With the start of 2013, the global debate on population and development priorities for the 21th century has entered a critical stage in Europe and Central Asia.

Two decades after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) adopted the Cairo Programme of Action, an updated agenda is needed to address population challenges in a fast-changing world.

ICPD Beyond 2014 : A once in a generation opportunity
“The process set in motion to develop this agenda, known as ICPD Beyond 2014, provides a once in a generation opportunity to define what needs to be done to deliver a more equal, more sustainable world for all of its inhabitants,” said Werner Haug, the UN Population Fund’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Thousands of government officials, experts, politicians, community leaders and activists have already contributed to ICPD Beyond 2014 throughout the region. All UN Member States were asked to provide input for a global survey. In many countries this opportunity was used by civil society, including many youth groups, to formulate their own concerns and expectations, and feed those into the national reporting process. A Global Youth Forum held in Bali in December 2012 produced a set of recommendations outlining the vision of young people around the world for their future.

Aging populations, growing inequalities
With its aging and – in several cases – declining populations, the Europe and Central Asia region faces its own very specific set of challenges. These include large-scale migration, high male mortality rates, increasing HIV and cervical cancer prevalence, gender-based violence and threats to the sustainability of welfare systems.

There have been significant improvements in terms of life expectancy, maternal health, and access to family planning and health services. But these positive trends do not reach all communities equally. Increasing inequities in societies have been accentuated by the economic crisis.

As a result, there remain significant numbers of people facing difficulties in having access to modern family planning methods and other sexual and reproductive health services. Teenage pregnancy continues to be a problem in some of countries of the region, while at the same time couples tend to wait longer before they have children, affecting fertility.

Feeding into global development debates
To discuss these challenges and develop ideas on how to address them, UNFPA and the UN Economic Commission for Europe are organizing a series of expert meetings in March and April 2013.

On 1-2 July, a Europe-wide Population Forum, entitled “Enabling Choices: Population Priorities for the 21st Century”, will bring together high-level experts, officials, youth and civil society representatives to discuss the outcomes of the national surveys and expert meetings, and build consensus around regional priorities for the future.

The outcome of the European Population Forum will feed into the global ICPD Beyond 2014 review, and will inform discussions on the development agenda for the time after the Millennium Development Goals expire in 2015. There are also plans for a meeting of ministers from the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia to agree on development priorities for the region and generate political commitment for the outcome of the ICPD Beyond 2014 review.

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