26 November 2018: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) convened a three-day conference to take stock of the region’s progress in reducing poverty and improving education, life expectancy and reproductive health. The conference reviewed actions toward implementing the agenda set at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt.

The Midterm Review of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development took place from 26-28 November, in Bangkok, Thailand. Highlights of the meeting included renewed commitments by some countries to provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, and recognition of migration as an important dynamic in reducing poverty and providing other social benefits.

Delegates welcomed achievements in maternal and child health, but noted that some countries are experiencing increased poverty.

Delegates noted commonalities between ICPD concerns and the SDGs in the areas of human rights, sexual and reproductive health. Delegates welcomed health achievements across the region, especially in maternal and child health, but noted that some countries are experiencing increased poverty. Several countries expressed a commitment to providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, and to promoting gender equality. Other issues discussed at the meeting included: population aging; increased poverty levels in some countries; and the need for comprehensive data on migration.

Armida Alisjahbana, ESCAP Executive Secretary, warned that, based on current trends, the region is unlikely to achieve any of the SDGs by 2030, except SDG 4 on universal education. Kaveh Zahedi, ESCAP, urged countries to increase their investments in people, including in essential healthcare services, and to improve data gathering on vulnerable communities.

The outcome of the Bangkok meeting is captured in a Chair’s summary, and will feed into discussions at the global review of the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action in 2019, to be conducted by the UN Commission on Population and Development at its 52nd session in New York, US, 25 years after the ICPD took place in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1999, delegates at ICPD adopted a 20-year Programme of Action in the areas of human rights, population, migration and urbanization, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and sustainable development. In 2010, the Programme of Action was further extended. The last comprehensive review of ICPD was conducted in 2014, affirming the links between that agenda and the emergent 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In preparation for the 25-year review, regional conferences also have taken place in Europe, the Arab Region, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The 52nd CPD will convene from 1-5 April 2019. [ESCAP Opening Press Release] [ESCAP Closing Press Release]