Twenty-five years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, its Programme of Action (POA) remains an inspired and relevant roadmap towards the realization of reproductive and sexual health and rights and women’s empowerment. This paper provides an analysis of the political and technical processes leading up to Cairo, an examination of progress and challenges in implementing the POA after the conference, and an analysis of current opportunities and tensions to be aware of as we continue to work towards and beyond the ICPD POA.
This paper was written with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to inform an internal learning agenda on rights-based family planning.
April 2020