The 20th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which takes place next year, provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to review and shape the global population and development agenda for the future.

The UNECE region has an important role to play in defining the population and development priorities for the 21st century. It is an extremely diverse region whose member states have accumulated unparalleled experience in addressing social and economic change and population shifts over generations. These experiences can serve as important contributions for devising policy priorities, actions and partnerships both within member states, as well as for other regions currently going through significant social and demographic change.

This report provides highlights of the three thematic meetings organized as part of the ICPD Beyond 2014 review process in the region. The meetings brought together a total of more than 75 experts on population dynamics, reproductive health, migration, human rights, gender equality, social and economic policies and other relevant areas. The discussions were lively, complex, sometimes controversial, but always enlightening. They helped to create a compelling picture of how far UNECE countries have come since the ICPD in Cairo, and where we need to go next to ensure health, rights and choice for women, men, old and young in the region.

We would like to give our personal thanks to each of the meeting participants for their commitment, energy, and willingness to share their knowledge, and for helping to ensure that the ICPD Beyond 2014 process is informed by strong evidence and expertise. Their contributions, as outlined in this report, will serve as important input for the UNECE Regional Conference “Enabling Choices: Population Priorities for the 21st Century” in Geneva on 1-2 July 2013.