9 November 2012: The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners have opened online public discussions on the theme of population dynamics, as part of a consultation process to define the post-2015 development agenda.
UNFPA, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), UN-HABITAT, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the Government of Switzerland, are supporting the global consultation process on population dynamics. Other UN agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Food Programme (WFP), UN-Women, and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) – also will contribute.
The population dynamics consultation will propose goals, targets and indicators for the post-2015 development agenda. In particular, it seeks to highlight how mega-trends in population growth, ageing, urbanization and migration are linked to key development concerns and objectives, and suggest how these trends may be addressed in the period after 2015. It will also draw lessons from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and related national-level efforts, and provide input to UNFPA’s own 20-year review process, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Beyond 2014 Review.
The online discussion, or “e-consultation,” is running on the “World We Want 2015” website and are open to all. According to the concept note, the thematic consultation on population dynamics comprises several elements: preparation of analytical papers; the online discussions; consultations with groups of actors including civil society, academia and the private sector; and a high-level leadership meeting to be convened in early 2013.
Also as part of this process, UNFPA convened an Expert Group Meeting on Population Dynamics and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, on 19-20 November 2012, in New York, US. Representatives of the involved UN bodies and other experts discussed population’s impacts on labor markets, income distribution, poverty, social protection and pensions, also noting the influence of population dynamics on environmental sustainability, climate change, and water, food and energy security.
The population dynamics consultation is one of 11 themes under discussion in the post-2015 process led by the UN Development Group. Other themes are: governance; inequalities; growth and employment; health; education; environmental sustainability; hunger, food security and nutrition; conflict and fragility; water; and energy. [Publication: Global Thematic Consultation on Population Dynamics in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Concept Note] [E-Consultation] [Summary of Expert Group Meeting] [Webpage on CPD Beyond 2014 Review]