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Expert group meeting on assessing the status of implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development

19 July 2023 to 20 July 2023

Overview

The adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, cemented a people-centred approach to population and development policies, grounded in the respect for human rights and a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability. Subsequently, the Millennium Development Goals and the integrated many goals and objectives of the ICPD Programme of Action. 

In 2014, the General Assembly extended the Programme of Action beyond 2014 with a view to fully meeting its goals and objectives (). In 2019, at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Programme of Action, the Secretary-General reported that while considerable progress had been made in implementing the Programme of Action since 1994, progress had been uneven both within and among countries, and the benefits of social and economic progress have not been shared equitably. The report also stated that attaining the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda was a shared responsibility that called for policies and programmes for sustainable development to be grounded in an understanding of population dynamics, including changes in population size or age structure and processes of migration or urbanization.

The Commission on Population and Development, at its fifty-seventh session in 2024, will carry out a review and appraisal of the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. The timing of this appraisal, 30 years after “Cairo”, is consistent with the five-year cycle of review of the status of implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action carried out by the Commission in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019, respectively.

In support of this review and as part of the substantive preparations of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Population and Development, the Population Division of UN DESA will convene an expert group meeting on 19 and 20 July 2023. The meeting will examine progress and gaps in implementing the goals and objectives set out in the ICPD Programme of Action and take stock of the achievement of Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) which are of particular relevance to the global agenda on population and development. Participants will also assess the implications of demographic trends for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2024 Summit of the Future, showcasing global solidarity for future generations. 
 

Documents

Organization of work

Wednesday, 19 July 2023

EDT (New York time)

9 – 9.30 a.m.

Opening remarks

 

9.30 – 11 a.m.

I. Overview of population megatrends since Cairo and prospects for the next 30 years

  • Moderator: Yumiko Kamiya, Population Affairs Officer, Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
  • Thomas Spoorenberg, Acting Chief of Section, Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Demographic trends and Overview of Megatrends reports
  • Sandile Simelane, Technical Specialist, Population and Development Branch, United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA programmes and projects

       

Q & A

 

11 – 11.15 a.m.

Break

 

11.15 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.

II. Regional perspectives on population and development

 

Q & A

 

12.45 – 2.15 p.m.

Lunch break

 

2.15 – 4.00 p.m.

III. Global population growth and sustainable development

 

Q & A

 

Thursday, 20 July 2023

EDT (New York time)

9.00 – 9.30 a.m.    

Recap Day 1

  • Karoline Schmid, Chief of Section, Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
9.30 – 11.15 a.m.

IV. International mobility and urbanization in an increasingly interconnected world

 

Q & A

 

11.15 – 11.30 a.m.

Break

 

11.30 a.m. – 1 pm

V. Leaving no one behind in an ageing world

 

Q & A

 

1 – 2.30 p.m.

Lunch break

 

2.30 – 4.15 p.m.

VI. Interactive discussion: Policy priorities for population and development looking towards 2054

  • Moderator: John Wilmoth, Director, Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

    
Introductory remarks:

  • Stuart Gietel-Basten, Professor, Khalifa University (virtual)
  • Barbara Seligman, Population Reference Bureau, Washington DC (in person)
  • Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, Professor, National University of Singapore (in person)
  • Jose Miguel Guzman, President and Founder, NoBrainerData, Washington DC (virtual)
  • Leticia Adelaide Appiah, Executive Director, National Population Council, Accra (in person)

 

Open to all panelists to contribute

 

Q&A

 

4.15 – 4.30 p.m.

Break

 

4.30 – 4.45 p.m.

Closing remarks