Partners in Population and Development (PPD)
 
International Forum on  “ICPD@15: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS”

24-25 November 2008, Kampala, Uganda

World leaders reaffirm commitment to universal access to reproductive health in Political Declaration on Africa’s development needs

World leaders adopted a political declaration on Africa’s development on the eve of the general debate of the UN General Assembly in which they reaffirmed their support for gender equality and reproductive health. It reaffirmed their universal commitment as key actors in development, to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. The leaders also resolved to increase efforts to reduce maternal and child death, by reaffirming the commitment to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015. (para 30)

The declaration contained no new pledges, but aimed at reinvigorating existing commitments, including the 2005 World Summit Outcome in which World leaders called for a new target  on universal access to reproductive health, which has subsequently been added by the UN Secretary General as MDG Target 5B.

The State of the Region Report on Sexual and Reproductive Rights: ICPD+15 PLanning Meeting 22-25th April 2008 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

UN ECE, 14-16 May 2008, Geneva
Speech by Siri Tellier. Director of UNFPA Geneva Office

http://www.unece.org/pau/ggp/conf/_docs/PolicyDiscussion_UNFPA_Tellier.pdf  

The new MDG target 5B on universal access to reproductive health by 2015 and its indicators can now be found on several UN websites, eg UN Statistical Division and UNFPA. It is recognized, but not fully displayed, on web pages of UNICEF, WHO, ITU and UNESCAP.  It is not yet displayed (but action is in process) on MDGMonitor (a UNDP site).

During the coming year there will be a number of international meetings and events at which reproductive health should be part of the agenda, eg the International Health Partnership (IHP) meeting in Japan to work on assistance strategies; the Aid Effectiveness meeting in Accra, Ghana (highlighting health as a tracer for development assistance) and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1994 the International Conference on Population and Development adopted its Programme of Action, which clearly defined the concept of reproductive health and set out the actions that needed to be taken up to 2015 for its implementation. Progress made has been reviewed at the international level every five years beginning with the Special Session of the General Assembly in 1999 and followed by ICPD@10 in 2004. The next milestone will be ICPD@15 in 2009.

In 2000 Heads of Government met in New York at the Millennium Summit, after which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were developed. Of the eight goals, while three related to health, there was none on reproductive health.