NGOs Beyond 2014 - Articles

The adoption at the 65^th Session of the General Assembly of resolution A/65/234 in December 2010 marked the start of the process towards the 20-year review of the implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which will culminate in the Special Session of the 69^th Session of the General Assembly. It also provides the focus for ICPD beyond 2014.

To summarize the recommendations for the resolution, in addition to calling for the Special Session of the General Assembly, it includes:

Recommitment of Governments at the highest political level

Governments should recommit themselves to achieving the ICPD PoA goals and objectives at the highest level.

Extension of the ICPD PoA beyond 2014

ICPD PoA and the Key Actions for the Further Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action are extended beyond 2014 to ensure that its goals and objectives are fully met.

For the Special Session the resolution specifies

The Special Session will not renegotiate existing agreements on assessing implementation of the PoA;
The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) should convene an interactive discussion during its 47^th session on the assessment of the status of implementation of the PoA;
Relevant issues will be compiled and forwarded by the CPD to the 69^th Session of the GA with an index report indicating recurrent themes, along with the findings of the operational review;
Relevant bodies of the UN system are invited to contribute to the Special Session;
Civil society, particularly NGOs, are invited to participate in and contribute to the Special Session;
The Secretary-General should report on the preparations for the Special Session at the 68^th Session;
There will be an item on “Follow up to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development”.

Reviewing progress

Governments are encouraged to undertake reviews of progress and the constraints they have faced at the national level and at the level of international cooperation;
UNFPA is called upon to undertake an ‘operational review’ on the basis of highest-quality data and analysis of the state of population and development, using a systematic, comprehensive and integrated approach, to be reported to the 47^th Session of the CPD.

For full text see A/RES/65/234