The 2019 staging of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) – dubbed the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 – takes place in Nairobi, Kenya November 12-14, 2019.
The conference will serve to reflect on the Programme of Action written in Cairo, Egypt in 1994: a groundbreaking document adopted by 179 countries to acknowledge the critical role that reproductive health, women’s empowerment, and gender equality play in development, and to center these concerns in population policies.
This year, framed within the context of the 2030 end date of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the conference will focus on “accelerating the promise” – implementing urgent and sustained efforts to achieve sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, particularly the world’s most vulnerable women and girls.
Equimundo will be represented by Margaret Greene, Senior Advisor for Gender and Health, and Shamsi Kazimbaya, Senior Program Officer, Great Lakes Africa, who will contribute to the themes, “Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights as a part of universal health coverage,” “Drawing on demographic diversity to drive economic growth and achieve sustainable development,” and “Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.”
Join us at the following sessions:
Demographic Dividend in the Sahel
Type: Concurrent Session
Date: Wednesday, November 13
Time: 11:00 – 12:30 EAT
Location: Courtyard 6
Despite recent strong economic growth, several countries in the Sahel have not seen a commensurate increase in per capita income nor in equality between men and women. Fertility remains the highest in the world, and the pace of the demographic transition in the region has been slow. There is strong evidence that empowering women and youth is a main catalyst to trigger a “demographic dividend,” which would greatly benefit these countries. This session will share best practices and innovative approaches to supporting women’s and girls’ empowerment and men’s contributions to gender equality from the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) initiative. This session is convened by CREFAT-CREG University of Thiès Senegal and Equimundo.
Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions
Type: Concurrent Session
Date: Wednesday, November 13
Time: 15:00 – 16:30 EAT
Location: Courtyard 4
This session will showcase new research and the work and lessons learned of organizations from regions with high rates of child, early, and forced marriages and unions that are working to transform norms around gender and sexuality to advance girls’ rights and freedom. It will highlight findings from two new reports on child marriage and showcase success stories, challenges, and demands for policy-makers and donors to support adolescent girls’ rights. The event is organized by the CEFM and Sexuality Programs Working Group, comprising 12 organizations: American Jewish World Service (AJWS), CARE, CREA, Global Fund for Women, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, GreeneWorks, International Center for Research, on Women (ICRW), International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), Nirantar Trust, Plan International, Population Council and Equimundo.
Men and Boys’ Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health
Type: Open Dialogue Series
Date: Thursday, November 14
Time: 11:00 – 12:30 EAT
Location: Amphitheater
What is at stake? What do men and boys need when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights? What are the barriers, where are the gaps in resources and progress, and how can these obstacles be addressed? This open dialogue will enable participants to reflect on the role of men and boys as clients, partners and agents of change for gender equality. The conversation will explore why and how the sexual and reproductive health and rights needs and demands of men and boys can be addressed, and will highlight the social norms that need to transform in order to enable this change.
Learn more about the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 here.