ICPD beyond 2014: Key Actions Highlighted in the Global Review Report

Bruce Campbell, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

The 1994 Programme of Action (POA) of the International Conference on Population and Development represented a remarkable consensus among 179 Governments that that increasing access to health and education and realizing human rights for women and young people, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights, would enhance well-being while leading to lower population growth than targeted efforts for birth control. Achievements over the past 20 years affirm the validity of this consensus and include gains in women’s equality, population health, poverty reduction, education, and human rights protection systems. Yet implementation has been fragmented and progress has been unequal. Today, demographic trajectories are more diverse, inequalities have increased, and environmental threats are more urgent. The review proposes a new framework for action to achieve the unfinished agenda of the POA and ensure that the Post-2015 agenda for sustainable development is built on a foundation of individual dignity and rights.