New publication:
Implementing the ICPD Agenda: 10 years into the Asia-Pacific Experience

To mark the 10th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in the Asian and Pacific region, UNFPA and ESCAP have joined hands to prepare a report, published recently under the title “Implementing the ICPD Agenda: 10 years into the Asia-Pacific Experience”.
Authored by K.S. Seetharam, Specialist, Population and Development Strategies, Emerging Social Issues Division, ESCAP (now retired), the status report offers a regional perspective on the progress made towards achieving the ICPD goals and identifies emerging challenges and opportunities in Asia and the Pacific within the context of poverty reduction.
It draws on the results of a global survey conducted in 2003 by UNFPA to appraise national experiences, advances and constraints in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action. The report also draws on the review of various other reports which reflect the situation in the region.
It demonstrates that the region has come a long way since the adoption of the landmark document in 1994.
In a joint foreword, Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, and Ms. Thoraya A. Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA, state that “Most countries have taken steps to integrate population concerns into socio-economic development strategies and adopted legislative measures to protect women’s rights and policies to empower women. Some countries have achieved universal primary education and succeeded in eliminating the gender gap in education, while nearly all have increased access to reproductive health services and schools”.
“Yet the region is facing many new concerns, such as population ageing, urbanization and migration, both internal and international, the growing danger of an HIV/AIDS pandemic and widespread environmental degradation. Furthermore, the formidable challenges of achieving gender equality, ensuring reproductive rights and eradicating poverty remain daunting. Ultimately, this report emphasizes that the alleviation of poverty cannot be achieved if population and reproductive health issues are not effectively addressed”.
The foreword concludes with a call addressed to partners in the development community “to reaffirm the ICPD vision and accelerate efforts to translate commitments into action and action into results. Ultimately, the test will be on the ground, i.e., whether we can transform the lives of the poor, especially women, in discernible ways”.
The report is divided into five chapters; chapter I provides an overview of the population and development situation in Asia and the Pacific, chapter II examines the status of implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the region, while chapters III and IV deal with partnerships and resources, respectively. Chapter V provides a summary that includes a discussion on ways to move the programmes forward to meet the goals of ICPD and the Millennium Declaration.
The report can be accessed online at : http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/popseries/apss162/index.asp