In 1994, delegates from 179 countries met in Cairo for the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The Conference adopted a 20-year Programme of Action (PoA), which included a bold new vision of the relationships between population, development and individual well-being. It recognized that population was not about numbers, but about people, and that social, economic and political equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, was the basis for individual well-being and sustainable development. Read more...
In 2012-2013, mandated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/65/234 (2010), the global operational review of the implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) of ICPD was carried out by UNFPA in cooperation with regional commissions and other United Nations agencies. A special report from the United Nations Secretary-General with recommendations for action based on the global review findings was presented to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in April 2014. Subsequently, the special session by the United Nations General Assembly was held on 22 September 2014 to renew political support for the Cairo mandate.
ICPD30 - Regional Report and Conference
Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the ICPD, UNECE and UNFPA carried out a regional review on the implementation of the ICPD PoA, culminating in the Regional Conference on ICPD30 on 19-20 October 2023 entitled "Population and Development: Ensuring Rights and Choices." During the Conference, participants reported on national progress towards the ICPD agenda and discussed gaps and challenges across three main themes: population dynamics and sustainable development; families and sexual and reproductive health over the life course; and inequalities, social inclusion and rights. Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the ICPD PoA and acknowledged the role of the ICPD principles in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Conference was informed by the Regional report on the implementation of the ICPD PoA in the UNECE region: Ensuring Rights and Choices amid Demographic Change. The report highlights how recent crises have impacted key population and development trends in the UNECE region, identifies areas were it is necessary to accelerate efforts and provides examples of concrete policy responses to both long-standing and emerging issues.
Nairobi Summit on ICPD25
On 12-14 November 2019, the governments of Kenya and Denmark and UNFPA co-convened the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, a high-level conference to mobilize the political will and financial commitments to fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action. These commitments were centred around achieving zero unmet meed for family planning information and services, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls.
ICPD25 - Regional Report and Conference
In the run up to the 25th anniversary of the ICPD Programme of Action in 2019, the five year periodic assessment of ICPD Programme of Action Implementation in the UNECE region concluded with the launch of the Regional report "Fulfilling the Potential of Present and Future Generations" and the UNECE Regional Conference on 1-2 October 2018 on Enabling Choices: Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development.
The report on ICPD Programme of Action Implementation in the UNECE region highlights key population and development trends affecting the UNECE region since the adoption of the 2013 Chair's summary, outlines replicable solutions to common issues, and puts forward action-oriented recommendations to further advance the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action in the region.
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Action in 2019, the Regional Conference "Enabling Choices: Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development" assessed progress and identified gaps in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the UNECE region.
It focused on key actions for implementation and addressed the wider policy concerns related to :
- Population dynamics and sustainable development;
- Families, sexual and reproductive health over the life course; and
- Inequalities, social inclusion and rights.
Organized jointly by UNECE and UNFPA, the Conference further aimed to strengthen the linkages between ICPD and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reaffirmed commitment to implementing the ICPD Programme of Action in the region.
Monitoring the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the UNECE Region
In 2018, within the context of the joint project Enhanced integration of population dynamics into development planning: Follow-up to the ICPD in the UNECE region, the UNECE Population Unit and UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office worked together to develop a Monitoring Framework on ICDP Beyond 2014, based on the priorities identified in the 2013 Chair's Summary.
20-year review of the ICPD in the UNECE region
In 2014, the international community reviewed progress on 20 years of implementation of the Programme of Action on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) at national, regional and global levels. The regional reviews were led by the United Nations Regional Commissions in close collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Their outcomes contributed to the global review of the ICPD Beyond 2014, which took place at the 47th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and culminated in the 29th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014.
In its Resolution 2014/1, the CPD emphasized that the outcome documents of the regional conferences provide region specific guidance on population and development beyond 2014 for each region. They requested the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the United Nations system and relevant organizations, to continue assessing and reporting on progress towards the full implementation of the Programme of Action on the ICPD.
In the UNECE Region, the ICPD Beyond 2014 review concluded with the UNECE Regional Conference Enabling choices: Population Priorities for the 21st Century (1-2 July 2013, Geneva) and the launch of the report "ICPD Beyond 2014: the UNECE Region's Perspective".
The report was based on survey results from 45 UNECE member States complemented by relevant existing studies and data provided in country implementation profiles. The UNECE regional report and the ICPD Beyond 2014 Chair's summary, which was the unanimously agreed outcome of the Conference, outlined the main findings and recommendations for the way forward.