A/73/PV.99 General Assembly

The General Assembly will resume its consideration of agenda item 14, entitled “Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields”, in order to convene a high-level plenary meeting to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, in accordance with resolution 73/303, of 28 June. (spoke in English) It is a pleasure to convene this commemorative meeting to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). I am delighted to see Thoraya Obaid in the Hall today, who ran the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for a decade, from 2000 to 2010, and has been a tireless leader in the implementation of the ICPD and a model for women’s empowerment everywhere. I welcome and thank her for the great work she has done for UNFPA. In 1994, 179 Governments embraced a bold vision that put individual rights and well-being at the heart of sustainable development. The historic ICPD Programme of Action has since been reaffirmed by Member States many times, including through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As we celebrate the contribution of the ICPD to the progress we have made over the past 25 years, we acknowledge the wisdom and boldness of the leaders who gathered in Cairo that September 1994. Civil society groups, especially women’s groups, played a critical role in the visionary outcome of the Cairo Conference, and that outcome recognized their crucial role in implementation. It is great to see those stakeholders represented here today. I welcome them as partners in a well-deserved celebration. We can be proud of the progress we have made in reducing the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, which decreased to 10 per cent in 2015 from 36 per cent in 1990; reducing the maternal morality by 44 per cent since 1990; halving the under-five mortality rate since 2000; achieving parity in primary education in the majority of countries and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS  — to give just a few examples. We have also taken major steps towards the ICPD’s vision of people-centred development, anchored in sound data to ensure that no one is left behind. That imperative is even more important today. Despite the progress we have made, many of the challenges outlined in 1994 persist. One in 10 of us still lives in extreme poverty. Inequalities are widening. If you are a woman, an older person, a person with a disability or from a rural, indigenous or minority community, you are less likely to have benefited from the gains of the past 25 years. At the same time, the scale and pace of shifts taking place in demography, technology, industry and human mobility are greater than we imagined 25 years ago. For instance, between now and 2050, the world will see its largest-ever share of those under the age of 30, and then its largest-ever share of those over the age of 60. Our global population is also growing more mobile and urban. We now need to put in place adequate education, labour and social protection frameworks to manage those transitions and to accommodate technological advances, such as automation, which bring great opportunities but could put an estimated two thirds of jobs in developing countries at risk. We must also push through significant changes in our industries to build the green economy we need to avert the worst impacts of climate change. As we contend with those old challenges, we must continue to be guided by the ICPD’s emphasis on human rights and gender equality. Empowering women and girls has been one of my priorities for this session. Indeed, I often refer to it as the closest thing we have to a magic formula for sustainable development, given the wealth of hard evidence on the benefits of economic stability, good governance and investment in areas such as health and education. To give just one example, earlier this month I met with women in Cairo and discussed the impact that women’s equal economic participation would have on Egypt’s gross domestic product — a rise of 34 per cent. Yet women are still denied their basic rights and needs in every region  — from land ownership to financial inclusion to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Moreover, we cannot take for granted the gains we have made, as we are seeing push-back on these issues across the world. I convened a high-level event yesterday on gender equality and sustainable development, which saw leaders from different sectors discuss how better to support the women and men working on the ground to empower women and protect their rights. That should be a priority for us all. I was delighted that in April the Commission on Population and Development reaffirmed by consensus the Cairo Programme of Action, making clear that its achievement complements the Sustainable Development Goals. The November summit in Nairobi, co-convened by the Governments of Kenya and Denmark, along with UNFPA, will be a crucial moment to turn those commitments into concrete next steps. And there will be many more in the coming months, as we mark not only the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD but also the fiftieth anniversary of UNFPA and the lead-up to the commemoration of Beijing+25 next year. We must use every opportunity to ensure that we lift up women and girls, their families and communities and create a better world with rights and choices for all. We must commit the resources necessary to implement fully the Programme of Action. As we convene for the High-level Political Forum, I urge members to keep the promise of Cairo in mind. The notion of people-centred development grounded in human rights and dignity is even more important and urgent today than it was 25 years ago. (spoke in Spanish) I now give the floor to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres.

It is a pleasure to be here to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. Many of the policies set out in the Cairo Programme of Action, from tackling inequality and environmental degradation to promoting gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive health, remain fundamental to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agreed two decades later. That is a testament to the enduring legacy of Cairo. The Conference consolidated a major shift in thinking around population, away from specific demographic targets towards greater emphasis on the rights, equality, dignity and well-being of individuals as they experience the cycle of life. One of its most important achievements was in making the link between population, human rights, sustainable economic growth and sustainable development, and addressing those issues in a holistic and coherent way. I commend the work of the Member States and civil society representatives in implementing the Cairo Programme of Action. Many of the issues raised in Cairo have only become more urgent in the past 25 years. Population growth is a sign of human achievement, since it means people are living longer and healthier lives, but it has also contributed to an increase in global production and consumption. That is one more reason to adjust our production and consumption habits to avert even more serious consequences for lives and livelihoods, especially for the most vulnerable. We must remember that we are still losing the race against climate change. Elsewhere, countries face the challenge of ageing populations, including the need to promote healthy active ageing and provide adequate social protection. Urbanization remains a major demographic trend, with nearly two thirds of us predicted to be living in urban areas by 2050. Sustainable development and addressing climate change will increasingly depend upon the successful management of urban growth. Migration is also an important factor in managing population trends, with potentially positive impacts on countries of origin and destination. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted last year, reflects many of the priorities and policies set out in Cairo. The Cairo Conference rightly emphasized that promoting the rights of women and girls is key to ensuring the well-being of individuals, families and nations. It recognized gender equality as a prerequisite to inclusive, sustainable development and affirmed sexual and reproductive health as a fundamental human right. There has been significant progress over the past 25 years. Advances in gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights have contributed to reducing poverty and hunger and improving education and health. Child and maternal mortality have been cut by nearly half. However, many women and girls still face enormous challenges to their health, well-being and human rights. Violence against women and girls affects one in three women worldwide. In parts of the world, and during conflict and emergencies, that figure is even higher. Globally, some 650 million women were married as children, and every day more than 500 women and girls die during pregnancy and childbirth. We are seeing a global push-back on women’s rights, including reproductive rights and vital health services. As the Cairo Programme of Action recognizes, women’s rights and access to sexual and reproductive health are an essential response to demographic trends that could undermine our efforts to achieve sustainable, equitable and inclusive development for all. Young women and men are also central to implementing the Cairo Programme. They are not only beneficiaries but powerful agents of change, able to make their own choices and demand the action needed to address today’s challenges. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which has had a major role in implementing the Cairo Programme of Action. Through its leadership and operational work, UNFPA has been instrumental in empowering young people and enabling women and couples to access the sexual and reproductive health care that they need, in preventing gender-based violence and in tackling female genital mutilation and early marriage. In November, the Governments of Kenya and Denmark, together with UNFPA, will convene a summit in Nairobi to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Cairo Conference. I encourage Member States to participate and make firm political and financial commitments to realize the Programme of Action. Completing the unfinished business of the Cairo Conference will put us on course to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure lives of peace, prosperity and dignity for all.

I thank the Secretary-General for his statement. Before proceeding further, as announced in my letter circulated on 12 July, it is proposed that this high-level plenary meeting also feature statements by Her Excellency Ms. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, and by Ms. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, as the Under- Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs is unable to be with us this afternoon. It is also proposed that the civil society representative identified by the President of the General Assembly, namely, Ms. Banice Mbuki Mburu, make a statement at this opening segment of the high-level plenary meeting. In order for the Assembly to take up this proposal, it must first agree, under rule 81 of its rules of procedure, to reconsider the provision contained in paragraph 3 of resolution 73/303. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to reconsider the provision contained in paragraph 3 of resolution 73/303? It was so decided (decision 73/557 A).

May I also take it that the General Assembly wishes to decide that the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, held pursuant to its resolution 73/303, will also feature statements by Ms. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, as the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs is unable to be with us this afternoon, and the civil society representative identified by the President of the General Assembly, namely, Ms. Banice Mbuki Mburu, at this opening segment of the high-level plenary meeting? It was so decided (decision 73/557 B).

I now give the floor to Ms. Zayed.

The world came together 25 years ago in a historic gathering to boldly declare that enough was enough. The 179 Governments that met in Cairo in 1994 recognized the enormity of the duties that lay ahead to reach our common goals of equality, prosperity and development. What is required of us today is a new era of accountability. We can solve the challenges of our time only through collective efforts. Hundreds of millions of people are denied their most basic rights because of poverty, discrimination and the denial of education. Governments, civil societies and all partners must continue to strive for what is right, including questioning the status quo. Women and children have equal rights to lead healthy lives. Women should be ensured safe pregnancies and childbirth, unlimited access to contraceptives and the existence of utter intolerance for violence. Moreover, it is imperative that children be safeguarded from female genital mutilation and child marriage. Contemplating the challenge is not enough; the current global statistics are tragic. They shed light on the fragility of universal health coverage and general inequality, especially negligence towards women’s sexual and reproductive health. Since the beginning of civilization, as co-partners in development, women have played a crucial role in pushing the world towards progress. The reign of ancient Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut drove the great Egyptian civilization towards prosperous development and the sustainable undertaking of unprecedented construction projects. We all need to reassess our rules, redefine and restructure our national action programmes and involve civil society actors, with a view to taking a step towards achieving our common goal. Presently, Egypt has made significant progress in reducing the number of deaths per 100,000 lives, from 174 in 1992 to 43 in 2017, with a reduction rate of over 73 per cent. It is still far from what we aspire to achieve, but we are working towards realizing our ambition. There is now more than a 30 per cent decrease in child marriage. However, unfortunately, 15 per cent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are currently married, which increases the chances of incomplete education. Currently, 11 per cent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are pregnant, and, according to a 2014 survey, around 79 per cent of women between the ages of 13 to 35 experience female genital mutilation. Those saddening statistics serve to highlight our duty to protect women through united efforts and a conscious pledge, considering our demographic characteristics and the shifts that may occur in future. In 2015, Egypt adopted a groundbreaking 15-year strategic vision to empower and protect women of all ages. We have set up a hotline for pregnant women who seek counselling on reproduction and for girls of all ages. We are moving at a fast pace in the right direction. Governments should inclusively cooperate hand in hand in fulfilling the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs are intertwined and interlocked with one another. There cannot be gender equality without education, and education can be hampered by poverty; the cycle is endless. The first five SDGs are in complete synergy with the African Union’s 2063 Agenda goals, namely, the first, second, third, seventeenth and eighteenth Goals. Let us emphasize the importance and power of education in overcoming poverty. Women will make the world move forward. It requires well-funded health- care sectors, including family planning and adequately funded maternal and child health. I say today that international organizations, partners and stakeholders should increase their funding, support and collaboration with Governments to fulfil our dream of the 1994 Cairo Programme of Action. We do not abandon ship when things get tough. On the contrary, we strive for more until we reach our common goal of equality for all. Through a collective action plan, we can achieve shared prosperity. I am confident that, with the wisdom and tireless efforts of participants, we can reach the noble goals we have set forth. Finally, it is my honour to invite all those present to join us at the Nairobi summit. I am sure that it will be a second step after the International Conference on Population and Development. From Cairo to Nairobi and from Africa to the whole world, we can achieve our goals and our dreams for zero maternal mortality, zero unmet family planning needs and zero gender- based violence.

Before giving the floor to the next speaker, I wish to thank the Secretary-General for his participation in this important commemorative meeting and for making himself available in spite of his busy schedule. The Secretary-General will take leave now due to his other immediate commitments. I now give the floor to Ms. Mbuki Mburu.

I thank you, Madam President, for extending to me an invitation to speak during this meeting commemorating 25 years of work of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Allow me also to thank the United Nations Population Fund for its support. It is with great pleasure that I stand here to represent the voice of the civil society organizations that have gone against all odds to contribute to the work of the ICPD Programme of Action. I was born 25 years ago in a rural village in Nakuru, Kenya, when 179 Governments committed to the ICPD Programme of Action in Cairo. I have little knowledge of its conceptualization, but I have lived through its implementation. I would like to introduce the General Assembly to my friend Nogozie. Nogozie was a classmate and homemate, and we saw each other on a daily basis 15 years ago. She was a bright and ambitious student. Nogozie, myself and many other young girls did not have access to comprehensive sexuality education. Unfortunately, Nogozie was denied her childhood, as she was forced into an early, unwanted, marriage. She did not have access to family planning services, and that resulted in an unplanned family, which continues to take a toll on her. Occasionally, I visit her, but the bitterness in her heart is evident. She looks at me and imagines how her life would have been if someone would have protected her from the child marriage and exposure to sexual and gender-based violence that she experienced. She was vulnerable. She was a child. And her rights were not respected. Over last week and this week, I have been attending the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to review the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Sustainable Development Goals are central to achieving the ICPD Programme of Action. But we must use a multi-faceted approach. We cannot talk about inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all without comprehensive sexuality education. Without that, our girls are losing out to teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The lack of access to quality youth-friendly services is a key challenge to the current generation of young people. We cannot achieve SDGs 8 and 10 if our teenagers become mothers and are destined to carry out unpaid work. Civil society organizations have played a key role in contributing to the ICPD Programme of Action. We celebrate successful programmes such as the eradication of female genital mutilation in Ethiopia and Kenya. However, the shrinking of civic spaces, by which I mean the freedom to assemble and associate and the freedom of expression, in Africa and across the world, has become a key impediment to achieving the commitments made 25 years ago. Today I speak on behalf of Nogozie and other young women and girls who yearn to have comprehensive reproductive health care and access to family planning, safe pregnancy and childbirth services. As we look towards the ICPD summit to be held in Nairobi in November, in my hometown, I call upon the Governments of those present, the United Nations, donors and all partners to take action now. We all must invest in skills-based quality education, health, life skills, livelihood skills, access to finance and the meaningful participation of young people. Viva Africa. Viva the women of the world.

I now give the floor to Ms. Kanem.

It is an honour for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to commemorate the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) at this meeting of the General Assembly. The adoption of the ICPD Programme of Action in Egypt in 1994 transformed the discourse on sustainable development with a vision and values that anticipated the vision and values of today’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Cairo Programme of Action boldly asserts that, with development, including access to education and health care, and specifically universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, individuals and couples will choose the timing, the spacing and the number of children best for them, that women and girls will be empowered and that all of society will benefit. Government representatives from 179 countries, public health leaders, women’s rights activists, youth leaders and people from all regions, cultures and walks of life affirmed that inspiring, forward-looking vision and pledged to remove the barriers that keep women and girls from reaching their full potential. We said that reproductive rights are crucial to the cycle of life and to women’s power to chart their own futures. Since then, maternal mortality has dropped by nearly half, and that is just one of many achievements. However, despite the considerable gains, too many women and girls are still waiting for all that Cairo promised. Must 830 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth? No, not if we act. How much longer will hundreds of millions of women and adolescent girls have to wait for modern contraception? Why do we tolerate tens of thousands of girls being married off every single day and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation? Our hearts cry out for the families of 2.6 million stillborn babies every year. As the then UNFPA Executive Director, the great Nafis Sadik, stated at the time, “statistics are not just numbers; they are people”. And we say that they are stories  — stories of women and girls, men and boys and people everywhere, whose rights and potential are being denied. They are stories of indigenous, rural and marginalized communities, of Afrodescendants, of those living with disabilities or HIV, of young people, of refugees  — anyone else who faces barriers to life-saving services and information. It is in our power to end those stories of injustice and inequality. Thankfully, as we heard in April, the Commission on Population and Development reaffirmed the ICPD Programme of Action, with all nations declaring that its full and effective implementation is part and parcel of the 2030 Agenda. UNFPA stands tall in agreement. There can be no Sustainable Development Goals without the ICPD. In more than 150 countries, UNFPA works in partnership to deliver on that world that was promised 25 years ago, and it is through the General Assembly’s advocacy, determination and relentless support that we will be certain to realize that transformative vision at last  — zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths and, certainly, zero gender-based violence and harmful practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation. All of that is based on a solid foundation of high-quality data and evidence to ensure that we leave no one behind. For the past 50 years, and certainly in the 25 years since Cairo, UNFPA has been there, unwavering at every step of the way. With the support of the General Assembly, we ensure that women can exercise their right to make their own decisions over their lives and their bodies. May I therefore pay tribute to those whose work we build upon — those champions of the ICPD Programme of Action around the world. We thank Member States for their leadership and partnership, and with civil society, the thousands of dedicated UNFPA staff throughout the world, we look forward to continuing to work shoulder to shoulder with them to complete that unfinished business of the ICPD. This year, the road from Cairo will lead directly to Nairobi for the ICPD25 summit in November, co-convened by the Governments of Kenya and Denmark. Together with UNFPA, the summit will mobilize political and financial commitments — from Governments, communities, financial institutions, private companies and individuals, meaning all of us  — to fully and finally deliver on the promise of Cairo. It will take resources. It will take courage. It will take conviction. It means listening to women’s demands. It is about rights and choices. Meeting the need for family planning in priority countries by 2030 will cost, we estimate, in the range of $40 billion. That is not an unreasonable choice over the next 11 years — three aircraft carriers versus zero unmet need for family planning. Millions upon millions of women and girls are counting on all of us to make the right choice. UNFPA will continue to stand tall. We will not give up and will always choose the lives, rights and choices of women, girls and young people. Let us resolutely move forward together with courage, conviction and commitment. Onward to Nairobi, to 2030 and to the world of rights and choices for all.

I now give the floor to Ms. Spatolisano.

On behalf of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), I am pleased to join today’s commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The ICPD Programme of Action remains a forward- looking agenda that sets out the connections linking population, poverty alleviation, sustained economic growth and environmental sustainability. It also recognizes the centrality of individual rights and well- being. Many successes have been achieved since the Cairo Conference. Global life expectancy at birth has risen by seven years, while child mortality has fallen by more than half. More people are able to decide on the number and timing of their children, resulting in a decline in the global fertility rate and slowing the growth of the global population. Yet many challenges remain, of which I will mention a very telling one. In 2019, life expectancy at birth in the least developed countries lags more than seven years behind the global average. The Commission on Population and Development is the primary mechanism to follow up and review the Cairo Programme of Action. Three months ago, the Commission adopted a political declaration that emphasizes that the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action is essential to achieving internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The analytical work of DESA’s Population Division highlights four key demographic megatrends that will shape the context of global population in the coming years, impacting the further implementation of the Programme of Action. First, the global population is still growing, albeit at a slowing rate. Many of the fastest-growing populations are found in the world’s poorest countries, where population growth brings additional challenges to the effort to eradicate poverty, combat hunger and malnutrition and strengthen the coverage and quality of education and health systems. Secondly, as population growth slows down, populations grow older. While population-ageing is a sign of human progress, we must adjust our policies to ensure that no one is left behind. Thirdly, more people than ever before are changing their country of residence. The Cairo Programme of Action was among the first agreements committing goals and objectives to address the challenges and enhance the benefits of international migration for development. Lastly, the world continues to experience an ongoing shift in population distribution, from rural to urban areas, with attendant challenges for sustainability and development. The timing and manifestation of those major population trends vary across countries. The circumstances in every country must drive the policies as part of overall development planning conforming with internationally agreed principles. In conclusion, let me congratulate Ms. Kanem on the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund. I thank her and her colleagues for many years of excellent collaboration in supporting the follow-up and review of the Programme of Action.

Before proceeding further, I would like to appeal to all speakers to make their interventions brief and concise in order to make maximum use of the limited time we have for this high- level meeting. To enable everyone on the list of speakers to be heard, delegations should limit their statements to three minutes when speaking in a national capacity and five minutes when speaking on behalf of a group of States, as announced in the letter of the President, dated 12 July. As members will recall, in its resolution 71/323, of 8 September 2017, the General Assembly called for strict adherence by all speakers to the time limits in the Assembly, in particular during high-level meetings. Delegations with longer statements are encouraged to read out a shorter version of their texts and to submit their full-length statements to the Secretariat for posting on the PaperSmart portal. Also in accordance with resolution 71/323, the “all protocols observed” principle is recommended, whereby participants are encouraged to refrain from the listing of standard protocol expressions during their statements. Bearing in mind the time limit, I would like to appeal to speakers to deliver their statements at a reasonable pace so that interpretation into the six official United Nations languages may be provided properly. I appeal for the cooperation of all speakers in observing the time limits for statements so that all those inscribed on the list of speakers will be heard in a timely manner. The Assembly will now hear a statement by Her Excellency Ms. Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice-President of the Republic of Costa Rica.

I extend a very special greeting to the President of the General Assembly, Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, and to the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Ms. Natalia Kanem. It is an honour to be among everyone today at this commemoration of the historic International Conference on Population and Development and its Programme of Action — an agenda that continues to be as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. The Programme of Action adopted in the millenary city of Cairo demonstrated the indelible link between economic growth in the context of sustainable development and social progress as stated in its principle 15. It is centred upon people and the mandate to ensure their autonomy, rights and opportunities. Costa Rica recognizes the close link between the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and reaffirms its commitment to achieving greater levels of well-being for its people, which is its greatest asset. We have therefore worked nobly to provide quality services and ensure prosperity, while focusing on the point of view of the people, as well as the enjoyment of all their rights so that they may make free and informed decisions. As a result of those efforts and other instruments, we have made significant progress in poverty reduction, maternal and infant mortality rates, the management of migrant flows, access to education and the status of women. However, we realize that the vision we adopted in 1994 continues to be marred by forms of inequality with regard to how people are treated, opportunities, access to justice, health and education, the freedom to express one’s sexual orientation and the enjoyment of a healthy environment. Let this not be solely an opportunity for commemoration, but for taking meaningful action that will enable us, humankind, to move forward. We must remember  — to use the words of former Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali — the spirit of rigour, tolerance and conscience that characterized the Cairo Conference so that we can talk based on facts, respect our differences and keep in mind that the only possible path is that of sustainable, inclusive and equitable development, to which I have already attributed the face and soul of an indigenous, Afrodescendant, peasant, sexually diverse, disabled, young and old woman, as women are the driving force behind achieving the development goals of humankind. Costa Rica commemorates this anniversary and calls on all actors  — States, the private sector, international organizations and other committed stakeholders  — to redouble our efforts accordingly in the areas of cooperation, solidarity and mutual support towards the full implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action, which is inseparably bound to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the basic way forward towards achieving greater levels of well-being and humanity. I am once again grateful for the commitment of the United Nations Population Fund and its Executive Director in incorporating the mandate of the Secretary- General in their ongoing and persistent work focused on women and girls of African descent from the region to achieve and implement the Cairo Programme of Action through one of its the main pillars.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development of Azerbaijan.

The International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994, clearly demonstrated that any development plan should be based on the interests and welfare of the people. The Programme of Action reflected the consensus reached at the Conference and defined the targets of the corresponding tasks that needed be undertaken to improve the welfare of the population. In recent decades, our country has carried out successful reform programmes aimed at raising the standard of living, promoting human rights, providing quality and accessible services and strengthening social protections offered by the State. Over the past 15 years, the country has created more than 2 million new jobs. Salaries have increased sevenfold and pension payments ninefold. The population has increased by 1.6 million, reaching 10 million people this year. In and of itself, that clearly is an important social benchmark for positive economic indicators. In Azerbaijan, we have a young population, with 68.3 per cent of the population of working age. During the same period, we built or renovated more than 3,200 schools and more than 650 medical facilities. We have built more than 100 settlements for people who have been forcibly displaced as a result of Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the country with the largest number of refugees per person. Resolving the issues associated with forcibly displaced people is therefore one of our highest priorities. We attach particular attention to creating the conditions necessary for the successful development of young people’s potential. Some 25 per cent of our population are young people between the ages of 14 and 29. Azerbaijan is actively implementing various mechanisms to broaden their spheres of employment. We particularly note our work in that area with the International Labour Organization in the framework of its Partnerships for Youth Employment in the Commonwealth of Independent States project. In recent years, we have been able to improve the status of women and girls in the country. The participation of women in the country’s political and economic life has increased significantly. The number of women members of our Parliament reached 17 per cent in 2015, which indicated a positive trend as compared to the situation in 2005, when women made up 11 per cent of all members of Parliament. Broadening the economic rights of and opportunities for women and girls in rural areas is also an important task and one of the key priorities of the Government’s work. Azerbaijan is successfully working to align its national priorities and strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of our implementation of the SDGs, we have adopted a number of programmes to set up a management structure to that end. Consequently, we prepared our second voluntary national review, which was adopted in the Economic and Social Council yesterday. In conclusion. I reiterate the commitment of our country to collective activity to accelerate our achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of all peoples.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Riyad Mansour, Minister and Permanent Observer of the observer State of Palestine to the United Nations.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Twenty-five years ago, the representatives of 179 countries gathered in Cairo for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and adopted a visionary Programme of Action that was aimed at safeguarding the health and rights of women and girls and at promoting their empowerment. It was and remains a milestone document that addresses the linkages among population, social progress and economic growth in the context of sustainable development. Instead of focusing on reaching population targets, the Programme of Action affirmed that investment in the individual rights, choices and well-being of peoples should come first. It recognized that reproductive health, as well as women’s empowerment and gender equality, are the pathways to sustainable development and improved well-being for all. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the holding of this high-level commemorative event. It provides a vital opportunity for the international community to recognize gaps and challenges, consolidate lessons learned and reaffirm their commitments, along with redoubling their efforts, while sustaining the achievements and increasing resources to accelerate progress towards the fulfilment of the Programme of Action. Furthermore, the ICPD Programme of Action for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development cannot be overemphasized. Together with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the third International Conference on Financing for Development, they comprise the instruments for the eradication of poverty and the protection, respect and fulfilment of human rights. The Group is encouraged that progress has been made in attaining many of the goals and objectives of the ICPD Programme of Action. At the same time, however, the Group recognizes that progress is uneven and slow, both within and among countries, with the benefits of social and economic progress shared unequally. The Group therefore calls for increased efforts to be exerted for a more inclusive process in order to accomplish the bold vision articulated in the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda. Some of those shared objectives and responsibilities include efforts to promote the dignity and human rights of all persons; reduce poverty; assure stronger health- care systems; ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services; promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; promote sustainable cities and balanced rural and urban development; promote the rights and opportunities of young people and older persons in education and decent work; redress inequality and discrimination; protect the human rights of migrants, refugees and displaced persons; promote sustainable development; and address the risks of climate change, among others. Our Group continues to note with concern that the resources directed towards the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action have been consistently below target. In order to address that concern, we call on donors, United Nations agencies and other international organizations to work together to enhance financial and technical support to developing countries, including in the area of capacity-building towards the achievement of the ICPD principles and goals. We believe that the ICPD is more relevant now than ever. Together, we have the potential to unleash promising opportunities for those left behind and help pave the way for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development for all. In conclusion, I would like to thank the President for organizing this important meeting and to take this opportunity to express our Group’s appreciation to Ms. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund for her informative statement and her outstanding contribution.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs of Ireland.

