Find out about ICPD+15 in 2009

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was held in 1994 in Cairo.

It was a landmark conference resulting in an impressive and ambitious set of goals for improving sexual health and reproductive rights all over the world.

These goals, known as the ICPD Programme of Action, must be met by the target date of 2015 in order to fulfil the agreement made in 1994.

ICPD was a milestone in the history of population and development. In 1994, 184 United Nations Member States met to consider the broad issues of and interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth, health, education, economic status and empowerment of women.

The consensus this meeting reached is known as the ICPD Programme of Action - a 20-year programme, remarkable because for the first time the world’s governments set out to invest in people, not demographic targets.

Five years on from this event, at ICPD+5, over 170 government delegations and about 200 non-governmental organizations met again to discuss progress and obstacles - a review which showed that the Programme of Action has resulted in significant changes to health policies in many countries.

2004 was the 10th Anniversary of ICPD, the mid-point of its 20-year Programme of Action.

In ten years, efforts have been underway in villages, districts, nations and regions to realize the programme’s vision.

While there have been challenges, there is a growing body of evidence that, when adequately funded, the Programme of Action transforms - and indeed saves - lives.

But much remains to be done. International efforts need revitalizing and accelerating. This is why we developed the Countdown 2015 initiative and held a three-day Global Roundtable.