New Perspectives on Population: Lessons from Cairo

Population Bulletin, Vol. 50, No. 1, March 1995

by Lori S. Ashford

Introduction

In September 1994 an unprecedented event took place in the history of United Nations diplomacy. In full view of news media from around the globe, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, achieved a landmark consensus on what to do about some of the world's most pressing issues.

The Cairo conference attracted far greater participation and media attention than previous world conferences on population and development issues. There were good reasons for citizens around the world to take note of the event. For the first time, 180 countries agreed on an approach to stabilize the world's population that encompasses a broad range of actions and recognizes the critical role that women will play in bringing about change. The conference document outlining this approach, the Program of Action, was not a product of closed-door government negotiations; it grew from a broad, participatory process involving more than a thousand nongovernmental organizations and countless individual activists from around the globe.

The Cairo conference represents an important shift in thinking on population. While population policies and programs have long been equated with family planning, the Cairo document broadens the discussion by placing population within the context of sustainable development and by arguing for improvements in individual health and well-being. The new thinking endorsed in Cairo is that population growth can be stabilized and development efforts enhanced by the advancement of women � by providing women with education and access to economic and political power. The fact that 180 delegations representing a wide range of political, cultural, and religious backgrounds could reach a consensus with such far-reaching social implications is historic.

The full text of this Population Bulletin is available in print only. Please visit our online store to order. Listed below are all the sections of this Bulletin.

World Population Today

Evolution of Population Policies

The Changing Policy Environment

Current Demographic Trends

Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Family Planning and Reproductive Health

Population and Sustainable Development

The Need for Action

From Cairo to the Next Century

References