I am delighted to speak today at this event to commemorate the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its contribution to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. It is my pleasure to deliver this statement on behalf of the following group of countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and my own country, Ireland, as well as the European Union. We are pleased to join this high-level event celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. We are fully committed to the ICPD and would like to recall the successful adoption of the political declaration during the Commission on Population and Development in April. We are looking forward to a strong outcome of the ICPD25 Summit, in November in Nairobi, to help accelerate implementation of the ICPD and to address unfinished business. In order to fulfil the promise we made 25 years ago in Cairo, we need to invest even more in achieving gender equality, women’s and girls’ rights and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Since the adoption of the ICPD Programme of Action 25 years ago, much has been achieved. The emphasis shifted from seeing populations as numbers and targets to dignity and human rights for all people, including the right to make decisions about our own bodies and lives. It recognized those rights as fundamental to sustainable development. Since 1994, the ICPD has guided countries in improving access to family planning and modern contraceptives, health services and comprehensive sexuality education. These policies are critical to ensuring that everyone  — particularly girls, women and adolescents — can make informed choices and stay healthy. Despite that progress, challenges to realizing women’s and girls’ rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights remain. We see today that those topics are increasingly under pressure within countries and in international debates. Still, over 200 million women globally have an unmet need for modern contraception. Every year, 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. Violence against women, including sexual violence, remains one of the most prevalent forms of violence across the world. This is unacceptable, and we should unite to improve the lives and realize the human rights of all. We therefore look forward to the dialogue here and in Nairobi to ensure that the promise of Cairo is fulfilled. In particular, we look forward to hearing from young people and civil society organizations on how we can do better. Twenty-five years is a long time. However, despite its age, the ICPD agenda is still highly relevant and urgent today. Only by realizing the promise of ICPD do we stand a chance to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That is because the ICPD shows that if we want to realize sustainable development, we must begin policies from the perspective of human rights and choices. We remain fully committed to the ICPD. I shall now also deliver some remarks in my national capacity. Ireland aligns itself fully with the statement to be delivered today on behalf of the European Union. The ICPD, held in Cairo in 1994, was truly a watershed moment. The Programme of Action emerging from the Conference is recognized as the first global agreement to create common language on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It has been the cornerstone of the global reproductive rights movement since then. It has united civil society, Governments, community groups and organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in the pursuit of rights and choices for all. Globally, the maternal mortality ratio has experienced a decline of nearly 44 per cent, and huge progress has been made in expanding access to contraception. We have seen progress in every region, which is commendable. But, despite the gains of the Cairo agreement, our progress has been uneven. Inequalities in sexual and reproductive health continue and are deeply affected by factors such as income inequality and the quality and reach of health systems, laws and policies. Remaining barriers to services must be addressed so that reproductive rights are enjoyed by all and that we reach the most vulnerable and furthest behind, first. That means meeting the need of the estimated 214 million women, married and single, who want to prevent a pregnancy but do not have meaningful access to modern contraception. It means supporting the 800 women who die every day from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth. And it means stepping up our efforts, collectively, to reach the untold millions of women affected by war or disaster who are cut off from services to prevent a pregnancy or deliver safely. The Nairobi Summit, later this year, will present a unique opportunity to inspire further action, maintain critical gains and mobilize the political will and financial commitments urgently needed to finally and fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action and to meet the SDGs by 2030. Just five months ago, Ireland launched its new policy for international development  — A Better World. The new policy marks a step change in our international development cooperation. It makes a clear statement of our commitment to global citizenship and to making our planet a better place to live. A Better World places gender equality as one of our four central policy priorities and commits to integrating gender equality and the rights of women and girls into all aspects of Ireland’s development policy. That includes a commitment to a transformative approach to gender equality in a wide range of areas, all with the aim of expanding women’s and girls’ choices and capabilities, giving women an equal voice and ending violence against women and girls. A key aspect of our commitment to gender equality includes expanding our work on access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. A Better World provides for a new initiative on sexual and reproductive health and rights that will build on Ireland’s already strong record of international diplomacy and development cooperation to advance gender equality. The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, concluded four months ago with Ireland’s Ambassador gavelling through agreed conclusions on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. This is a recent example of Ireland’s global leadership on advancing gender equality and opportunities for women and girls. Ireland will continue to show its commitment to this agenda in Nairobi in November, from the creation of the UNFPA in 1969, to the Cairo Conference in 1994, to the creation of the SDGs in 2015, to right here today in 2019, we are reminded again of the important links between reproductive health, human rights and sustainable development. The commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development is an opportunity to turn our ambitions into concrete commitments to delivering on the unfinished business of the Cairo Conference. Ireland looks forward to engaging in the Nairobi Summit and to working collectively to meet those ambitions.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ernesto Pernia, Secretary for Socio- Economic Planning of the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines.

It is an honour to be in the Council today as we collectively take stock of our progress and strengthen our resolve to address the remaining challenges in the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, which we forged in Cairo 25 years ago. As one of the 179 countries that supported and adopted the Programme of Action, the Philippines has been persistently pursuing reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment within the context of our sustainable development initiatives. The Programme of Action has served as a policy framework for our population management and reproductive health programmes. The enactment of our landmark Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 has been our most complete and significant contribution to the pursuit of the ICPD. Our commitment to the ICPD is also included in chapter 13 of the Philippines Development Plan 2017-2022 as we pursue the strategies needed to reach and optimize the demographic dividend. In recent years, we have set in place historic laws and policies to pursue the ICPD agenda in the country. That includes policies for the institutionalization of the conditional cash transfer programme, education reforms and universal health care, among others. We will ensure that the sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda is included and mainstreamed in the country’s newly enacted universal health care law. That will expand access to family planning and other reproductive health services through the national health insurance programme. We see that we have considerably advanced the ICPD Programme of Action in the country. However, as in the rest of the world, there are still ICPD goals and objectives that still need to be fully realized in the Philippines. We commit to addressing those gaps and priority agenda in our development initiatives at the ministerial and legislative levels. We will also continuously endeavour to mobilize the resources needed for the implementation of the remaining ICPD agenda in the country. Let us continue the good work that we have been doing as nations united towards putting people at the centre of sustainable development. I hope to see all gathered here at the Nairobi Summit in November as we celebrate and recommit to fulfilling our promises to achieve a better quality of life for every individual.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Markova Concepción Jaramillo, Minister of Social Development of Panama.

At the outset, I welcome the convening of this commemorative meeting to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, which led to the adoption of the Programme of Action by 179 States, including Panama. The Programme of Action is today an instrument that guides the development agenda of the United Nations, through the promotion of women and girls. We associate ourselves with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We welcome the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Natalia Kanem, our beloved countrywoman. The commemoration of 50 years since the creation of that important agency calls for a thorough reflection and review of the arduous work accomplished on the ground. There is no doubt that the Cairo Conference was a watershed in the treatment of crucial topics related to population, development and the environment, including demographic growth, reproductive health and rights, family planning and women’s empowerment — all inescapable commitments under the multilateral agenda. The current Government of the Republic of Panama, which assumed its functions on 1 July, has set out a cross- cutting policy with a gender focus  — a commitment that is demonstrated by a 35 per cent representation of women in the Cabinet. That is why the holding of the commemorative meeting and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the same time is no coincidence, as we understand them both to represent the evolution of the Cairo Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We understand that ensuring health, education, work and human development is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This year also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which commits us to ensuring the protection and promotion of the rights of boys, girls and adolescents and calls on us to invest urgently in early childhood. A fundamental principle in fulfilling our societal obligations is the development of public policies based on reliable and scientific information that enables us to effectively and efficiently address these issues. There is also an urgent need to involve women and girls as agents of change overcoming stigmas and stereotypes. In addition to empowering women and girls, we must also redouble our efforts to provide them a quality education as a tool to benefit their families, their communities and their nations. The economic growth of Panama over recent decades forces us to take stock and adjust our approach. It challenges us to take immediate and decisive action. Global indicators showing that Panama is one of the countries with the most early pregnancies in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the most unequal countries in the region, challenge us to do better. With the real commitment of President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, we have launched the Hive project  — an initiative that seeks, through coordinated and targeted interinstitutional efforts, seeks to systematically reach 150 townships and rid them of poverty and hunger. As a country, we have created a multidimensional poverty index. We will continue to improve our statistics with a view to maximizing our results and helping the most vulnerable sectors of society. With the support of the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, civil society and civic cooperation, we seek to promote and strengthen strategic alliances in order to increase resources and opportunities to solve complex problems. Panama is committed to ensuring that women, who make up 51 per cent of our population, can have access to family planning and, as a result, can be fully integrated into the workforce with equal pay, which in the long-term will generate a dynamic and sustainable economy. We will be unable to fully realize human development if we do not honour our commitments at the 1994 Cairo Conference. While statistics shows that, since then, life expectancy, maternal mortality and mutilation rates have all improved, there is still a long road ahead. We urge the provision of more robust financial resources to back programmes like UNFPA in order to promote family welfare and, with it, human dignity. In conclusion, in the run-up to the Nairobi Summit in November, Panama ratifies its commitment to accelerating the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, which is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda belongs to one and all. Let us continue to work to ensure that no one is left behind.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Alexander Chiteme, Minister of National Development Planning of Zambia.

On behalf of the Zambian Government, I am honoured to address the General Assembly at this high-level meeting on the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Let me begin by assuring the Assembly that the Government of Zambia recognizes that implementing the ICPD Programme of Action is the path to improving its citizens’ quality of life. The principles of the ICPD, therefore, continue to be at the centre of Zambia’s development agenda, as attested by the current seventh national development plan 2017-2021, which was formulated using the integrated approach to development in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past 25 years, Zambia has made progress in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. Notable achievements include a decline in the maternal mortality ratio from 649 in 1996 to 278 in 2018; a reduction in the infant mortality rate from 107 per 1,000 births in 1992 to 42 in 2018; a decline in the total fertility rate from 6.5 children per woman in 1992 to 4.7 in 2018; an increase in modern contraceptive use from 9 per cent in 1992 to 48 per cent in 2018; and a decline in the unmet need for contraception from 30 per cent in 1992 to 20 per cent in 2018. Despite those achievements, much remains to be done, as 54 per cent of the Zambian people, especially women and girls, continue to live in poverty. Zambia sees its people as the most important and valuable resource and will therefore continue to place people at the centre of its sustainable development efforts. Through the Ministry of National Development Planning, the Government will continue to invest in national and community-level programmes aimed at prioritizing the health of our people in order to fulfil the promise we made as a country, 25 years ago in Cairo, to secure individual dignity and human rights. His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, in his capacity as a champion of ending child marriage in Africa, together with the African Union, continues to guide the campaign. Thanks to their work, a platform was created for African leaders at the highest level to engage in efforts to end child marriage. As part of efforts to end this hateful practice, the Government, through the Ministry of Labour, in December 2018 launched a national advocacy and communication strategy 2018-2021 in order to enhance the implementation of national interventions on ending child marriage. Our goal is to reduce child marriage by 40 per cent by 2021. We believe that when effectively used, communication strategies can forge and maintain connections, allowing Governments, civil society, traditional leaders, cooperating partners and other relevant stakeholders to work efficiently towards the common goal of ending this hateful practice. In line with the principles of the ICPD, the Government of Zambia is investing in health and education and creating opportunities and a supportive environment for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship for young people to access jobs and realize their full potential in order to maximize the benefits of the demographic dividend. Zambia’s commitment has been reaffirmed by our President, who has made maternal health a key development priority by declaring maternal and perinatal deaths public health emergencies. I would like to commend the United Nations system for its continued efforts to facilitate the implementation of the ICPD agenda, and I call for stronger partnership with the international community in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Naci Ağbal, Chief of Strategy and Budget at the Presidency of Turkey

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) has made a major contribution to improvements in reproductive health, women’s empowerment and human development by placing human rights at the heart of development and bringing attention to the issue of ageing. Turkey has placed ICPD-related policies at the core of its key policy documents. The population dynamics of a country influence its development agenda by shifting its policy priorities. In that context, Turkey is focusing on human development, the ageing population, women’s empowerment, the balance of family and work life, high quality education and the provision of health services, including reproductive health care for all. The median age of Turkey’s population reached 32 in 2018 and is rising steadily. That population dynamic places the phenomenon of ageing on Turkey’s development agenda. Turkey has made great improvements in maternal and child health in the past decade. In 2018, the infant mortality rate decreased to 9.3 per 1,000 births and the maternal mortality rate decreased to 14.2 per 100,000 births. Turkey attaches the utmost importance to the empowerment of women and employs a zero- tolerance strategy to combat violence against women. Employment incentives to increase the number of women leaders in the labour force led to a 5-per cent rise over the past five years. Turkey invests heavily in education and tries to make sure that everyone, especially disadvantaged groups, has access to quality education. In addition, incentives such as conditional cash transfers, free schoolbooks and free lunch, and free transportation for children living in remote areas ensure that every child has access to education. Migration and international protection are significant topics on our development agenda. Today, Turkey hosts the highest number of refugees, with 4 million displaced persons, including 3.6 million Syrians. In addition, there are 1 million foreigners in Turkey with residence permits. Turkey has been providing all basic services, including shelter, free health and education services and social protection, to Syrians and all other vulnerable refugee populations. Since the onset of Syrian humanitarian crisis in 2011, Turkey has spent $37 billion on Syrians alone from its own budgetary resources. Today, with the help of the international community, around 1.5 million Syrians receive a monthly allowance to cover their basic needs and 178 migrant health centres are in operation, with over 5 million primary health-care and 1.2 million antenatal consultations delivered. Out of 643,000 Syrian children enrolled in education, almost 500,000 receive conditional cash transfers and 70,000 benefit from free school transportation. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers an ambitious framework that urges countries to take action at all levels, providing them with a unique opportunity to integrate sustainable development policies into their national policy frameworks and address global challenges. With this aim, Turkey is committed to achieving sustainable development and to supporting the endeavours of other countries on this path.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Lamine Fofana, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Guinea.

The well-being of the population must be the fundamental objective of all sustainable development programmes. That principle was enshrined in Cairo in 1994 at the historic International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which recognized the links between the concepts of human rights and inclusive economic growth. By aligning itself with the recommendations of the International Conference on Population and Development, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, to which the Republic of Guinea has freely subscribed, the Guinean Government has made maternal and child health a priority in its national economic and social development programmes. Our national plan of action for family planning for the period 2019-2023 was launched in Conakry on 5 December. The development of a national strategy for maternal, newborn, child, teenage and youth health demonstrates the commitment of the Guinean Government to this issue. We have also significantly reduced infant mortality, which has decreased from 33 per 1,000 infants in 2012 to 20 per 1,000 in 2016, as well as making progress in the treatment of obstetric fistula, the eradication of mother-to-child HIV transmission and the issue of genital mutilation. As part of our fight against gender-based violence, the resolve of the Government is reflected in a series of concrete actions, including the adoption of a law on the rights of domestic workers, the creation and decentralization of the special national police services, the acceleration of judicial treatment of such issues and campaigns to raise awareness and encourage people to report the perpetrators of such crimes. Rapid population growth is now a source of great concern for African countries in general and for the Republic of Guinea in particular. In accordance the Government’s efforts to take full advantage of our demographic dividend, significant investments are being made in favour of young people. The creation and empowerment of a youth inclusion fund, as well as the establishment of a national youth council, reflect the Government’s desire to boost the skills of young people and ensure that they are integrated into decision-making bodies. With a view to accelerating the implementation of the ICPD, the President of the Republic initiated practical measures to strengthen the capacity of women and young people in rural areas and to facilitate the financing of group-based projects for women and youth. In that regard, with the support of financial partners, the Guinean Government has promoted women’s entrepreneurship, enabling access to credit and training in purpose-built empowerment centres, which have been established and equipped throughout all administrative regions of the country. As important as the advances made may be, the challenges that remain for the effective implementation of the ICPD in Member States are colossal. In addition to a lack of funding at all levels, our irregular population census is affecting our statistical data, preventing us from obtaining an accurate reading of the development problems that African States are facing. In conclusion, my delegation would like to thank the specialized agencies United Nations, in particular the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF, for their ongoing support for the Republic of Guinea’s socioeconomic development programmes of the Republic of Guinea.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Elissa Goldberg, Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Policy at Global Affairs Canada.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of New Zealand, Australia and my own country, Canada. We welcome this commemoration of the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Cairo Programme of Action, which encompassed a range of landmark achievements, not least those related to gender equality and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. We express our gratitude for Egypt’s leadership in advancing the Cairo Programme of Action and for hosting this high-level commemorative event today. We also acknowledge and welcome the presence today of civil society groups and youth representatives, given the vital role that they play in advancing its goals at the country level. Canada was pleased to have co-facilitated, with Egypt, resolution 73/303, leading to this special day today and we applaud the General Assembly for its successful adoption on 28 June. Indeed, this year represents a significant milestone for those of us committed to the population and development agenda. We are marking not only the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD, but also other important global events, such as the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund and the fifth Women Deliver Conference, which was held in Vancouver, Canada, and raised the standard for action and helped build momentum on advancing gender equality around the world. We are also looking forward to the upcoming Nairobi Summit, to be held in November in Kenya. These moments are important opportunities for the global community to reaffirm its continued support for the ICPD agenda. Canada, Australia and New Zealand have been and remain strong and vocal advocates for the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action and its subsequent reviews. Over the past 25 years, we have seen considerable progress achieved in saving and improving the lives of women, men, girls and boys. We have seen reductions in extreme poverty and we have seen advancements in gender equality, including through access to sexual reproductive health and rights. These outcomes have contributed to inclusive development in every country. They create conditions for a just, stable and lasting peace in the world and they are foundational to our shared implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and its targets. But as other speakers have noted this afternoon, much remains to be accomplished. Allow me to focus specifically on those areas related to health and human rights, given the time that remains. As we agreed in Cairo, all individuals have the right to make decisions about their bodies and lives, and countries should ensure that all individuals are given the opportunity to make the most of their potential and to thrive. However, people cannot enjoy these rights and maximize these opportunities unless they are free of stigma and discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion and sexual orientation and have access, without coercion, to essential sexual reproductive health and rights services and information, which should include access to comprehensive sexuality education. That is why our countries are strongly committed to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as agents of change in their communities and in their countries. The achievement of gender equality and universal access to sexual reproductive health and rights means that the birth of a baby girl elicits hope. It means that she has unlimited opportunities. She can go to and stay in school and she will not have to take on unpaid care work that prevents her from getting an education or from gaining the skills that she needs and training in order to secure a job. Universal access to health-care services, including sexual reproductive health care and rights, would mean that, when girls grow into adolescence and adulthood, they will be able to access modern forms of contraception and to choose whether, when and with whom to have children and how many children they want to have. They will have access to safe legal abortion and they will enjoy good nutrition and quality health care, especially during pregnancy, labour and childbirth and in the most important days following the birth for both mother and child. Now more than ever, we need to reinvigorate our efforts to address those needs and rights that have yet to be fully realized in order to achieve the agenda that was set out for us 25 years ago in Cairo. Canada, Australia and New Zealand look forward to making a positive contribution to the preparations for the Nairobi Summit, and we call on fellow Member States and all stakeholders to endorse the Summit’s global commitments and to make strong individual commitments in order to fulfil the promise that we have made.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Jairo David Estrada Barrios, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala.

My delegation welcomes the convening of this meeting to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. Allow me to reiterate my country’s full support for all initiatives such as that which brings us together today. Human beings are the subject and the object of development. That is why I wish to underscore that the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994, showed us how to advance in the management of the complex interrelationships between demographic variables and development. The Conference created new spaces for cooperation within the United Nations on such important issues as gender, one year before the World Conference on Women in Beijing; the link between population and human rights; the phenomenon of urbanization; international migration; and the important role of the family. We must acknowledge the great progress we have made in recent years in identifying the conceptual framework for the links between population and development, as well as in formulating policies that facilitate economic and social transformation. While we are aware that some of these issues are sensitive given their profound cultural and religious roots, we recognize that there are other issues that should be prioritized, such as the inclusion of women and girls and their empowerment, as well as the provision of greater opportunities for access to basic health and education services for children in general. This afternoon, my delegation wishes to highlight one aspect that has been accorded high importance at the national and multilateral level, namely, the empowerment of women and improved access to comprehensive education for girls  — a vulnerable and unequal sector of society. Many measures can be undertaken jointly to address the difficult situation that women and girls continue to face today. We must be aware that, despite the fact that the world has made significant progress in making women and girls visible as sustainable development actors, there is still a long way to go in terms of their formal recognition. It is regrettable that this priority population group continues to face poverty and extreme poverty and the consequences of growing up with inadequate nutrition, health care, water and sanitation. They are often unable to access quality education, which in the long term often leads to increasing deficits that cannot be overcome later in life, regrettably limiting their individual and collective development. Guatemala has focused on actions to advance the development of our population and has therefore made progress in achieving the noble objectives of the Cairo Conference. We have adopted relevant legislation and specific policies in the different spheres of the Programme of Action. To that end, we have organized consultations among the Government, the private sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations, which have contributed to the construction of a national legal and regulatory framework in line with the commitments assumed by the State of Guatemala under the various international instruments that promote the exercise and respect of the human rights of all people. In accordance with our national legislation, Guatemala respects the right to life from the moment of conception. The Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala affirms the primacy of the human person as the subject and purpose of the social order, recognizing the family as the primary and fundamental source of the spiritual and moral values of the society. Finally, I would like to state that we value the presence of the United Nations Population Fund in Guatemala. Its support for our programmes, as well as its recent technical assistance in conducting a national population and housing census, 16 years after the previous one, will generate sociodemographic information of national interest and high-quality statistical information that will be vital for the assessment and measurement of public policies. While we will continue to face challenges, with the support of our partners and through alliances with different sectors of the country, as well as the United Nations system, we will be able to continue achieving our goals, especially the Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Mykhailo Titarchuk, Vice-Minister for Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.

The delegation of Ukraine aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the observer of the European Union and would like to make a statement in its national capacity. The Programme of Action adopted in Cairo 25 years ago clearly articulated the strong connections between population, poverty alleviation, sustained economic growth and environmental sustainability. The principles accepted in Cairo — the rights, health and well-being of individuals  — continue to be the key priorities for the Government of Ukraine. Our national programmes have been aimed at achieving economic development and improving social services for the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. There is a strong relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Cairo commitments. To accelerate their implementation, the Government of Ukraine assessed the degree of incorporation of those commitments into existing strategic and programme documents. As a result of that work, we found that we have incorporated 17 global SDGs and 86 national SDGs into the system from 145 strategic and programme documents of the Government of Ukraine, which provides 1,052 tasks and 3,465 measures aimed at achieving the SDGs. We are currently working on creating a monitoring system and a strong disaggregated data system, which are the foundational elements for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Ukrainian Government’s efforts were aimed at responding to the main challenges facing the achievement of the SDGs in my country. The consequences of the illegal annexation of the Crimean Autonomous Republic and the aggression of the Russian Federation in the east of Ukraine are impeding economic and human potential. Ukraine is grateful for the assistance provided by the United Nations Population Fund and donors to Ukrainians for the fulfilment of the United Nations recovery and peacebuilding programme aimed at improving the living conditions of the civilian population in the conflict-affected areas of Donbas due to the foreign aggression. The analysis conducted in Ukraine on the achievement of SDG 8, on decent work and economic growth, has shown that, for our country, the development and self-realization of youth is one of our major social values. At the same time, for Ukraine, which has significant human resource potential among the population aged 15 to 24, with a high level of education, inadequate involvement by young people in social processes is typical. Our aim now is to reduce unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24. At the same time, despite the positive dynamics, we understand that those segments of the population are in the zone of constant risk of political and social exclusion.

I would like to thank Ms. Banice Mbuki Mburu for her powerful speech and for speaking up. All protocols observed. The Netherlands is pleased to join this high- level event celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and its contribution to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. I wish to express our appreciation to the organizing countries. We align ourselves fully with the statement to be delivered by the observer of the European Union. The Netherlands is fully committed to the ICPD and is pleased with the successful adoption of a political declaration at the Commission on Population and Development in April. We look forward to a strong outcome to the ICPD25 Summit, to be held in November in Nairobi, to help accelerate the implementation of the ICPD and address all unfinished business. To fulfil the promise we made 25 years ago in Cairo, we need to invest even more in gender equality, the rights of women and girls and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. The Netherlands national and international ambition for sexual and reproductive health and rights is comprehensive and rights-based, with good results. For example, the Netherlands has one of the lowest teenage pregnancy and abortion rates in the world. Our national successes form the basis of our international policy on development cooperation. However, we must do better. Our schools teach comprehensive sexuality education, but not always consistently. Sexual violence against women and young people is a problem that we must address further. Women are still underrepresented in leading positions. Global challenges for women’s rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights remain high as well. We see today that these topics are increasingly under pressure. We look forward to dialogue in Nairobi to ensure the promise of Cairo is fulfilled. In particular, we look forward to hearing from young people as well as from civil society organizations as to how we can do better. Twenty-five years is a long time. However, despite its age, the ICPD agenda is still highly relevant and urgent today. Unfortunately, I must add that the ICPD shows that, if we want to realize sustainable development, we must start policies from the perspective of human rights and choices. In line with what the President of the General Assembly said, the magic bullet is a simple but achievable bullet, as it mainly requires political will. We, the Netherlands, remain fully committed to the ICPD. To echo Ms. Mbuki Mburu, viva the women of the world.

First of all, I would like to emphasize that Romania aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the observer of the European Union. The year 2019 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994. This year is also the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). As a representative of Romania, I can also mention that this year marked the forty-fifth anniversary of the 1974 World Population Conference, held in Bucharest  — one of three world conferences convened by the United Nations on population, where the international community highlighted common concerns over emerging population issues by adopting the World Population Plan of Action, which contained recommendations and guidelines aimed at better quality of life and rapid socioeconomic development for all people. It is now time for stocktaking, reflection and renewed partnerships towards the global commitment of the ICPD to sexual and reproductive health and rights. This year, reports of the Secretary-General stress that the world has witnessed significant progress in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action. Significant life-saving results have been achieved, including a decline in preventable maternal death, a lower unmet need for family planning and growing recognition that sexual reproductive health and rights must be a fundamental component of universal health coverage. Examples also include greater access to sexual and reproductive health care, reduced child mortality, increased life expectancy and advantages in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Romania itself can report achievements in recent decades in reducing maternal mortality and increasing access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. The Government included population concerns as a significant factor in its comprehensive national strategy for sustainable development. A consultative process is being initiated to ensure comprehensive measures to address population concerns. And an anniversary event is planned to take place in Romania this year to mark the landmark fiftieth anniversary of UNFPA, as well as the anniversaries of the World Population Conference in Bucharest and the ICPD. However, there are still challenges ahead. We must prepare for a world with a population that is larger, older, more mobile and more urbanized than ever. The UNFPA report State of World Population 2019 recognizes that, of all the obstacles to the achievement and exercise of human rights, few have proven to be as challenging to overcome as those based on gender. Romania joins the voices of those Member States that stressed the importance of national ownership and nationally defined priorities, those that highlighted the role of UNFPA through the three transformative goals in the least developed countries and those that welcomed the Fund’s investments in education, the demographic dividend and youth-focused programmes. We express our strong support for UNFPA’s continued work in humanitarian and crisis settings. We also stress the importance of an inclusive approach to addressing gender equality, women’s empowerment and gender- based violence to include the most vulnerable and engage all stakeholders and partners for adapting to a changing world.

Uruguay associates itself with the interregional intervention delivered earlier by Ms. Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs of Ireland. I would also like to thank the President and the promoters of this important event, namely, Canada and Egypt. Uruguay once again reaffirms its commitment to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, to the principles of the Cairo Programme of Action and to its regional expression, the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development. As a result of the ICPD, a profound change was achieved 25 years ago in the vision of development and policies related to population — the putting aside of demographic goals to promote approaches based on human rights. All of our countries made important commitments in Cairo to promote gender equity, sexual and reproductive rights, access to family planning and modern contraceptives and access to comprehensive sexuality education — all essential policies to ensure that all of our citizens can make informed decisions and stay healthy. All those commitments were reiterated through the adoption, by consensus, of this year’s political declaration of the Commission on Population and Development, which reaffirmed the principles of the ICPD. Although there has been progress, there is a long road ahead if we are to fulfil the commitments made at the ICPD. The terrible realities faced by women and girls around the world are a call to action for the international community. Yet within the framework of the United Nations, the rights of women and girls, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health issues are more and more under attack and less and less supported by Governments in various international debates and multilateral negotiations. We hope that the ICPD25 Summit, to be held in Nairobi in November, will allow us to maintain an honest and open dialogue so that we can identify the best way to implement the ICPD and address the remaining challenges. To that end, it is essential that States ensure the broad and active participation of civil society and avail ourselves of the valid mechanisms from which we can greatly benefit.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of African States. Since its adoption in Cairo in 1994, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) has been the main outcome document presenting a comprehensive framework for population and development matters. The African Group continues to support the principles, goals and objectives of the Programme of Action and acknowledges the importance of all its elements — population dynamics, dignity and equality, health, place and mobility, governance and data. The African Group welcomes this year’s commemorative event to celebrate the progress made in attaining many of the goals and objectives of the ICPD. However, the Group also recognizes that progress is uneven and slow, both within and among countries, with the benefits of social and economic progress shared unequally. This year’s commemorative event is being convened on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which highlight the linkages between the two agendas and the contribution of ICPD to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the principles of ensuring dignity and equality for all and the need to respond to new challenges and opportunities related to population and development, such as the demographic dividend and migration trends, as well as the advancement of all aspects of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The African Group calls for increased efforts towards a more inclusive process in order to accomplish the bold vision articulated in the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda. Some of those shared objectives and responsibilities include efforts to promote the dignity and human rights of all persons, reduce poverty, assure stronger health systems, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, promote sustainable cities and balanced rural and urban development, promote the rights and opportunities of young people and older persons in education and decent work, redress inequality and discrimination, protect the human rights of migrants, refugees and displaced persons, promote sustainable development and address the risks of climate change, among other domains. Africa is committed to building a continent that is prosperous, integrated and peaceful. The African Union therefore adopted Agenda 2063, with two key goals  — first, to end poverty and, secondly, to modernize agriculture for increased productivity and production as a way of addressing the poverty and food insecurity facing our continent. The reason for those priorities is obvious. Nearly a quarter of the population of Africa is affected by hunger, with a staggering 240 million undernourished people. Of those, more than 40 per cent are children under the age of 5. The African Group therefore stresses the importance of increasing official development assistance, as well as domestic resource mobilization and other development finance enablers, including technology transfer, in order to support the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and its follow-up commitments. We call upon the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to continue to play a crucial role, within its mandate, in assisting countries, based on their needs and in consultation with them, in achieving the goals and objectives set out in the Programme of Action and the key actions for the Programme’s further implementation beyond 2019. At this stage, I will read out a statement in my national capacity as representative of South Africa. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD takes place in a world characterized by a rise in extremism, the resurgence of national populism and authoritarian ideologies. Another characteristic of contemporary international affairs is intolerance towards diversity, the undermining of multilateralism and the outright rejection of, and regression from, internationally agreed norms, principles and standards. All those characteristics delay us from achieving the full and effective implementation of the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action. The consensus that bound us in Cairo was informed by our common aspiration to see a world where childbirth did not threaten the right to life, where investment in education, health services and social development, particularly for vulnerable populations, were encouraged, and where the pursuit of safety and orderly migration were recognized as necessary pillars for achieving sustainable development. It has been 25 years since the adoption of this landmark document, and much still needs to be achieved to make those aspirations a reality for all. To that end, we need robust and substantive efforts if we are to ensure inclusive, equitable and people-centred development, which will improve the quality of life of everyone, without distinction of any kind. Growing inequalities and challenges have to be addressed, which requires systematic, comprehensive and integrated approaches at the national, regional and international levels. Furthermore, the right to development has to be fulfilled to equitably meet the needs of populations, including development and environment needs. Key actions needs to be taken in various areas, including investment in women and girls to promote their empowerment; ensuring the quality of and access to health care, including reproductive health care, so as to make strides in maternal health and infant mortality; ensuring the sexual and reproductive health and rights needs of adolescents, youth, older persons, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex persons and persons with disabilities; promoting the economic rights of indigenous people, especially in the most remote areas; promoting socioeconomic rights and the eradication of poverty to ensure access to basic services; and honouring the critical responsibility of protecting and promoting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, including by strongly denouncing and taking action to eliminate all forms of intolerance and discrimination towards them. South Africa today reaffirms its strong commitment to the political agenda set out in the Cairo Programme of Action and looks forward to the international community doing the same. We are hopeful that this anniversary will further serve as a catalyst for Member States to work hard to ensure that the Commission on Population and Development continues to play its role in supporting the mandate of the UNFPA and the Secretary-General, in assisting Member States with the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, including achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In conclusion, we are committed to the Addis Ababa declaration, which sets a forward-looking political agenda and context for African population and development matters. We look forward to the Nairobi ICPD 25 Summit in November, which will seek additional commitments from Governments, organizations and others to accelerate efforts to urgently realize the goals of the Programme of Action towards sustainable development.

I now give the floor to the observer of the European Union.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. The candidate countries Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania; the country of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina; as well as Ukraine and Georgia, align themselves with this statement. Twenty-five years ago, the Programme of Action was adopted in Cairo and broke new ground in terms of the international community’s efforts to advance key aspects of human development, including, within its provisions, the issues of empowerment of women and girls, education, child and maternal mortality, and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. For the first time in an international consensus document, States agreed that reproductive rights are indeed human rights to be recognized at the national and international levels. The EU remains committed to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the ICPD and the outcomes of their review conferences, and remains committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights in this context. In the intervening years since 1994, there have been many advances to celebrate, but hurdles and challenges still remain. For example, every day, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. This is a particular tragedy since we know that many of the services that could prevent maternal mortality are low-cost, cost-effective and feasible to integrate into health systems. With the adoption, by consensus, of a political declaration during the latest session of the Commission on Population and Development in April, we collectively reaffirmed the achievements secured 25 years ago and their follow-up. Now the international community needs to further invigorate the implementation of Cairo Programme of Action. We therefore look forward to the ICPD25 Summit in Nairobi in November to indeed provide such impetus. The EU is committed to the full realization of the Programme of Action within our own borders and to supporting others in their endeavours to reach that goal. Much of the development assistance of the EU and its member States directly or indirectly addresses priorities enshrined in Cairo. Examples include the delivery of €1.5 billion over the past six to seven months to support bilateral health programmes in 17 countries; the fact that 30 per cent of EU health aid is spent on sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health; and the new flagship EU-United Nations Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, which commits €500 million to that end. The European Consensus on Development sets out a new framework for the delivery of development assistance by the EU and its member States, coherently aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are anchored in the new European Consensus as key drivers and preconditions for sustainable development. The EU is determined to work for a world where the Cairo commitments have become a living reality for all, in partnership with others at the national, regional and international levels, including civil society, whose role is instrumental in that regard. The EU is also committed to the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the ICPD Programme of Action and the outcome of its global and regional reviews and conferences. The EU and its member States are strongly engaged in, and supportive of, the upcoming Nairobi Summit. The Summit provides a unique opportunity to mobilize the political and financial commitments needed to complete the unfinished business of the ICPD. We must ensure its success.

The fifty-second session of the Commission on Population and Development adopted a political declaration that reaffirms its support for the full implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), adopted in 1994, 25 years ago, in Cairo. The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends more than ever upon the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action. I had the privilege of assuming the chairmanship of the Commission in April. In that capacity, I have been able to ensure that the multiple links between population and development are not only a thing of the past. While significant progress has been made, deep inequalities persist. Recently, a thematic publication of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs entitled World Population Prospects 2019 concludes that the major demographic trends that the world is experiencing today will have a profound impact on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rapid population growth, concentrated in some of the poorest countries, will weigh down efforts to eradicate poverty, fight hunger and malnutrition and provide access to quality education and health care. The decline in the working- age population is already burdening social protection systems in countries with the most advanced ageing populations. In areas where migration plays a role in demographic change, inequalities increasingly hamper integration efforts. In 2020, the Commission on Population and Development will discuss the themes of population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development. In March 2020, the Commission will focus its work on population and sustainable development, particularly sustained and inclusive economic growth. In March 2020, the main themes will be population, food security and sustainable development. This shows the relevance of the ICPD Programme of Action for the achievement of the SDGs. That demonstrates first, that the Programme of Action and the Commission have remained topical; secondly, that many delegations wish to discuss population and development issues in a broad context, without the dialogue being restricted or dominated by a single topic, year after year; and, thirdly, that the Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda are closely linked and even aligned in many aspects. As Chair of the Commission, I will work to build consensus so that its fifty-third session can best support the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. Finally, I congratulate Ms. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, on the Fund’s fiftieth anniversary, and thank her for the Fund’s contribution to the success of the Nairobi Summit in November, which will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Programme of Action. I have no doubt that the participation of all will make the Nairobi Summit a success and will shed light on future work.

The International Conference on Population and Development marked a milestone in the field of human rights, as its Programme of Action recognized 25 years ago that reproductive health, individual rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality are indispensable elements for achieving sustainable development. Since that time, a quarter of a century has passed and we can identify remarkable advances, but we see that progress has been slow and uneven. Millions of women still do not have access to modern methods of contraception, and we have not reached the global targets for reducing maternal mortality, which, in many cases, is preventable. We therefore hope that at the ICPD25 Summit, to be held in Nairobi in November, we will be able to renew our commitment to achieving the goals we set ourselves in Cairo and to promoting and protecting the rights and dignity of all. As a demonstration of Peru’s commitment in this area, we currently chair the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, a platform from which we give impetus to measures conducive to the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. In reviewing and following up the Programme of Action, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have focused on various issues, such as combating violence and discrimination against women and promoting birth control as the basis of population and development policies, all of which is embodied in the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development. One of the main strengths of the Montevideo Consensus has undoubtedly been its capacity to establish synergies with other global agendas, mainly with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Consensus complements the 2030 Agenda on relevant issues that are not sufficiently addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals, such as indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants, the elderly and international migration. With regard to the well-being of the elderly population, much remains to be done to ensure that social protection meets the demands of a rapidly ageing population. As for indigenous peoples and Afrodescendants, they share a common thread — they experience higher levels of material poverty and exclusion. Without a doubt, inequality remains the biggest challenge for the Cairo Programme of Action, the Montevideo Consensus and the 2030 Agenda. As a show of the firm commitment to the Cairo Programme of Action and the Montevideo Consensus, 25 countries of the region voluntarily presented their national reports at the latest meeting of the Regional Conference, held in Peru in August 2018. Peru will continue to promote the adoption of measures at the national, regional and global levels in order to achieve the goals of Cairo, Montevideo and the 2030 Agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals summit in September, which will review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in its first four years, and the Nairobi Summit in November will be valuable opportunities to identify the main challenges to renewing and adopting new commitments in the areas of population and sustainable development, women’s empowerment and gender equality, among other essential issues, based on the principle of leaving no one behind and prioritizing the most vulnerable. In conclusion, I wish to express our appreciation for the work done over the past 25 years by the Commission on Population and Development, the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund, so that we, as Member States, can make progress in implementing the measures agreed upon in the Cairo Programme of Action.

I am grateful for this opportunity to celebrate the fact that 25 years ago we all agreed on the groundbreaking Programme of Action at the International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. Norway is encouraged by all the progress that we have made together. At the same time, we know that too many people are still left behind. Every day, women die from pregnancy and childbirth — deaths that could have been prevented. Girls are kept out of school and forced into marriage. Women find it difficult to enter the labour market and start working. Women and girls in every country of the world are victims of violence, abuse and sexual harassment. We are still waiting for the day when we can celebrate a universal acknowledgement of the right of women and girls right to life, health and security. Norway ranks high when it comes to gender equality. To us, equality is a goal in itself. It drives economic growth and sustainable development. Gender equality has been key in Norway’s development from a relatively poor country to the more prosperous economy of today. To ensure gender equality we must invest in sexual and reproductive health and rights. It is a basic need. It is essential and can be life-saving, not least in humanitarian settings. Norway has prioritized the promotion and exercise of sexual and reproductive health and rights, and believes it is important to promote international acceptance of sexual rights and ensure access to safe and legal abortion. The access of women and girls to sexual and reproductive health and rights is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Implementing the ICPD Programme of Action is of great importance if we are to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Finally, I would like to thank Kenya, Denmark and the United Nations Population Fund for organizing the upcoming conference in Nairobi in November. We look forward to participating and demonstrating Norway’s commitment as a consistent partner for our common future.

At the outset, I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this very important high-level meeting in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). We are also happy to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), now under the able leadership of Executive Director Kanem. Japan has been a keen supporter of UNFPA since its establishment and has witnessed its continued commitment to its mandate, even under rapidly changing demographics and global dynamics. We are proud of its significant global contributions. Twenty-five years ago, the world went through a paradigm shift regarding population when we adopted the ICPD Programme of Action to address population matters through a human rights-based approach that respected the quality and dignity of each person’s life and rights, rather than seeing population as just a number. Since then, we have seen impressive progress around the world, including improved access to family planning, a decline in maternal mortality and increasing momentum and policy development to ensure gender equality. On the other hand, there is still much to be done, as suggested by the title of the UNFPA report, State of World Population 2019: Unfinished Business — The Pursuit of Rights and Choices for All. In particular, we need to do all we can to ensure that people in vulnerable situations or humanitarian contexts, especially women and girls, have access to necessary services. That must be done under the concept of human security in order to ensure that no one is left behind. Furthermore, we believe it is critical to address pressing population issues, including declining fertility, population ageing, urbanization and migration. In that regard, Japan has been sharing its lessons and knowledge on population ageing at global and regional forums. We would also like to collaborate with the international community not just to share challenges and countermeasures, but also to accelerate policy implementation from the perspective of the entire life course, including addressing the issues of low fertility and population ageing.
With regard to the ICPD25 Nairobi Summit in November, Japan will hold the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development, including side events, with UNFPA next month. We trust that those events will serve as a stepping stone to accelerate the momentum to achieve universal health coverage at the high-level meeting on universal health care. That will further feed into the Nairobi Summit, so that each actor can recommit to the unfinished business of the ICPD Programme of Action.

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action represents a remarkable consensus among diverse countries. It recognizes that social, economic and political equality, including a comprehensive definition of sexual and reproductive health, reinforces women’s and girls’ human rights and provides the basis for individual well-being, lower population growth, sustained economic growth and sustainable development. Over the past 25 years, Jamaica’s population and development programme, which is detailed in our national population policy, has been framed by the principles, goals and objectives of the ICPD Programme of Action. Today we express our strong commitment and reaffirmation of these principles, as we move to achieve sustainable development within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition, we maintain our regional commitment to the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development The mutually reinforcing interrelationships between population growth, economic progress, poverty reduction, environmental protection and sustainable development are at the heart of the ICPD Programme of Action. The commemoration of 25 years of the ICPD and the end of the first cycle of implementation of the 2030 Agenda is therefore an opportune moment to take stock and assess the progress made and identify gaps and challenges. That will inform our agenda for accelerated action, including the mobilization of resources towards specific priorities. Jamaica is at a major turning point in its demographic transition. In fact, we are experiencing a demographic dividend that is peaking but will start to decline in the near future. That favourable situation is a direct result of our success in reducing fertility and mortality rates. However, the combined effects of declining fertility and mortality rates have resulted in an ageing population, which presents its own challenges. The progress we have achieved has been the result of strong partnerships with various stakeholders, including civil society organizations. However, gaps remain in several areas, including poverty reduction, unemployment, universal access to sexual and reproductive health, maternal mortality, HIV and gender equality. Real progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the ICPD Programme of Action in Jamaica and, by extension, the Caribbean, demands a multisectoral, human-centred approach to development that focuses on the most vulnerable populations in an equitable manner. The sustainability of our efforts will depend upon the effectiveness of the reforms being undertaken at the United Nations and the strengthening of functional organizations, such as the United Nations Population Fund and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, both of which are carrying out important work in Jamaica and the Caribbean subregion.

Israel wishes to express its gratitude to the President of the General Assembly for convening this high-level meeting. The Programme of Action, adopted in Cairo in 1994, was a historic achievement. The document was far-sighted and remains as relevant today as when it was adopted a generation ago. It resulted in great strides forward, including by raising awareness, often of discrimination and abuse, especially gender-based discrimination, which are no longer accepted as a social norm. Mortality rates have dropped, and we have achieved progress in many other areas. However, our work is far from complete. The rights of women and girls around are still under attack. People with disabilities still suffer discrimination. And although we have made progress in the past 25 years, one in 10 still lives in extreme poverty. Many still do not have access to proper health care or education. The right to live life without fear and the opportunity to pursue one’s potential should never depend upon the circumstances of one’s birth. Although we are a tiny nation with few natural resources, difficult farming conditions and persistent adversity, in just a few decades we transformed from a developing nation to a prominent member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The secret to Israel’s success is the investments we make in our greatest natural resource  — our human capital. By engaging and empowering every person in society, Israelis have brought our small country to the forefront of the global economy. We should view the upcoming International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Summit in Nairobi as a chance to recommit to the principles we embraced then and to redouble efforts to implement the Programme of Action. Let us not forget that our efforts here will directly support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and be an integral part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Let future generations judge us as the generation that ended suffering for the most vulnerable members of society, and let us remember that, when one of us is left behind, we all are left behind.

Several delegations have asked to speak in exercise of the right of reply. I would like to remind members that statements in the exercise of the right of reply are limited to 10 minutes for the first statement and five minutes for the second, and should be made by delegations from their seats.

I will be brief. We have asked for the floor to exercise our right of reply with regard to the statement made by the representative of Azerbaijan. The ability to engage in an open and constructive deliberation free of undue politicization is an important test for the power of multilateralism. Unfortunately, the delegation of Azerbaijan has yet again failed the test by taking the floor with the objective of promoting domestic narratives. The human rights of refugees should come first and the suffering of displaced populations should not be instrumentalized to gain political advantages in the area of conflict resolution. In the 1990s, both Armenia and Azerbaijan hosted a considerable number of refugees within their populations. As a percentage of its own population, Armenia had more displaced persons than Azerbaijan. Armenia did not build refugee camps and opted for local integration, which has been the only possible durable solution. Yet Azerbaijan spared no effort to sustain and even augment the declared number of displaced persons, at the expense of their enjoyment of their human rights. Since 1988, when the first waves of refugees from Azerbaijan fled to Armenia, our authorities, jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), implemented a number of programmes aimed at improving the socioeconomic conditions of more than 400,000 refugees, providing housing and guaranteeing their human rights and fundamental freedoms. We would like to take this opportunity to express our concerns about the human rights and fundamental freedoms of refugees and internally displaced persons residing in conflict areas, as the most vulnerable category of displaced people. As a result of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, 37,000 people from occupied Shahumyan district and part of the Martakert district took refuge in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. That number constitutes more than one-quarter of the current population of Nagorno Karabakh. The displaced population residing in conflict areas is deprived of international protection. Its basic human rights, including the right to life and development, are being violated on a daily basis. We encourage Azerbaijan not to impede access to the UNHCR and United Nations special procedures for the displaced population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

We note with regret that the delegation of Ukraine was once again unable to refrain from using a specific United Nations format to politicize the discussion, based on a distorted picture of the current situation. In that regard, we are compelled to recall that the humanitarian challenges faced by the inhabitants of south-eastern Ukraine are the result of the military activities of the authorities in Kyiv against their own people, who did not recognize the 2014 coup d’état. In that context, it is clear that Ukraine’s priorities concerning the population are in no way compatible with the Kyiv’s policy of blockading the territories outside its control in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including the suspension of pension payments, civil servant salaries, transport and trade. With regard to Russia, we know first-hand about the problems in our neighbouring country. Since April 2014, more than 1,700,000 Ukrainian citizens have applied to the competent Russian authorities for Russian citizenship, refugee status, temporary asylum and temporary residence permits. Concerning issues related to the Republic of Crimea in the Russian Federation, the Crimeans decided once and for all for themselves under international law. We continue to wonder how the priorities involving the population that were cited by the Ukrainian delegation are a matter of concern, given that the authorities in Kyiv have imposed a water and trade blockade against the Crimean people and condoned criminal activities to disrupt the energy supply, which, incidentally, has left hospitals, maternity facilities and kindergartens without electricity and heat. We call on others not to politicize this commemorative event or deviate from our main theme, which I intend to address in my statement tomorrow.

I have taken the floor to exercise the right of reply of my delegation in response to the comments just made by the representative of Armenia. We have joined this important debate to share both the achievements and the setbacks that we are facing in Azerbaijan on the way to attaining our population’s full potential for well-being. In that context, we cannot fail to mention the needs of vulnerable groups. In our case, refugees and internally displaced persons were forced to flee their homes as a result of Armenian aggression. In his statement delivered earlier today, the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan extensively elaborated on the importance that we attach to addressing the needs of that population group. Their vulnerability is a result of the fact that those people have been unlawfully deprived of their homes, land, property, fundamental rights and basic needs. The war waged by Armenia against Azerbaijan has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and ruined cities and livelihoods in my country. Serious violations of international humanitarian law amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by the Armenian side in the course of its aggression against Azerbaijan. Such violations include, inter alia, direct and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the killing of civilians, the taking and holding of hostages, the mistreatment and summary execution of prisoners of war and hostages, sexual violence, the extensive destruction of inhabited areas and public and private property, pillaging and forced displacement. As of May 2018, 3,888 citizens of Azerbaijan, of whom 3,170 are servicemen and 718 are civilians, were registered missing in connection with the conflict. Among the civilians, 71 are children, 266 are women and 326 are elderly persons. It has been established that 871 were taken as either prisoners of war or as hostages, including 604 servicemen and 267 civilians, of whom 29 are children, 98 are women and 112 are elderly persons. Those figures speak for themselves and demonstrate that Armenia is interested not in resolving the conflict through peaceful means, but rather in prolonging the occupation and causing more damage to people and property. In such circumstances, Armenia has no moral right to lecture others and should instead focus on its commitments and obligations under international humanitarian law, which it continues to violate.

We regret that Azerbaijan opted to politicize this commemorative event. We resolutely dismiss the groundless allegations just brought forward by the delegation of Azerbaijan. The delegation of Azerbaijan conveniently forgot to mention that it is Azerbaijan’s unwillingness to seek compromise-based solutions, its rejection of basic principles of international law, such as the self- determination of nations, and its continuation of the policy of the use of force and the threat of force that continue to pose an existential threat to the physical security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and remain a serious obstacle to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well as to the sustainable development of our region.

What the Armenian representative referred to as the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Armenian ethnic groups living in Azerbaijan has been unequivocally qualified by the Security Council and the General Assembly, as well as other authoritative international organizations, as an illegal use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and egregious violations of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. The illegality of the separatist and standing structures established by Armenia on the occupied territory of Azerbaijan has been repeatedly stated at the international level in the most unambiguous manner. As a country suffering from the occupation of its territories and the forcible displacement of hundreds of thousands of its citizens, Azerbaijan is the party most interested in the earliest possible negotiated settlement to the conflict and the reversal of its consequences. On the contrary, by taking advantage of the favourable result of its military actions, Armenia is trying to consolidate the status quo and finally impose a fait- accompli situation.

We have heard the last speaker in this high-level plenary meeting for today. We shall hear the remaining speakers tomorrow at 10 a.m. here in the Hall.

Before proceeding further, I would like to appeal to all speakers to make their interventions brief and concise in order to make maximum use of the limited time we have for this high- level meeting. To enable all on the list of speakers to be heard, statements should be limited to three minutes when speaking in the national capacity and five minutes when speaking on behalf of a group of States, as announced in the President’s letter dated 12 July. Delegations with longer statements are encouraged to read out a shorter version of their text and to submit their full-length statements to the Secretariat for posting on the PaperSmart portal. As members will recall, in accordance with resolution 71/323, the “all protocol observed” principle is recommended, whereby participants are encouraged to refrain from listing standard protocol expressions during their statements. Bearing in mind the time limit, I would like to appeal to speakers to deliver their statements at a reasonable pace so that interpretation into the six official languages may be provided properly.

At the outset, I would like to thank the President for convening this meeting. An unprecedented global consensus was achieved in Cairo in 1994 as the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) marked a departure from the ongoing discussion on controlling population growth and shifted the emphasis of population policies to improving the lives of individuals, particularly of women, to induce demographic and societal changes. The agreement that population policies should address social development, especially the advancement of women, and that family planning should be provided as part of a broader package of health care, enlarged the scope of policy interventions. Underlying that new emphasis was a belief that enhancing individuals’ health and the realization of their rights would ultimately lower birth rates and slow population growth. The policies spawned by that consensus continue to evolve and guide action to address challenges and opportunities arising from demographic dynamics even today. India’s commitment to the ICPD and its Programme of Action remains firm. It is evident in the policies and programmes in the context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An integrated, service-oriented approach in line with the Programme of Action continues to guide our actions towards fulfilling the needs for services and social protection, especially for women, children, young people and older persons, in pursuit of inclusive growth. One-sixth of the global population resides in India. The rapid strides taken by India to eradicate extreme poverty have been well recognized. According to a recent report of the United Nations Development Programme, India is one of the countries that has achieved a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty without leaving the poorest groups behind. As a step towards universal health coverage, in September 2018 India launched the world’s largest health-care programme, the National Health Protection Scheme, to provide medical treatment coverage to nearly 500 million people. India is also taking ambitious action towards preserving the environment through a renewable energy transition, eliminating plastic pollution and promoting the use of pollution-free vehicles. The International Solar Alliance, championed by India and France, is taking strides towards making a tangible contribution to global climate action. In 2014, India launched the largest sanitation and hygiene programme in the world, the Clean India Mission, to make India open-defecation free and to achieve scientific waste management by October 2019. India is a young nation, with half of the population under 25 years of age. The focus is on harnessing that demographic dividend by creating opportunities through skill and entrepreneurship development and by using digital technologies to improve access to information and knowledge. Maternal and child health has remained a priority for India. A substantial reduction in maternal and infant mortality has been achieved by incentivizing institutional deliveries, new-born health care and family planning. Family planning has been integrated into the Strategic Approach to Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health in India. India has continued its efforts to expand the range and reach of contraceptive options and to meet unmet contraceptive needs. Better education and health facilities for women and greater participation of women in governance at the grass-roots level, coupled with enhanced access to family planning services, have contributed to a rapid fall in the fertility rate and population growth rate in India. India has been strengthening global partnership for sustainable development through South-South and triangular cooperation. Through the India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund, India supports a project to improve the availability of data for tracking the progress of the ICPD agenda in the framework of the SDGs. In conclusion, allow me to reiterate India’s firm commitment to the ICPD and its Programme of Action, with a view to addressing current demographic challenges and opportunities, both nationally and globally.

