Thirty years have passed since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development, where world leaders agreed to take concrete action to put human rights – including sexual and reproductive health and rights – at the heart of sustainable development. This year, the anniversary takes centre stage at the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Population and Development. 

The theme of the session: “Assessing the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.”

The anniversary is a critical opportunity to discuss how the world has changed since the adoption of the landmark agenda, including demographic shifts and significant global threats, such as climate change, pandemics, economic instability and inequality. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the successes of the past three decades, to take stock of where we stand and to position the agenda for the future – ensuring that it is a core part of tomorrow’s solutions. 

To be sure, great gains have been made. Humanity is healthier and happier; motherhood is safer; people are living longer. But progress has been slow and unequal, disproportionately improving the lives of people who are easiest to reach, leaving many members of marginalized communities excluded. And progress has stalled or reversed on some fundamental issues, such as maternal deaths. Tragically, a woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth.

Greater political will and investment are needed to dismantle the social and structural barriers that prevent women, girls and millions of others who live in poverty or suffer discrimination or violence from achieving their potential.

Indeed, in a world grappling with upheaval and uncertainty, “every crisis has a decidedly female face,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem has said. “The face of a woman haunted by the shadow pandemic of gender-based violence or conflict, or often by both. The face of a girl married or mutilated against her will, pregnant before her body is ready, as barriers are thrown up to protective sexual and reproductive health services.” The vision for humanity in the International Conference on Population and Development is ever more urgent.

With that in mind, a commemorative event under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly will celebrate the anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development during this year’s weeklong session of the Commission on Population and Development. The event will be convened by the President of the General Assembly on the first day of the session, featuring high-level United Nations officials, ministerial speakers and interactive discussions.

The Commission on Population and Development is made up of 47 Member States elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council for a period of four years on the basis of geographic distribution. It assists the Council in many ways, including advising on population issues and trends, and monitoring and assessing the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

The proceedings of this year’s session will be broadcast on UN Web TV. Programmes, documents and more information about the session can be found here.