Kenya Set to Host ICPD25 Summit
NEW YORK, USA. Kenya will co-host together with Denmark the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) scheduled to be held in Nairobi, from September 12-14, 2019 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). The Nairobi Summit marks 25 years of the ICPD Program of Action since the first meeting held in Cairo in 1994 and aims at reviewing the centrality of the ICPD Program of Action which is critical to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The PS reemphasized that the summit will take an integrated approach, covering five themes and highlighting the power of gender equality, youth leadership, political and community leadership, innovation and data, and partnerships to accelerate progress.
The theme of the conference is Accelerating the Promise with five thematic areas:
- Universal access to sexual and reproductive health as part of universal health coverage
- Financing to finish the ICPD Programme of Action and to sustain the gains made
- Drawing on demographic trends to drive economic growth and achieve sustainable development
- Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices
- Upholding the right to sexual and reproductive health care even in humanitarian and fragile contexts
States and other participants will be making commitments at the Summit to accelerate the realization of the ICPD Plan of Action with the aim of achieving zero infant, child and maternal mortality, access to education particularly for girls, provision of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, empowerment of women and girls, zero gender-based violence and elimination of harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.
The Summit will be taking place on the backdrop of the realization that ICPD program of action is a catalyst to the achievement of the Sustainable Development goals by 2030. It is also from a realization that the world that governments envisioned at the ICPD in Cairo remains far from reality for millions of girls and women, boys and men, and families who have been left behind with global statistics indicating that 214 million women want to prevent pregnancy but cannot get modern contraceptives, 830 women die every day while giving life, mostly from preventable causes, 33,000 girls are forced into child marriage and 11,000 girls’ genitals are mutilated, every day, Nearly 1 in 5 women or girls will be assaulted by their partner this year, and 5 million pregnant women have been displaced by conflict or disaster and are in need of medical care.
The PS informed the Diplomatic missions and International Organizations that over 5000 delegates are expected to attend the Nairobi Summit, including Heads of State and government, Ministers, Civil Society, Youth Leaders, parliamentarians, business organizations, media, UN Agencies, Private Sector Organizations and Women’s group to discuss and agree on actions to accelerate the implementation of the ICPD programme. The Summit will take place over two and half days, beginning with a high-level plenary followed by workshops, round tables, side events, exhibitions and cultural events.
