Actions. The report, ‘Investing in
People: National Progress in Implementing the ICPD Programme of
Action 1994-2004 '. was released in connection with the annual
session of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board on 21 st June 2004 ,
in Geneva. See also below, on regional reports. A
Webcast of the report release and full-text and summary versions
of the report can be accessed at http://www.unfpa.org/icpd
.
UNFPA
supports the UN Regional Commissions in marking the ICPD tenth anniversary
with regional reviews, including regional analyses of the results
of the Global Survey. The emphasis is on lessons learned
and on exchange of experiences at the regional level, and aiding
countries to identify how they can be of assistance to each other
in a south-south cooperation spirit.
Asia
and the Pacific : the Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) hosted the Fifth Asia and Pacific
Population Conference (APPC) in Bangkok on 11-17 December
2002, on the theme of “Population and Poverty”. The Conference adopted
a Plan of Action at the conclusion of the meeting. For more
information:
http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/5appc/index.asp
The
Arab Region : ESCWA, along with UNFPA and the
League of Arab States, organized the Arab Population
Forum on 19-21 November 2004 in Beirut . The event,
hosted by the Lebanese Government, reviewed the achievements of
the States of the region and the challenges facing them in the field
of population and development. Participants included more
than 100 parliamentarians and officials from the Arab world, representatives
from the United Nations system and regional organizations, as well
as experts in the field.
The meeting
objectives were to assess achievements in the implementation of
the ICPD PoA and of the Amman 2 Declaration on Population and Development;
to identify emerging issues in the framework of the ICPD POA; and
to enable stock-taking of lessons learned and best practices that
could be replicated in other countries in the region.
The event
focused on themes such as population, poverty and development, youth
issues from a multi-faceted perspective, and analyzing and addressing
prevailing challenges such as persistent high maternal mortality
and RH morbidity and barriers to enforcement of reproductive rights
and gender equality, and the impact of post-demographic transition.
The Forum
concluded its work with the Beirut Declaration, which re-affirms
the intention of the participants to continue working towards the
full realization of the ICPD objectives and the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). For more information: http://www.apf.org.jo/
Europe
: The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
and UNFPA, as co-organizers, and the Government of Switzerland as
the host, convened an expert meeting - the European
Population Forum 2004: Population Challenges and Policy Responses
, in Geneva on 12-14 January 2004 .
The Forum considered important, newly emerging population
changes, examined challenges they pose and identified best policy
responses to them. In this context, the Forum examined the implementation
of the ICPD-related regional and global agreements of the 1990s
in the UNECE region, as a source of partnerships and technical assistance,
particularly in countries in transition. It also considered
how the UNECE region can further the implementation of these agreements
globally in the future. The Forum brought together noted experts
from all parts of the UNECE region; from the major partners in the
region, including the European Commission, at the highest level;
from executive and legislative branches of government, academia,
research, intergovernmental organizations and institutions, civil
society, including non-governmental organizations, youth and the
private sector. The Forum provided a platform for a rich discussion
and exchange of a wide range of views, stressed the pertinence of
ICPD to the Europe region and called for immediate attention to
further its implementation worldwide as well as to address prevailing
population issues within the region. Background papers, presentations,
statements and the Summary of Deliberations are available at http://www.unece.org/ead/pau/epf/Welcome.html
Africa
: The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
conducted a regional-level survey among all African countries on
the implementation of the Dakar-Ngor Declaration (DND) and the ICPD
PoA; this survey complements the UNFPA Global Survey, and both were
used in the preparation of the Africa Regional Report. The
ECA convened a ministerial level meeting on 11
June 2004 , preceded by an expert meeting on
7-10 June 2004 , in Dakar. The meetings
endorsed the Africa Regional Report, as well as a Declaration, which
reaffirms Africa's commitment to the ICPD goals, their importance
in achieving the MDGs, and key areas for increased attention.
For more information on the meeting and to access the Regional Report
and the Declaration: http://www.uneca.org/POPIA/index_icpd.htm
Latin
America and the Caribbean : The Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held a meeting of the
Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC)
on 11-12 November 2003 in Port-of-Spain, to review
progress in the implementation of the ICPD PoA in the Caribbean
region. The twenty Caribbean countries and territories that
attended reaffirmed their commitment to ICPD and adopted a declaration.
ECLAC also
held an open-ended meeting of the Presiding Officers
of the Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development
in Santiago, Chile on 10-11 March, 2004 .
