“Out of Cairo came no less than a revolution”, Barbara Crossette, former United Nations Bureau Chief of The New York Times told the thirty-seventh session of the Commission on Population and Development that met in New York from 22 to 26 March.

In a keynote address, Ms. Crossette stressed that the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held at Cairo in 1994 “effectively put an end forever to the traditional assumption that to tackle population growth all that was needed was to set numerical targets”.

“No set of priorities is as important to half the world’s population - its women- as the legacy of Cairo. That [Cairo] was a seismic shift not easily reversed”, Ms. Crossette said. She stressed that the spirit of consensus forged at Cairo was still strong enough to foster future progress.

Marking the tenth anniversary of ICPD, the thirty-seventh session of the Commission assessed the implementation of the recommendations of ICPD and held a general debate on national experiences in implementing the Programme of Action. Ms. Crossette was one of the several speakers addressing the week-long session.

The Commission was presented with the second Review and Appraisal of the Progress Made in Achieving the Goals and Objectives of the Programme of Action of ICPD.

Since the adoption of the Programme of Action, notes the report, substantial progress has been made. The world is beginning to see the end of rapid population growth and mortality is declining in most countries. There is evidence that many countries are taking the necessary steps to confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other mortality crises, and governments are starting to address the myriad concerns related to international migration.

However there have been shortfalls and gaps. Progress has not been universal, and if the current trends are not reversed, many countries will not achieve the internationally agreed goals, warns the report. Availability of financial and human resources, institutional capacities, and partnerships involving governments, the international community, NGOs and civil society are the three factors that affect the full implementation of the Programme of Action. The report calls for a concerted effort to address these issues.

Other items discussed by the Commission included the programme implementation and future programme of work of the United Nations Secretariat in the field of population.

Representing ESCAP at the meeting, Jerrold W. Huguet, Chief, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division described the work of ESCAP in the field of population and emphasized the long-standing collaboration with UNFPA. “In December 2002, ESCAP and UNFPA convened the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, which was the first regional meeting to review progress after one decade of implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD”, Mr. Huguet said, adding that the Conference had adopted the Plan of Action on Population and Poverty.

“The ESCAP secretariat assists countries in the vast Asian and Pacific region through capacity-building by training, technical assistance, intercountry research, information dissemination and the exchange of knowledge and experience. ESCAP publishes the professional Asia-Pacific Population Journal, which is now in its 19th year of publication… The Journal, a bimonthly newsletter [the present Population Headliners], the annual ESCAP Population Data Sheet and research reports in the Asian Population Studies Series are all disseminated widely throughout the region at no charge and made available on the ESCAP population website”. Mr. Huguet added that ESCAP also provided technical assistance to countries upon request, an assistance often being provided in the context of UNFPA country programmes and in cooperation with UNFPA Country Technical Services Teams. He informed the meeting that ESCAP and UNFPA had agreed on a regional population programme to be carried out by ESCAP over the next four years.