ICPD25: engaging civil society
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 7:31PM We have received the following:
Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Tim Thomas and I am consulting for UNFPA as the CSO/NGO Focal Point for the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. The Summit will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and will be co-convened by UNFPA, with the Governments of Kenya and Denmark. My task is to engage with you in the lead-up to this Summit.
The heart of the Summit will be the endorsement of a set of global commitments, largely centered around the “three zeros:” i) zero unmet need for family planning; ii) zero preventable maternal deaths; and (iii) zero gender-based violence and elimination of harmful practices against women, girls and youth.
In order to guide the Nairobi Summit process, an International Steering Committee (ISC) has been formed, co-chaired by the Governments of Kenya and Denmark, and by UNFPA. The ISC will provide strategic guidance on the design of the Summit program. One of the key responsibilities of ISC members will be to develop a set of voluntary global commitments through global consultations with a range of stakeholders including CSOs and NGOs. There are nine members representing civil society on the ISC who will reach out to you through their networks to gather your inputs to the global commitments. (Please see the attached list of ISC members).
Another opportunity for you to convey your questions and concerns is the recently formed International Program Committee (IPC). CSOs are also represented in this group which will ensure an inclusive program rooted in the ICDP25 commitments and focused on charting a post-Summit road map for implementation. The list of IPC members is also attached.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is being developed and will soon be posted on the Nairobi Summit website.
Meanwhile, I encourage everyone to think about these three questions:
a) What would you like to see coming out of the Nairobi Summit?
b) What would be a global commitment that you would like to see being endorsed in the summit?
c) What is your priority that needs to be addressed in the Summit?
Then, contact your civil society representatives serving on the ISC and IPC. Consider convening discussions with colleagues, both internal and external. Help the ISC and IPC civil society representatives bring a comprehensive set of perspectives to the process of developing the ICPD25 commitments.
If you need help accessing your ISC and IPC representatives, please let me know and I will do my best to coordinate communications. If you have questions about any aspect of the ICPD25 process and the Summit itself, send them my way and I will help you find answers.
I look forward to working with you to make the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 a significant milestone in the enduring challenge to achieve all the goals that the legendary 1994 ICPD Programme of Action set for the world.
ICPD +25