2014 International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action
Stockholm, Sweden, 23-25 April 2014
The Sixth International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD), took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 23-25 April 2014. The Stockholm Conference was organized by UNFPA and the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, together with the Swedish Parliament, the Swedish All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
IPCI Stockholm came at a very significant time for the ICPD mandate, marking the 20th anniversary Cairo Programme of Action. The Stockholm event focused attention on the links between population issues and sustainable development. In particular, attendees highlighted the importance of protecting the rights of women and adolescents, and of providing comprehensive sexuality education and reproductive health services, to promote economic growth and social development.
“Achieving inclusive economic and social development requires appropriate legislation, national policies and programmes that guarantee and promote human rights, dignity and equality for all,” noted the conference’s outcome document, the Stockholm Statement of Commitment.
At the end of the three day event, the participants reaffirmed themselves to the ICPD Programme of Action by unanimously adopting the Stockholm Statement of Commitment. In it, the parliamentarians committed to mobilize their constituencies and governments to make bold efforts to ensure that the principles of the Cairo Programme of Action are fully integrated in the post-2015 global development agenda and that human rights, gender equality, women and young people are at its heart
They called for the integration of population dynamics in all development planning at national and subnational levels as a critical foundation for sustainable development. The parliamentarians pledged, among other actions to:
- Enact and advocate for the enforcement of laws and policies to respect and protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all individuals;
- Adopt laws to promote and protect human rights and eliminate discrimination without distinction of any kind;
- Design policies and programmes that harness the demographic dividend through enhancing the capabilities of young people to contribute to social and economic development and innovation;
- Promote legislation to eliminate child, early and forced marriage, by enacting and enforcing laws on the minimum legal age of marriage of 18 years; and eliminate harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting;
- Review and repeal laws that punish women and girls who have undergone illegal abortions, as well as end imprisonment for such acts, bearing in mind that in no circumstances should abortion be considered as a family planning method;
- Advocate for increased development assistance budgets for population assistance, and ensure the target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for official development assistance as agreed at the previous IPCI/ICPD conferences; among others.
In addition to the main Statement of Commitment, a Declaration on Human Rights was adopted by acclamation by the participants. In this document, the parliamentarians “call on all States to guarantee equality before the law and non-discrimination for all people, by adopting laws and policies to protect the human rights of all individuals, without distinction of any kind.”
The Stockholm conference was attended by more than 260 parliamentarians from 134 countries around 6 continents. For more information and details on the conference, visit: http://www.ipci2014.org/en
