UN commemorates 30th anniversary of historic population conference

Dennis Francis was speaking at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo.

The historic conference concluded with a program of action, adopted by 179 governments, that places reproductive rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls and youth at the heart of development.

Uneven progress

Mr Francis pointed to significant progress and advancements that have been made since then, especially in the areas of poverty reduction, life expectancy and food security. Maternal mortality has declined, he said, while access to primary education has expanded, for both girls and boys.

“But we must also acknowledge that progress has been uneven – both within and between countries,” he said, as climate change, conflict and other crises have threatened many of these hard-won achievements.

Nevertheless, the visionary goals outlined in the Program of Action have “only increased in importance,” he added, noting their link to the global drive to achieve sustainable development for all by 2030.

Support women and girls

“We must certainly do much more to recognize that empowered women and girls, children and others in vulnerable situations are critical to peaceful, prosperous and sustainable societies – and proactively do much more to support and facilitate their full realization of their potential. ” he said.

As many of the challenges that have hampered implementation of the Program of Action remain, Mr Francis urged countries to “find new, innovative ways” to both address and overcome them.

“And let us recommit ourselves in earnest to a shared future of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability, for all, with all, everywhere,” he concluded.

Accelerate action, set priorities

Earlier on Monday, the UN Deputy Secretary-General called for the anniversary of the Program of Action to be an opportunity to both accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and set priorities for the next thirty years.

Amina Mohammed gave remarks at the opening of the 57^e session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, which runs until Friday.

With the world’s population now exceeding eight billion, she said the international community must prepare for continued population growth in sub-Saharan Africa – and slow growth or decline in much of Asia, Europe and North America, and later in Latin America and the Caribbean. .

The goal is missing

While great progress has been made over the past three decades, she said many countries are still not meeting life expectancy targets, and many developing countries face major challenges in achieving the SDG target on infant mortality.

In addition, 164 million women of childbearing age worldwide do not have access to family planning services.

“While all countries are moving toward longer lives and smaller families, some countries continue to face the challenges of rapid population growth. Others are struggling with the consequences of an aging population, sometimes with population decline. And we see that our health care systems are struggling,” she said.

Push back against pushbacks

Ms Mohammed underlined the need for countries to fully recognize the megatrends reshaping the world today – such as climate change, demographic shifts and urbanization – and their crucial links to the SDGs.

“We must remain vigilant and continue to address situations where sexual and reproductive health and rights are being rolled back,” she said. “We must respond and push back when women’s rights are eroded and when migrants and other vulnerable populations are abused.”

She urged the international community to “continue to uphold the dignity of all people, ensure that no one is left behind” and “support rights-based approaches in our population and development policies.”