The Sixth Regional Review of the International Conference on Population and Development in the Arab Region kicks off in Beirut

Beirut, 13 September 2023 - To take stock of achievements and offer recommendations on means for placing population issues at the heart of sustainable development, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western (ESCWA), the UN Population Fund Arab States Regional Office (UNFPA ASRO), the League of Arab States (LAS) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) kicked off today at the UN House in Beirut the Sixth Regional Review of the ICPD in the Arab Region 30 years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD30) and 10 years after the Cairo Declaration 2013.

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International Conference on Population and Development

Today, it is globally recognized that fulfilling the rights of women and girls is central to development. But if one were to trace the origins of this realization, many threads would lead back to Cairo in 1994. There, at the International Conference on Population and Development, diverse views on human rights, population, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and sustainable development merged into a remarkable global consensus that placed individual dignity and human rights, including the right to plan one’s family, at the very heart of development.

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The sixth review of the International Conference on Population and Development in the Arab region - Ten years after the 2013 Cairo Declaration: regional review report

This report was jointly prepared by the United Nations Population Fund’s Arab States Regional Office (UNFPA-ASRO), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the League of Arab States. The report is based on data and information drawn from a survey filled out by 13 Arab Governments assessing their progress and challenges using national data. 

This Regional Review Report, is based on both quantitative and qualitative data provided by countries, finds that progress has been made in many areas. Some countries have enacted and are implementing new legislation to eliminate gender discrimination and to empower women and girls including through addressing negative social norms, investments in education, supporting their integration in the labour market, and a gender-responsive budgeting approach. There are good examples of investments in capacity-building and in strengthening of institutions, multisectoral coordination, accountability and participatory approaches. The responses provided by Arab Governments for this report recognize that complex issues must be addressed through cross-sectoral mechanisms. They underscore the need to allocate dedicated resources to meet the goals of the 2013 Cairo Declaration, to build capacities within ministries and departments, to make the best use of technology, and to build strong policy frameworks and implementatio mechanisms that will yield success. Similarly, countries also underline the importance to strengthen and expand systematic data collection mechanisms at national and local levels to ensure that their policies and measures comprehensively and effectively provide the complex picture presented by the Arab region across areas of the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2013 Cairo Declaration for the benefit of all their populations.

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