ICPD@15 : United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

ICPD@10 Review

The ICPD at 10 Review aimed at addressing the gaps mentioned above. This review, which marked the mid-point for the ICPD-PoA, offered an opportunity to look forward and to reflect on the diversity of the goals, and demonstrated how their achievement would forward progress toward the Millennium.

At the global level, the 37th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, held in 2004, carried out a comprehensive review of progress in the preceding ten years on all aspects of the ICPD Programme of Action. This meeting was built on the previous annual sessions of the Commission, held since 1994, which reviewed the implementation of specific chapters of the ICPD Programme of Action. The Commission�s 2004 review culminated with the official reaffirmation of the ICPD Programme of Action and Key Actions, and a reiteration that Governments in every region should continue to commit themselves, at the highest political level, to achieving the ICPD goals and objectives. At the regional level, the review conducted by ECA emphasized full ownership of the ICPD Programme of Action by Member States. Governments re-affirmed their commitment to full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and the ICPD@5 Key Actions. This review underscored that the ICPD goals remain relevant, and that while much progress has been made in advancing them, this progress was not uniform across the region or across all substantive areas.

Overall, the outcomes of the ICPD@10 review demonstrated that countries have made significant progress in adopting and implementing a reproductive health approach; in strengthening efforts to improve gender equality, equity and the empowerment of women; in addressing adolescent reproductive health; in forging new partnerships with civil society and the private sector; and in promoting the integration of population dynamics and trends into development planning and policymaking. However, the outcomes also show that major challenges to the full implementation of the Cairo agenda remain, including addressing HIV/AIDS more effectively, incorporating culturally sensitive approaches into programming and strengthening data collection and analysis systems.

Among the main policy findings and conclusions that emerged from the ICPD@10 review, three are worth mentioning. First is the reaffirmation across the globe of the ICPD Programme of Action and the Key Actions. Second is the universal recognition that the effective implementation of the Programme of Action requires commitment of financial resources. And third is the acknowledgement that full implementation of the Cairo agenda is essential to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).