The meeting adopted the Santiago Declaration reaffirming the commitment
of countries to the ICPD goals and highlighting the importance of
attaining those goals in order to achieve the MDGs. The Santiago
Declaration was endorsed by consensus through a resolution adopted
by the Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development
, which held its meeting on 29-30 June 2004
, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and by the ECLAC sessional
meeting on July 2, 2004 . The resolution
urges countries in the region to intensify their efforts to continue
implementing the Cairo Programme of Action. They should make all
efforts necessary, it adds, to provide the resources needed to continue
implementing the Cairo Programme and, in particular, ensure its
inclusion in policies to eradicate poverty, reduce social inequalities
and eliminate the gender gap. The international community, it urges,
should increase its technical and financial cooperation to meet
these objectives.
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In June
2003, the GA adopted a resolution 57/270B on the integrated and
coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the
major UN conferences and summits in the economic and social fields.
The GA stressed
the importance of regular reviews in accordance with the provisions
of the respective outcomes and follow-up processes of the conferences.
Conference reviews should assess the progress made in implementation
of commitments and provide occasions to reaffirm the goals and objectives
agreed at the major conferences. The periodicity and format of reviews
“should be decided on a case-by-case basis by the GA, bearing in
mind the relevant provisions, taking into account the needs, concerns
and specific nature of the issue and the economic and political
circumstances and developments and also bearing in mind the need
to continue efforts to use the existing structures as well as the
calendar of major UN events”. The existing structures in the case
of ICPD are the Commission on Population and Development (CPD),
ECOSOC and the GA.
It was decided
that the annual agenda of the GA would include an item on integrated
and coordinated follow-up. It was also decided that ECOSOC would
review, on an annual basis, progress in implementation of the conference
outcomes through a cross-sectoral thematic approach at its coordination
segment. The CPD is expected to contribute to the assessment
of the cross-sectoral themes by ECOSOC. Each Commission is
requested to examine its working methods and report on them to ECOSOC
no later than 2005.
On May
6 th 2004 , the GA adopted a resolution on the " Follow-up
to the outcome of the
Millennium Summit and integrated and coordinated implementation
of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences
and summits in the economic and social fields ".
By the resolution, the GA decided to convene in New
York in 2005 , at the commencement of the sixtieth session
of the GA, a high-level plenary meeting of the
Assembly with the participation of
heads of State and Government, on dates to be decided by the
Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. The event will undertake
a comprehensive review of the progress made in the fulfillment of
all the commitments contained in the UN Millennium Declaration,
including the internationally agreed development goals and the progress
made in the integrated and coordinated implementation of the outcomes
of the
major conferences and summits. This will be done on the basis of
a comprehensive report to be submitted by the SG.
General
Assembly Commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary
In December
2003, the General Assembly adopted decision 58/529, entitled "Commemoration
of the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population
and Development". By this decision, the Assembly has
decided to devote one day, during its fifty-ninth session in 2004,
to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the International
Conference on Population and Development. The Commemoration was
held on 14 October 2004, and was an opportunity
for Member States of the United Nations to make statements to mark
the occasion. For summaries of Member States' statements:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/ga10277.doc.htm
Commission
on Population and Development
As mandated
by the General Assembly resolution 49/128 and subsequent decisions
of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the primary
responsibility for the review and assessment of the implementation
of the Programme of Action rests with the three-tiered intergovernmental
mechanism comprising the General Assembly, the Economic and Social
Council and the Commission on Population and Development.
At its 37
th session, on March 22-26, 2004 in New York,
the CPD reviewed and appraised the progress made in the implementation
of the ICPD Programme of Action, following a thematic approach focusing
on cross-cutting themes: (a) population imperatives for sustainable
development, and (b) building partnerships and capacity, and mobilizing
human and financial resources for the implementation of the ICPD
Programme of Action. During the general debate on national experiences
in the implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD, countries
reported on significant progress in the implementation of the ICPD
PoA and of the Key Actions at the country level, indicating that
the ICPD agenda is integrated in national policies and strategies.
Yet, much remains to be done to achieve the ICPD goals, and
availability of trained human and financial resources remain key
obstacles.
The 37 th
session of the CPD ended with the adoption of a draft provisional
agenda for the 38 th session , a resolution on the work
programme in the field of population, and decisions on the methods
of work of the Commission. The session re-affirmed the theme
for 2005, “Population, Development and HIV/AIDS, with particular
emphasis on poverty” and for 2006, “International Migration and
Development”. It also decided to consider as an additional
topic for 2005, the contribution of the implementation of the POA
of ICPD to the achievement of the internationally agreed development
goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration.
The draft
resolution on the Follow-up of the Programme of Action of the ICPD,
was the object of intense negotiations and consultations.
The resolution was adopted on May 6 th , when the CPD reconvened.