Twenty-five years ago, 179 Government representatives met at a decisive point in the history of international cooperation. The International Conference on Population and Development enjoyed considerable consensus, reflected in its Programme of Action, which addressed global issues, including equality, gender equity, diversity of the composition and structure of the family, migration, education and the rights of children and youth, the elderly, indigenous peoples and people with disabilities. The International Conference on Population and Development was innovative in 1994 in changing the focus from numeric population objectives to address dignity and human rights. Thanks to the Programme of Action and the outcome of its review conferences, progress has been made worldwide to save lives and eliminate many barriers to better health care, better levels of education, stronger chances of survival at birth, reduced child and maternal mortality, access to quality reproductive health care and more opportunities for new generations. Nevertheless, progress has not been equal, and social conflicts, unequal global economic growth, high rates of youth unemployment, health threats, humanitarian crises, corruption and the challenges arising from climate change persist. The eradication of poverty remains the key moral imperative of the planet, and exclusion and discrimination endure as challenges that affect the most vulnerable groups. Above all, the agreements reached 25 years ago have been weakened. As we approach the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the impact suffered by multilateralism is becoming more apparent. It has been the subject of scepticism, constant tension, significant attacks and harmful criticism. We are seeing persistent attempts to undermine international cooperation in the face of such urgent challenges as large-scale abuses of human rights and sustainable development, climate change and threats to international peace and security, to name just a few. Ecuador reaffirms its commitment to multilateralism. Global solutions and cooperation are necessary to overcome complex challenges and to build a fair and equitable global order. We reiterate our commitment to and focus on the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. Accordingly, we removed all our reservations to the text last year, which focuses on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. It is imperative to strengthen the capacity of the international community to effectively tackle questions of population and the environment and to incorporate the population dimension in the international agenda for the development and benefit of the planet and future generations. Without multilateral consensus, there can be no international solutions and we would be condemning future generations.

The delegation of Cuba aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the Observer State of Palestine on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development was a decisive moment in the international debate on population. The implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action, the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development constitute avenues to solving the existing inequities between countries and within our societies. However, the realization of these programmes calls for a comprehensive and inclusive policy approach. They require real political will, effective international cooperation and sincere and respectful dialogue that places human beings at the centre. They also require developed countries to honour their historical commitments to the developing world without delay. The resurgence of the economic, commercial and financial blockade policy imposed by the United States Government for almost 60 years against Cuba, and the recent activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, imposes concrete obstacles to access to the financing, technologies, products and services necessary for the development of our national population and development policies. Despite that inhumane policy, Cuba has made significant progress, giving priority attention to population policies intrinsically linked to full equality and social justice. The entire population has universal and free access to health care and education at all levels, and 100 per cent of the population is literate. Women make up 60.3 per cent of university graduates and postgraduates, and more than 63 per cent of the country’s total of professionals and technicians. Women make up 53.2 per cent of Cuba’s Parliament. We rank second in the world for the number of women parliamentarians. In 2018, the infant mortality rate was 4.0 per 1,000 live births. Access to sexual and reproductive health services through the tertiary level is universal and free of charge. Childbirth is institutional in 100 per cent of cases. The contraception network is sound and guaranteed to the entire population. Abortion has been institutionalized since the 1960s to ensure the safety and lives of women, as well as their human right to make decisions about their own bodies. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is 0.3 per cent among the sexually active. Cuba was the first country to eliminate the mother-to- child transmission of HIV/AIDS. I conclude by reaffirming Cuba’s commitment to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development Beyond 2014, the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 1994 Cairo Programme of Action on population and development set universal benchmarks for international cooperation in that area. That document identified the principles that are today the basis of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are convinced that the provisions of the Cairo Programme remain valid and do not need to be revised. For their effective implementation, it is crucial to take into account economic conditions and cultural traditions of Member States and focus on the population goals shared by all. We welcome progress in the implementation of the outcomes of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), including the global increase in life expectancy and reduction in maternal and child mortality rates. However, more needs to be done. That applies to such areas as improving education and public health, controlling non-communicable diseases and promoting healthy lifestyles, empowering women and fostering employment, as well as fighting extreme poverty. Russia remains committed to the provisions of the Cairo Programme of Action, which are in line with our national priorities. The situation in our country today is marked by a population structure shift — an increase in the number of older people and natural population decline. To address those challenges, in 2018 the President of Russia identified the county’s national development goals for the medium term, which are being implemented in the context of nationwide projects. The targets include increasing life expectancy, ensuring sustained natural population growth and halving the existing prevalence of poverty. Measures are being taken to combat cardiovascular diseases, enable the early detection of cancer, reduce infant mortality, preserve and restore the reproductive health of the population, increase the accessibility and quality of free medical care for women during pregnancy and childbirth and support families with children. Russia pays attention to international cooperation in that area. In particular, we fund projects in various countries of the world, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other partners. In that context, we are interested in the initiative to organize the ICPD25 Nairobi Summit, in November. It is our understanding that that event is intended to become a multi-stakeholder platform for sharing experiences on the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. At the same time, we trust that the work of the Conference, which will not be a formal United Nations meeting, will be based on the approaches to the population agenda, as determined by the ICPD consensus, and will not result in the adoption of any new additional commitments in that area.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak at today’s event to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The ICPD, held in Cairo in 1994, was a critical point in time for all women and girls around the world and its importance cannot be overemphasized. For the first time in history, world leaders were able to agree that sexual and reproductive health and rights, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality are essential for achieving sustainable development. Denmark has long been and continues to be at the forefront of the fight for gender equality and the rights of women and girls. We strongly believe that promoting and protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls is crucial for the well-being and dignity of women and girls and that it is key to sustainable development and economic growth. As we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD this year, we owe it to all women and girls to take stock. It is clear that incredible gains have been made and that lives have been changed and saved. However, from the statistics on preventable maternal deaths, forced child marriages, gender-based violence, the lack of access to contraceptives and female genital mutilation, it is equally clear that the promise of the ICPD remains unfulfilled for too many women and girls around the world. Therefore, Denmark has joined forces with Kenya and the United Nations Population Fund to convene the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 from 12 to 14 November this year, to accelerate efforts to achieve the goals agreed to in 1994. I would like to underline that the Summit will not be our traditional United Nations event. We will not spend time negotiating a political declaration. We already have the Cairo Programme of Action and the decision adopted at the Commission on Population and Development in April. Instead, we now need to bring together an unusually wide range of actors to discuss in concrete and actionable terms how to finish the unfinished business of the ICPD by 2030. We need Governments, businesses, foundations and other organizations to show leadership by announcing voluntary global political and financial commitments. Of course, we encourage Governments to participate at the highest possible level. To sum up, we need to deliver on the promise we made in Cairo 25 years ago. We need the Nairobi Summit to be a success for the sake of women and girls and for the benefit of all. It is time to finish the unfinished business and ensure that the fundamental right to decide over one’s own body is not a privilege for some but a reality for all.

It is indeed an honour to address the General Assembly on behalf of Madagascar to commemorate the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. Madagascar aligns itself with the statements made by the observer of the Observer State of Palestine, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and the representative of South Africa, on behalf of the Group of African States. Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Cairo Programme of Action on population and development, under the leadership of His Excellency Mr. Andry Nirina Rajoelina, President of the Republic of Madagascar, the Malagasy Government remains committed to the Malagasy people and their development. These commitments are set out in the new general policy for the State, which was launched this year with the main purpose to help Madagascar develop and catch up to ensure the well-being of its entire population. Pursuant to this new emerging vision for Madagascar, the Government’s priorities include education for all and health care as inalienable rights of each Malagasy citizen. The aim, among other things, is to provide care for all children under five, pregnant women and the elderly and to ensure food self-sufficiency and decent jobs for all. Madagascar is striving to achieve these objectives for the benefit of the population in a stable and prosperous environment of peace and security conducive to development, with zero tolerance for corruption. To that end, we are making use of various development tools, including large-scale industrialization, the tourism industry and the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources. Madagascar’s national plan for the period 2019-2023 is currently being developed as part of the implementation of the general policy of the State and will serve as the main tool to achieve these goals and consolidate our actions. Madagascar, in recognizing the importance of the principles adopted in Cairo with respect to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in collaboration with its partners, has stepped up its efforts and actions throughout all social strata of the population, particularly women and children. Our First Lady, Mrs. Mialy Rajoelina, has set an example through her personal commitments. She was named by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as a champion in the fight against gender-based violence and has stepped up her work in this area, in collaboration with all relevant national and international actors. Two local women’s units to help and protect women were also established this year in two regions, and this initiative will soon be extended to all 22 regions of Madagascar. With a population composed mainly of young people, Madagascar is committed, with the support of its partners and UNFPA in particular, to invest in this demographic dividend, which constitutes a key development tool. A demographic dividend team comprising public sector and civil society actors has been set up to this end, its mission being to establish a road map based on the four pillars of health care and family planning, education and skills development, employment and entrepreneurship, and good governance. National awareness-raising campaigns are accompanying all of these initiatives. The law on reproductive health and family planning, which remains a priority for Madagascar, was adopted in June 2017 and serves as an important legislative framework. The law highlights the importance of reproductive health for young people and is supported on the ground by the accessibility and availability of reproductive health services and sex education. Madagascar remains convinced that the principles adopted in Cairo in 1994 contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have identified 64 priority targets among the 169 SDG targets, for which we are currently identifying indicators. Twenty-five years after the previous census in 1993, Madagascar also conducted a general census of the Malagasy population and housing in 2018, which will contribute to providing more focused and targeted responses to the needs of the population. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund, Madagascar commends the long-standing close cooperation between the Fund and the Malagasy Government, as well as its actions on the ground for the benefit of the Malagasy people. Madagascar welcomes the organization in November of the ICPD25 Summit in Nairobi and reiterates its commitment to our people and our development. So far, this has yielded encouraging results, including a 28-per cent reduction in maternal mortality between 1992 and 2018, a 4-per cent decline in teenage pregnancy rates between 2012 and 2018, and a clear improvement in the availability of modern contraception and access to health care.

Bulgaria aligns itself with the statement delivered yesterday by the observer of the European Union. This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Action. A quarter of a century ago, world leaders put forward a bold vision for human rights, population, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and sustainable development. This vision was transformed into a remarkable and groundbreaking consensus that recognizes the link between individual dignity and human rights, including the right to plan one’s family, and placed them at the very heart of development. Such interlinkages later laid the groundwork for the elaboration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Bulgaria commends the consensual adoption of a political declaration on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD at the fifty-second session of the Commission on Population and Development, in April earlier this year, which reaffirmed the commitment of Member States to implementing the ICPD Programme of Action. While celebrating the progress that has been achieved through the years, we need to reflect on how much still needs to be done so that we can all live in a world where everyone’s human rights are respected; where all individuals have full control over and decide freely and responsibly on the matters related to their sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence; where mothers give birth in a safe and nurturing environment; and where no girl is married against her will, especially before the age of 18. To fulfil the promise we made back then in Cairo, we need to invest more in gender equality, the rights of women and girls and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Located in Eastern Europe, a region marked by low fertility, an aging population and complex migration movements, Bulgaria recognizes the need to urgently invest in human capital and create an enabling environment for young people and children and the most marginalized, leaving no one behind, thereby fostering stability and prosperity. That is why Bulgaria is actively involved in the organization of the ICPD25 Summit, in Nairobi this November. We look forward to a strong outcome from this event. Firm and forward-looking national voluntary commitments will demonstrate that the document is not just a piece of paper, but an effective instrument for the fulfilment of the ICPD objectives, empowering people and enabling them to live in dignity and prosperity. Since the promise in Cairo was made, Bulgaria has invested a lot of effort in implementing the Programme of Action and to support the countries of our region to that end. Twenty-five years later, not only is it still relevant, but even more so, despite the fact it faces many challenges. These challenges should not discourage us, but motivate us to show resolve, to keep our promise and to fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action and to achieve sustainable development. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Bulgaria’s determination to work together with all relevant stakeholders and partners to fully implement the Cairo commitments so that our children can live in a better and more just world.

I thank the President of the General Assembly for giving me the opportunity to speak at this event to commemorate the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Kenya is pleased to join this high-level event on the ICPD Programme of Action and its contribution to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. My delegation is fully committed to the ICPD and takes this early opportunity to welcome all delegations to the Nairobi Summit to commemorate ICPD25 in November, following in the steps of the successful adoption of the political declaration at the Commission on Population and Development in April. We look forward to strong commitments and outcomes from the Summit to help accelerate the implementation of the ICPD and to address unfinished business. The promise made in Cairo 25 years ago calls for more concerted efforts in achieving gender equality, the rights of women and girls and the eradication of harmful practices. Only by realizing the promise of ICPD will we be able to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Kenya equally looks forward to the Summit in November to debate the thematic issues and accelerators which dovetail with the “three zeros”: zero unmet needs for family planning; zero preventable maternal deaths; and zero sexual or gender-based violence, including harmful practices against women and girls. Since those harmful practices impact the lives of women and girls, without the consultative engagement and involvement of various stakeholders, as envisaged in the Nairobi Summit, the world will not be adhering to the principal of leaving no one behind, as enshrined in the 2030 Agenda. Despite 25 years of progress, the ICPD agenda is highly relevant and urgent today, given that each year around 12 million girls get married before they reach the age of 18; violence against women, including sexual violence, remains prevalent; and forms of violence and harmful practices against women and girls go unabated in many parts of the world. To conclude, Kenya looks forward to global cooperation, not only in the dialogue here, to culminate in firm commitments during the Nairobi Summit so as to ensure that the promises enshrined at the ICPD come to fruition. In particular, we look forward to the participation of all Member States, as well as youth and civil society.

