The ICPD conference in 1994 in Cairo made very bold commitments towards improving sexual reproductive health and rights for all, addressing negative gender norms and realizing gender equality. The commitments put people of all diversities at the centre of development. We believe that achievement of sustainable development goals cannot happen without achieving ICPD goals.
Twenty five years later since the first ICPD conference, the world continues to witness sexual and gender based violence against girls and women, gender inequality, high new HIV infections, increased teen pregnancies, stigma and discrimination (towards people living with HIV, key populations, adolescents and young people especially adolescent girls and young women) among other negative health outcomes. HIV continues to be the leading cause of death among adolescents and young people.
As a civil society organization, we have an important role of advocating for the implementation of the plan of action of ICPD and implementing activities towards meeting the goals. We highlight two main commitments that we contribute to: