Next steps towards CPD52 and the Political Declaration

Political Declaration

Following the informal informal consultations on Wednesday 6 March for the zero draft of the political declaration of the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) for the 52nd session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD52), H E Mr Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica, the Chairperson designate, will circulate a further ‘tweaked’ draft before the next consultations which are scheduled to take place on Monday 25 March. 

It is unlikely that the next draft will be very different from that circulated previously insofar as the political declaration will not address thematic issues. Representatives of countries in the various regional groups recognize such an CPD outcome as an exception because of ICPD25 anniversary and that it will not become the norm. The political declaration is scheduled to be adopted during the first session of CPD52 on 1 April 2019.

Process for CPD52

The general debate will then be the next item for consideration. Delegates will consider (a) Actions for the further implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action at the global, regional and national levels and (b) Review and appraisal of the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Commission will have before it the Secretary General’s report on the review and appraisal; his report on the monitoring of population programmes; and his report on the flow of financial resources.  

On the morning of 2 April there will be a high-level interactive panel on the key findings and recommendations of the regional conferences of population and development. There will also be an expert panel and interactive discussion, scheduled for the afternoon of 3 April, as well as an agenda item on programme implementation and future programme of work of the Secretariat in the field of population. The Secretary-General’s report on programme implementation and progress of work in the field of population in 2018: Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

While there will be informal consultations, there will be no thematic resolution related to the general debate on the actions for further implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action or its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The inputs from the panel discussions and those of Member States identifying the gaps, challenges and next steps for the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action can be reflected in the CPD52 report that will go forward to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and contribute to the deliberations of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF).