As the international community prepares to mark the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994, UNECE and UNFPA have collaborated to evaluate achievements and setbacks in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and the recommendations made in the 2013 Chair’s Summary. This report highlights how recent crises have had an impact on key population and development trends in the UNECE region, identifies areas where it is necessary to accelerate efforts and provides examples of concrete policy responses to both long-standing and emerging issues.

Since the last ICPD regional review in 2018, the UNECE region has changed profoundly. The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on people and economies. Devastating natural disasters have led to large-scale humanitarian and economic crises in parts of the region. The war in Ukraine has taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction and displaced millions of people. Even before these crises, progress towards the ICPD Programme of Action in the UNECE region was uneven. In this new context, progress has slowed or reversed in many areas, and inequalities have been exacerbated.

At the same time, most countries are facing or will soon confront declining fertility, ageing populations and projected population decline. The UNECE region will lead the world into a new demographic reality. To adequately prepare for emerging challenges and opportunities, the report urges countries to strive to understand their population dynamics and to design human-rights-based public policies that build on individual potential and capabilities and that advance gender equality.

The 2023 SDG Summit (18–19 September 2023) marked the halfway point to the deadline set for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and called for a new phase of accelerated action leading up to 2030. To carry forward this momentum in the UNECE region, the report reiterates the linkages between the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and demonstrates the role of the ICPD Programme of Action in achieving the SDGs.

Renewed collective action is required to overcome setbacks and sustain progress amid recent disruptions. This report helps to chart the way forward for realizing the potential of individuals and societies and for securing the human rights of everyone amid the new demographic realities in the UNECE region.

For the interactive version of this report, visit here.