World Population Day 2024; July 11th.

FORUM: "To leave no one behind, count everyone." World Population Day 2024. as we mark this year observance, the importance of collecting inclusive data – counting everyone, everywhere, as they are – takes the spotlight. An often unrecognized hero, reliable data have helped drive global advancements in women’s access to reproductive care, reductions in maternal death and improvements in gender equality. But there is much to be done. Thirty years ago, at the landmark International Conference on Population and Development, world leaders called for reliable, timely, culturally relevant data, broken down by gender, ethnicity and other factors. While data collection and analysis tools have vastly improved since then, these changes have also exposed significant information gaps and potential risks, including the misrepresentation or misuse of data. So we have not yet delivered on that call to action. In an increasingly unpredictable world – with rapid population growth in some places, rapid ageing in others, and climate change, conflict and crises everywhere – reliable population data are more important than ever, and must be used to reach and respond to the needs of those who have been left behind. Too many people, communities and needs are going uncounted and unaccounted for. Indeed, research in UNFPA’s flagship State of World Population report shows that the world’s most marginalized communities have been largely excluded from progress. Why? Because we are not prioritizing investments in population data systems, or making data collection safe for all people, or working with marginalized communities to ensure they are represented. New and innovative data tools can bring invisible issues to light and illustrate the full picture of people’s experiences. But these applications must be carefully managed: Biases and risks to privacy remain unresolved concerns around technology such as artificial intelligence, or AI. As the world moves into a new era of data collection, societies must work to ensure that processes respect people’s rights and protect their information, while gathering data that capture multifaceted experiences. Countries and societies must champion data collection that counts people as they are, in all their complexity. To be sure, data alone cannot tell the whole story. Too often, data reduce people to simple statistics – reinforcing stereotypes, biases and stigma. Combating prejudice and inequality requires updating our data-collection processes to be inclusive, equitable and transparent. Individuals are experts in their own experiences. Empowering people, especially those left behind, to share their full stories and selves in data collection is key to a more resilient and equitable future for all. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #WorldPopulationDay; #11july, #sustainablefuture, #programmeofaction, #population, #LeaveNoOneBehind, #CountEveryone #megatrends, #icpd30.

EVENTS: On July 11th; to mark World Population Day 2024, the UNFPA and the Specialized agencies will highlight the need or reliable data collection and analysis tools. This World Population Day is a moment to ask who is still going uncounted and why – and what this costs individuals, societies and our global efforts to leave no one behind. It is also a moment for all of us to commit to doing more to ensure that our data systems capture the full range of human diversity so that everyone is seen, can exercise their human rights and can reach their full potential which will help achieve progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Statement of the United Nations Secretary General on World Population Day 2024; July 11th.

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. It must also be the year we resolve to accelerate efforts and investments to turn its promises into a reality.

Central to the ICPD Programme of Action is the recognition that women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are cornerstones of sustainable development.

In the decades since it was adopted, we have made progress. More women than ever have access to modern contraception. Maternal deaths have fallen thirty-four per cent since the year 2000. The women’s movements and civil society have been critical to driving change.

But progress has been unequal and unsteady. It is outrageous that well into the 21st century, around 800 women die needlessly every day in pregnancy and childbirth – the vast majority in developing countries. And in some places, legislative advances in tackling vital issues such as female genital mutilation risk going into reverse.

As the theme of this year’s World Population Day reminds us, investing in data collection is important to understanding problems, tailoring solutions, and driving progress. So is finance. I urge countries to make the most of the Summit of the Future this year to unleash affordable capital for sustainable development.

Let’s deliver on the ICPD Programme of Action for everyone, everywhere.

United Nations Secretary-General.

Statement from UNFPA Executive Director on World Population Day 2024; July 11th.

For humanity to progress, people must be counted, wherever they are and whoever they are – in all their diversity. To end inequality, to find and grow peace and prosperity, to weave more threads of hope, the world needs to do more for inclusion.

To go uncounted is to be made invisible and, as a result, left unserved. This contributes to a 10-year-old girl being left with no health care when she is displaced during conflict. Or to an older woman with a disability having no safety net when a crisis strikes. It leaves a newborn in a remote indigenous community without the passport to protection that birth registration confers.

Over the last three decades, heeding the call of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, societies around the world have made tremendous strides in improving population data gathering, analysis and use. New population numbers, disaggregated by age, ethnicity, gender and other factors, reflect the diversity of our societies. To take just one example, approximately two thirds of countries now include questions on disability in their censuses.

Advances like these have improved the delivery of health care to people all over the world, resulting in significant leaps forward in sexual and reproductive health and the ability to exercise rights and choices. Increasingly, new technologies are enabling more granular and timely measurement of more people’s experiences than ever before.

Even so, the most marginalized communities are still underrepresented in data, and the consequences of this deeply affect their lives and well-being. Recent UNFPA research reveals acute and growing inequalities, within and among countries. In too many places, for example, women from racial and ethnic minority groups are nearly invisible in statistics tracking maternal deaths. This is one reason why health and social services overlook their needs, and a far greater share of these women die giving birth.

