27 February 2013: The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) held a briefing for UN Member States on follow-up to the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), on 27 February 2013, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
UNFPA representatives outlined the schedule of meetings and regional consultations to be held as part of the ICPD’s 20-year review. Global thematic meetings are planned on: human rights; women’s health; and monitoring and implementation beyond 2014. In addition, UNFPA will hold a series of regional population conferences. The UN regional commissions on economic and social affairs will host the regional meetings in sequence: West Asia in Cairo, Egypt, on 24-26 June 2013; Europe in Geneva, Switzerland, on 1-2 July; Latin America and the Caribbean in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 12-15 August; Africa on 2-6 September; and Asia Pacific on 16-20 September.
The meeting discussed the need to facilitate integration of the population and development agenda with the post-2015 development framework. Participants also highlighted the inclusion of young people in the dialogue process at the Bali Youth Forum in December 2012, and stressed the need for youth networks associated with various UN agencies and governments to work more closely together.
The briefing session followed a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution (A/RES/67/250), adopted on 21 February 2013, mandating a special session on this topic on 22 September 2014, in New York, US. The special session is organized at the Heads of State or Government level, and will comprise plenary sessions with statements from the UNGA President, the UN Secretary-General, the UNFPA Executive Director, Member States, and observers. NGOs also will take part in the special session, with five NGO representatives, selected for geographic balance, invited to make statements.
The ICPD took place in 1994 in Cairo, Egypt. It outlined a programme of action to: provide universal access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights; deliver gender equality, empowerment of women and equal access to education for girls; address the individual, social and economic impact of urbanization and migration; and support sustainable development and address environmental issues associated with population changes. To date, 179 governments have signed up to the programme of action, which is up for a 20-year review in 2014. [UNGA resolution (as draft)] [ICPD Website] [IISD RS Sources]