The resolution reaffirms the POA and the Key Actions
. The resolution expresses concern that based on current
trends, many countries may fall short of achieving the agreed goals
and commitments of the POA and stressed, among others, the importance
of population and reproductive health for development. For
more information: http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/comm2004.htm
. The next CPD session will be on 4-8 April 2005.
Annual
Session of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board
A Special
Event Panel Discussion, on “ Putting People First: Implementing
the ICPD Agenda and Achieving the MDGs ”, took place on 21
June 2004 , at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Global Survey report ‘ Investing in People:
National Progress in Implementing the ICPD Programme of Action 1994-2004
' was launched during this special event. A Webcast
of the report release and full-text and summary versions of the
report can be accessed at
http://www.unfpa.org/exbrd/2004/icpd_panel.htm
High-level
Roundtables
UNFPA will
organize four thematic high-level roundtables in the framework of
the 10-year review on issues key for the further implementation
of the ICPD PoA.
High
Level Global Consultation on Linking HIV/AIDS with Sexual and Reproductive
Health. This consultation, on 7 June 2004 in
New York , brought together high-level global leaders from
both the reproductive health and HIV/AIDS fields to reach consensus
on a set of actions/recommendations to be taken to ensure more effective
integration and linkage between policies and programmes that address
HIV/AIDS and those that address reproductive health. The resulting
"Commitment to Action" endorsed by the Global Leaders
will be disseminated widely including at a UNFPA-organized Leadership
panel at the XV World AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, in July
2004. It is available online at www.unfpa.org/icpd
. On 10-11 May , technical experts
met in New York to discuss the linkages between HIV/AIDS and SRH
and proposed key actions to help form the “Commitment to Action'
mentioned above.
Roundtable
on Promoting Reproductive Health and Rights: Reducing Poverty. UNFPA
organized, on 5-6 October 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden ,
a two-day Roundtable with experts and selected social and opinion
leaders, that aimed at positioning Reproductive Health and
Rights as a cornerstone of national poverty eradication strategies,
in order to promote social and economic growth within a human rights
framework, and present arguments to prioritize investments
in Reproductive Health and Rights. The Roundtable produced
expert recommendations for a high-level meeting, which is scheduled
to take place on 11-12 April 2005.
Roundtable
on International Migration and Development: The Challenges
Ahead. In this roundtable, some of the important implications
of migration especially for poverty reduction, development and demographic
dynamics, were explored, and the challenges ahead discussed.
Participants included policy-makers from both developing and developed
countries, government and civil society representatives, migration
experts. The Roundtable launched the publication, Migration
at a Glance: Ten Years After Cairo prepared by the International
Migration Policy Programme (IMP), in collaboration with UNFPA.
The Global Commission on International Migration was actively involved
in the Roundtable and discussed progress in their work in formulating
a coherent, comprehensive and global response to migration, including
gaps in current policy approaches to migration, inter-linkages with
other issues such as trafficking, human rights, and gender, and
recommendations for the future. The roundtable took
place on 12 October 2004 in the ECOSOC Chamber.
For a copy of the publication: http://www.unfpa.org/publications/detail.cfm?ID=200&filterListType
=
Roundtable on Operationalizing the Inter-linkages between Population
Dynamics, Reproductive Health, and Poverty . A high-level,
2-day Roundtable is being planned in the area of population and
poverty, which is aimed at bringing together academics, researchers,
policy-makers, development practitioners and those working in the
field of population and poverty to revisit and redefine the inter-linkages
between population dynamics and poverty. The Roundtable will also
seek to operationalize these linkages in a poverty reduction policy
and programme framework. In addition, the Roundtable will assess
the evidence base for investing in RH as a development strategy
to reduce poverty and achieve the MDGs. This roundtable
is tentatively scheduled for March 2005 in New York.
State
of the World Population Report
The 2004
UNFPA State of World Population Report
is focused on the decadal experience in the implementation of the
ICPD PoA, and used, inter alia , some of the results of
the Global Survey. A number of media and advocacy events
were held to launch the report on 15 September 2004.
For information and a full-text copy of the report: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm
The second
International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation
of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD), jointly
organized by the Inter-European Parliamentarian Forum on Population
and Development and UNFPA, in collaboration with the Council of
Europe, was held on 18-19 October 2004 , at the
Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. The conference was
a follow-up to the first IPCI/ICPD, which was held in November 2002
in Ottawa, Canada ( http://www.unfpa.org/ipci/index.htm
). For detailed information on the event, including the
Strasbourg Statement of Commitment: http://www.unfpa.org/parliamentarians/ipci/strasbourg/index.htm
.
Asia
and the Pacific : The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians
on Population and Development (AFPPD) is organizing three major
events in 2004 to commemorate the 10 th anniversary of ICPD:
the Asian Women Parliamentarians and Ministers' Conference was held
on 29-30 June in Canberra, Australia (see http://www.afppd.org/);
the Asian Medical Parliamentarians Conference was held on 19-21
June in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the Southeast Asian Meeting
of Professional Parliamentarians on ICPD Implementation will take
place on 16-17 November in Bangkok, Thailand. It is also supporting
a national level parliamentarians conference on ICPD at 10
in India, Laos/PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Europe
: The Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on
Population and Development (IEPFPD) held its annual Council Meeting
for parliamentarians and secretariats from its member countries
and select parliamentarians from non-member countries in Ankara,
Turkey, in April 2004. The IEPFPD and the UN Foundation held
an informal discussion among decision makers on “Global
Leadership in Meeting the Millennium Development Goals – Ensuring
Contraceptive Supplies” on August 31, 2004 at the Global
Roundtable for “Countdown 2015: SRHR for All”.
Africa
and the Arab Region : The Forum of African
and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development (FAAPPD)
will hold a 3-4 day seminar/workshop and its Third General Conference
in 2004, highlighting the 10 th anniversary of ICPD. The
organization will devote one of the three days of the General Conference
to the matter. With financial support from the Population
Action International, FAAPPD held a MP Roundtable on the Implementation
ICPD Programme of Action on 6 June 2004 as a pre-conference
side event to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Ministerial
High-Level Conference in Dakar, Senegal, 7-11 June 2004.
The Parliamentarians endorsed a Declaration reaffirming Cairo.
Latin
America and the Caribbean : The Inter-American
Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (IAPG) is in the
process of organizing a subregional parliamentary meeting on ICPD
at 10 and the MDGs, expected to take place towards the end of November
2004 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (still to be confirmed). Parliamentarians
from five southern cone countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay
and Paraguay) are expected to attend this meeting. IAPG is discussing
with a Peruvian NGO (Flora Tristán) the possibility of organizing
a similar event to the one in Rio de Janeiro for the Andean community
towards the end of the year. The meeting would take place in Lima.
An
International Forum on Population and Development:
Implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference
on Population and Development and the UN Millennium Development
Goals, organised jointly by the Government of the
People's Republic of China and the Partners in Population and Development,
took place in China on 7-9 September, 2004 .
The aim of the Forum was to share experiences in the implementation
of the ICPD PoA and their crucial contribution to meeting the UN
Millennium Development Goals, as well as develop strategies for
better implementation of the ICPD PoA and MDGs through South-South
collaboration approaches. Information available at http://www.npfpc.gov.cn/en/
or http://www.south-south-ppd.org
For a copy of the Declaration: http://www.south-south-ppd.org/bmeetings/2004-wuhan-declaration.asp
Several
activities are being organised by NGOs, including:
'Countdown
2015: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All '
comprises a series of activities and events that will be held throughout
2004 and into 2005 - and is a key element of efforts by NGOs and
civil society to mark the 10 th anniversary of ICPD at the national,
regional and international levels. ' Countdown 2015 ' began
as an initiative of Family Care International (FCI), International
Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Population Action International
(PAI) that now involves a wide range of NGO and donor partners committed
to making the ICPD vision a reality. ' Countdown 2015 '
activities include:
- A
Global Roundtable was held in London,
31 August - 2 September 2004, preceded by a
Youth Day on the 30th of August; the
Roundtable issued a Declaration as well as recommendations for
accelerating and furthering the implementation of the ICPD PoA.
For a copy of the Declaration: http://www.countdown2015.org/ContentController.aspx?ID=1038
- A series of six regional meetings
to be organized jointly by IPPF Regions in partnership
with other NGOs and networks;
- A Magazine and Report
Card aimed at assessing country performance on
ICPD goals;
- A communications campaign
aimed at refocusing attention on the importance of the goals of
the ICPD.
For more
information on the event:
http://www.countdown2015.org
The Population
Institute and Population 2005 organized ‘ The Global
Population Forum 2004 ,' from the May 13–15,
2004 in Washington, DC. The forum was opened to participation
by program managers, policy makers and NGO representatives.
It focussed on four topics: HIV/AIDS , Family Planning
and Reproductive Health , Aging and Migration
, and issued a Declaration re-affirming commitments to the
ICPD PoA.
Information
on the event is available at http://www.population2005.org/news.htm
UNFPA will
sponsor a scientific plenary session on the topic of ‘ The
ICPD Vision: How Far Has the 11-Year Journey Taken Us ?'
at the International Union for the Scientific Study
of Population (IUSSP) 2005 International Congress
to be held on July 18-23, 2005 in Tours,
France, http://www.iussp.org/France2005/index.php
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