World Population Day 2024 is a moment to ask who is still going uncounted and why – and what this costs individuals, societies and our global efforts to leave no one behind. It is also a moment for all of us to commit to doing more to ensure that our data systems capture the full range of human diversity so that everyone is seen, can exercise their human rights and can reach their full potential.

Thirty years on from Cairo, there’s much to be celebrated but still much work to be done. People may be hard to reach, but no one is unreachable. To realize the rights and choices of those pushed to the margins of our societies, we have to count them – because everyone counts. Our rich human tapestry is only as strong as the weakest thread. When data and other systems work for those on the margins, they work for everyone. This is how we accelerate progress for all.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA. 

MEETING: Navigating Megatrends: The ICPD Programme of Action for a Sustainable Future.

Launch of the ICPD30 Think Pieces.

Date: Thursday 11 July 2024.

Time: 11:30 - 1 PM.

Venue: UN Secretariat, New York - Conference Room 6.

Interpretation: French and Spanish 

 ICPD30 in the context of global megatrends

 The vision and values of the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action (PoA) inspired development priorities worldwide. The core tenet of the ICPD-PoA - that sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women empowerment are absolute preconditions for sustainable development - is now widely recognized within development agendas. The ICPD-PoA discouraged target-based population policies and affirmed an integrated multi-sectoral approach to development based on human rights, non-discrimination and inclusive human capital development. Recognizing environmental stress, it called to reform unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and eradicate inequality and multidimensional poverty. Thirty years after the adoption of the Programme of Action, countries face diverse demographic trends and a constellation of challenges including pushback on gender equality and reproductive rights, the climate crisis and increasing conflict that are displacing millions of people, as well as pressures around population ageing and rapid urbanization. While global, regional and national initiatives have advanced many core objectives of the PoA and contributed to progress in the global development agenda, shortfalls in implementation now coincide with new and unfamiliar threats to development. At the midpoint on our way to 2030, about half of SDG targets with available data are moderately or severely off track; and over 30 per cent have either seen no movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline. Impacted by polycrises, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005. Under current trends, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, with only about one third of countries meeting the target to halve national poverty levels1 . The world’s most 1 United Nations, The Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2023 Special edition. 2 marginalized people, including low-income groups, persons with disabilities, and, racial and ethnic minorities have seen the least progress in achieving their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). At the current pace of decline, maternal mortality in 2030 will still be almost three times higher than the SDG target 3.1 of 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. UNFPA’s ICPD30 Think Pieces To mark the 30th anniversary of the ICPD, and as the international community prepares for the Summit of the Future in September 2024, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has produced five Think Pieces exploring key themes shaping the future of the ICPD mandate and providing future-focused ideas on how to achieve the PoA in a world of radical transformation. 

The think pieces are entitled:

 1. Demographic Change and Sustainability 

2. The Future of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 

3. The Future of Population Data 

4. ICPD and Climate Action 

5. A Safe Digital Future 

The think pieces are intended to prompt discussion on future priorities and directions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerating, advancing and amplifying the vision and principles of the ICPD. Developed under UNFPA’s leadership, the Think Pieces include technical contributions from more than 50 experts from the UN system, academia, civil society and INGOs.

The event 

The ICPD30 Think Pieces will be launched on World Population Day (annually celebrated on July 11th) to raise awareness of global population issues. The event will also take place concurrently with the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which this year will focus on "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises”. The launch session will thus provide a platform for global leaders, policymakers, experts, and advocates to engage in meaningful discussions and reflections on the future role of the ICPD mandate in realizing the promise of the SDGs, and the challenges ahead. 

Key objectives of the launch: 

● Disseminate the key findings and insights from UNFPA's five ICPD30 Think Pieces, providing participants with a deeper understanding of the evolving dynamics in population and development and their intersections with global megatrends. 

● Explore the policy implications of the findings and highlight actionable recommendations for governments and other stakeholders to advance the goals of the ICPD-PoA and promote their alignment and integration with the SDGs. 

● Inspire renewed commitment and collective action towards achieving the vision set forth in the ICPD-PoA, ensuring that the next 30 years bring about positive and sustainable change.

● Provide an opportunity for networking and enhanced collaboration among diverse stakeholders working on the key themes shaping the future of the ICPD mandate. 

Target audience: The primary target audience for the event will be Member States (senior government officials and representatives of the permanent missions), as well as civil society organizations, international agencies, experts, and other delegations attending the HLPF. 

Format: Following the welcome address by the moderator, opening remarks will be provided by UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNFPA Deputy Executive Director for Programme, Ms. Diene Keita, alongside the three co-hosts from Canada, Cote d’Ivoire and Japan (TBC), who will officially launch the ICPD30 Think Pieces. A presentation summarising the key findings and messages from the 5 papers will be delivered by the Chief of Population and Development at UNFPA Headquarters. This will be followed by commentaries by experts in population and development issues. In a Q&A session, Member States and other participants in the audience will be encouraged to ask questions or share policy and practice experiences relevant to the topics of the Think Pieces. The moderator will make brief closing remarks at the end of the session.

LIVESTREAM: Navigating Megatrends: The ICPD Programme of Action for a Sustainable Future. Watch the webcast!