Today we have gathered in observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). We commemorate the day with a sober reflection on the adoption of the landmark Programme of Action in September 1994. Also this year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) marks its fiftieth anniversary. These are two important milestones in the United Nations work on population advancement. The theme for the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”, could not have come at a better time. The principles enshrined in the Programme of Action emphasize, among others, the equality, dignity and rights of all human beings and the empowerment of women and other vulnerable groups in society. Undoubtedly, the Programme of Action remains an ambitious agenda, with the potential to deliver inclusive, equitable and sustainable global development. It is therefore important that we, as a global community, renew our commitment and enhance efforts aimed at its full implementation. In that context, Liberia thanks the UNFPA for its continued support for the implementation of the Programme of Action. In line with the International Conference on Population and Development and the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development in Africa Beyond 2014, the Government of Liberia has initiated a number of programmes aimed at addressing our population demands through the establishment of national institutions and policy implementation. Those include, among others, the establishment of the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services and the creation of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, respectively. Liberia, under the presidency of His Excellency George Manneh Weah, remains committed to the full implementation of the Programme of Action. Our national flagship programme, Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development 2018-2023, puts the Liberian people at the centre of all our interventions. As we commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD, let us be reminded, as a global community, that the ICPD was adopted with the consensus of putting people at the centre of sustainable development. The interlinkages between population and development should therefore propel us further towards the full implementation of the Programme of Action, with the overarching goal of leaving no one behind. It is now time to accelerate its implementation.

It is my honour and pleasure to be part of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). For 25 years, the ICPD Programme of Action has guided our policies on the empowerment of men and women, health and life expectancy, as well as education for boys and girls. As Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation by population in the world, with the median age of 28 years old, population has an important place in our development efforts. As a member of the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, we believe that family planning and national health care are the strong foundation for the well-being of individuals, families and nations. Indonesia has remained cognizant of that role and continues to be an active member of the international community. We continue to find solutions for the global population to thrive, while also being mindful of the impact of population growth. Indonesia remains steadfast in advancing its national efforts on family planning and maternal health, supported by partnerships. On this occasion, we would like to share our three achievements in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ICPD. First, fertility rates have been stable. The total fertility rate dropped from 5.6 children in the 1970s to around 2.4 children in 2017. Meanwhile, the contraceptive prevalence rate increased significantly, from around 10 per cent in the 1970s to around 64 per cent in 2017. Secondly, maternal health is improving. There has been a significant decrease in maternal mortality due to better facilities for basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care. We are also working to reduce stunting and malnutrition in children, specifically those under 5 years of age. Thirdly, we are sharing our knowledge and skills to build capacity with other developing countries through South-South and triangular cooperation, through which Indonesia has shared its experiences with more than 5,200 family planning officers from more than 104 countries and will continue to do more. At the regional level, Indonesia has been closely working with more than 20 countries in Asia and 12 countries in Africa in sharing best practices. After 25 years, much has been done in the implementation of the ICPD. We have seen remarkable achievements, such as a 25 per cent increase in the global contraceptive prevalence rate, youth births have declined steeply and the global maternal mortality ratio has fallen. In conclusion, much remains to be done by all of us, together and hand in hand, in ensuring that the global population grows in a manner that provides prosperity, welfare, well-being and dignity for all the people of the world. Let our planet prosper.

We wish to join other delegations in commemorating the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The Programme of Action and the Conference’s report (A/CONF.171/13) helped reframe the discussion of population and development issues and has provided us with an updated view of global health, women’s equality and sustainable development and contributed to the development of goals linked to those important issues. The United States is the largest bilateral donor of foreign assistance to many programmes that support the objectives set forth in the 1994 Programme of Action. We are proud of our contributions to expand access to basic health care and promote women’s health, including efforts to improve maternal and child health. My Government is committed to helping women, their families and their communities thrive and to promoting and preserving human life and dignity. Our bilateral maternal and child health programmes focus on 25 high-priority countries that account for two-thirds of maternal and child deaths worldwide. In the past 10 years, United States investments have helped save the lives of more than 5 million children and 200,000 women. And, with respect to the ICPD Programme of Action, my Government fully supports maternal and child health and informed and voluntary family access to family planning. We have stated clearly and on many occasions, consistent with the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action and its report, as adopted by the General Assembly (resolution 49/128), that we do not recognize abortion as a method of family planning. Nor do we support the provision, promotion or referral of abortion in our global health assistance. When women and girls have access to education, health care and economic opportunities, they are better able to fulfil their potential and contribute to the well- being of their families, communities and nations, as well as to sustainable development efforts. When women do better, families do better, communities do better and nations do better.

My delegation aligns itself with the statements delivered by the representative of South Africa, on behalf of the Group of African States, and by the observer of the observer State of Palestine, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We are honoured to join in commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo. The Conference was significant in many ways, as it resulted in a major shift in the global discourse on population issues towards placing greater emphasis on the rights, equality, dignity and well-being of individuals as they experience life’s vital events. The 1994 Programme of Action remains today a living document that guides us as we strive to achieve its goals alongside those enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other instruments on development. Although our expanding knowledge and understanding of maternal health and other health- related issues globally is cause for celebration, the continued uneven implementation of those and other development initiatives across regions is a compelling reason for Member States to show greater ambition and urgency in putting gender equality, maternal health, universal primary education and safe, orderly and regular migration at the core of each of our interventions related to Sustainable Development Goals in the social, economic or environmental realms. My delegation avails itself of this opportunity to reiterate that the ICPD Programme of Action is critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In that connection, Nigeria revised its national policy on population to align with the 2030 Agenda and inaugurated a $28 billion special health intervention project fund to strengthen our health system. We have also improved the delivery of health services. In addition, we revised our national reproductive health policy to enable us to attain universal health coverage and launched a national social protection policy to enable us to reach the furthest behind first and harness the benefits of our demographic dividend. We are convinced that, for every additional year of schooling that a girl attains, her chance of early childbearing decreases, and with it lower maternal mortality and increased lifetime income to combat extremely poverty and to narrow income inequality. Steps have been taken through the conditional cash transfer programme of the Nigerian Government to provide credit for poor households, and through school feeding programmes to support the less privileged. In conclusion, Nigeria reiterates its conviction that the ICPD Programme of Action is a critical enabler of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Accordingly, we call upon all members to take steps to link population control with sustainable social and economic development and deliver the promises we took upon ourselves to deliver by 2030 for future generations.

Chile welcomes the invitation to participate in this event commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, and takes advantage of this opportunity to reaffirm the commitments made then. The Cairo Programme of Action is critical for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, which challenge us to transform the world without leaving anyone behind. At the 1994 ICPD in Cairo, world leaders articulated a novel vision of the relationships between population, development and individual well-being. The Cairo Programme of Action, adopted by 179 countries, stressed the importance of integrating population issues into development policies and programmes, while recognizing women’s empowerment and gender equality as a fundamental part of the path to sustainable development. We believe it is particularly important to keep in mind our commitments and redouble efforts to achieve a more inclusive process with a holistic vision in order to implement the Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda. Chile is advancing the objectives of the Cairo Programme of Action by promoting public policies as part of its commitment to ensure both the active participation of civil society in the follow-up to the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, which is the most important intergovernmental agreement on population and development in the Latin American and Caribbean region, and the fundamental review of the Cairo Programme of Action and its follow- up after 2014. During the third Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Peru from 7 to 9 August 2018, Chile presented its first voluntary report, noting the fulfilment of 97 of the 98 measures of the Montevideo Consensus. In recent decades, Chile has significantly improved the quality of life of its citizens and has made inroads to overcome poverty. Nevertheless, we know that we must continue to make progress to bridge existing inequalities in income, access to opportunities, education, health and employment. Like other countries, Chile is facing demographic change. That is why we have implemented public policies to promote positive ageing. The concept focuses on the rights of the elderly as key players in our societies, and treats ageing not only as reaching a certain age, but rather as a social construction of the vision and understanding of the ways to age. As an expression of its commitment to this area, Chile is a member of the Group of Friends of Older Persons at Headquarters, which works to determine how to best ensure the promotion and protection of their rights and dignity. In conclusion, Chile is charting a challenging course that prioritizes putting our country on a path of progress and comprehensive development for a more prosperous, inclusive and just society in which men and women are recognized as equals with equal rights, duties and opportunities. That concept is enshrined in the objectives set by the 1994 Cairo Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda, which address the issues of population and development through a comprehensive, cross-cutting and people-centred approach.

El Salvador associates itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the observer State of Palestine on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Without a doubt, this meeting represents a key moment for everyone, as it marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Programme of Action of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, an opportune moment to review and take stock of the progress made and the pending obstacles to sustainable economic growth and sustainable development. The Cairo Programme of Action continues to be a crucial and valid strategic framework for addressing issues such as women’s empowerment, the eradication of poverty, the protection of the environment and other critical matters for our country. Since its adoption, El Salvador has made great strides in the commitments undertaken then, starting with overcoming the reservations the country had previously voiced to the texts, which shows that progress can be made with the right political will and cooperation framework. Therefore, we are concerned about the current rhetoric concerning commitments that have already been adopted in various United Nations forums. We believe it is important to move forward the agreements reached and obligations assumed more than 20 years ago and not to reverse the progress we have made, through effort and dedication, on a variety of topics on the population agenda. The new Government of El Salvador applies a human rights approach focused on population groups that are subject to greater marginalization, exclusion and discrimination. The Government is also firmly committed to working to strengthen, protect and guarantee the human rights of all, without discrimination, as part of State policy and under the premise that the human being is at the centre and the ultimate aim of creating sustainable development, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic and the international human rights instruments ratified by the country. Among the national advances made in terms of the promotion of, and full respect for, the rights of specific population groups, we can mention the launch at the end of 2018 of our national plan for indigenous peoples. My country also ratified the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons in November 2017. We will continue to promote the drafting of a specific multilateral legal instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of older persons. Similarly, in the area of sexual and reproductive health, we have in place specialized services for adolescents and young people, who face the highest rates of sexual violence and a high prevalence of pregnancies, as well as various strategies whose objective is to promote coordinated intersectoral interventions that incorporate a focus on human rights, gender and inclusion and that facilitate the empowerment of girls and adolescents, with a view to their full development. On the other hand, our national council for comprehensive services to persons with disabilities, the governing body for the monitoring and evaluation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has promoted regulations to strengthen the guarantee of rights and the progressive eradication of discrimination based on disability. With regard to sexual diversity, I wish to emphasize that, although this issue is not covered by the Cairo Programme of Action, it is part of the progress that we have made at the regional level, as with the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development. In that regard, El Salvador has made significant progress in terms of the development, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes aimed at eradicating discrimination based on sexual orientation, identity and/or gender expression. We would also highlight that the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador amended the family code to prohibit child marriage, with the aim of promoting and protecting the rights of children. We would like to thank the United Nations Population Fund for its support in all the efforts made to implement the Cairo Programme of Action and the Montevideo Consensus, which has allowed us to make remarkable progress since 1994. Nevertheless, we consider it necessary to work in coordination with various bodies in order to strengthen our actions aimed at satisfying commitments made with regard to population. My Government therefore would like to use this opportunity to reaffirm the effectiveness of the Cairo Programme of Action in the design and implementation of public policies for the well-being of all population groups, especially those in vulnerable conditions. El Salvador will continue to work actively in different forums to advance the population and development agenda. We call on all States to join forces to achieve greater progress for all populations, without leaving anyone behind.

I wish to congratulate the President on convening this important high- level meeting on the commemoration of the twenty- fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Since its adoption in Cairo in 1994, the ICPD Programme of Action has been considered the major outcome document representing a comprehensive framework on the issues of population and development. The Maldives is encouraged by the progress that has been made in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action. As a nation, the Maldives is particularly proud of the achievements in the implementation of the Programme of Action and the Asia and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development. For the most part, we have been successful in reducing poverty, achieving universal health coverage and universal education, addressing the needs of vulnerable populations and advancing gender equality. However, we understand the challenges ahead and are finding ways to overcome them. We understand that two of the three goals that we have been slow to achieve are some of the most important goals that a country must achieve in order for it to be on a sustainable development trajectory. The Government of the Maldives is indeed committed to working on achieving those goals, and implementation measures are under way. For example, the enactment of our gender equality law, along with other pieces of legislation related to the protection of women and zero gender gap in literacy, demonstrates that the banner for women’s advancement is rising in the Maldives. While the process is slow, we are nevertheless confident in the enforcement and implementation of relevant legislation, given the political will present in this Administration. In addition, the maternal mortality rate and the infant mortality rate in the Maldives have been reduced substantially in the past 30 years, which has increased the demographic dividend in the country, thereby contributing to the well-being of our people. Long- term investments in health initiatives and available care have dramatically improved life expectancy in the country. According to the World Bank, life expectancy rose from 37 years in 1960 to 77 years in 2017. It is our intention that medium- to long-term goals in health care be carefully planned ahead, so as to achieve similar progress to what we witnessed in past years. Under the leadership of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Government of the Maldives is committed to investing in our people. Investments that enhance the lives of our people, create more opportunities and empower our women, youth, and vulnerable segments of society will lay the necessary foundation for a more healthy and productive population. We are committed to creating our own success story of sustainable development, one that places our people at its core. But we cannot do it alone. Collective global responsibility is key to transforming our world. In conclusion, the Maldives will work to realize both its national and international obligations in addressing population and development matters in an integrated and comprehensive manner.

We have heard the last speaker for this meeting. I declare closed the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 14.