On 22 December 2010, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to extend the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), agreed on by 179 countries in Cairo in 1994, beyond 2014. The extension comes with no end date for the PoA.

The adopted resolution includes the following agreements to:

• convene a United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) during its 69th session in 2014 to assess the status of implementation of the PoA and to renew political support for actions required for the full achievement of its goals and objectives;
•  reaffirm that the special session will be undertaken on the basis of and with full respect for the PoA and that there will be no renegotiation of the existing agreements contained in the PoA; and,
• call upon the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to undertake an operational review of the implementation of the PoA on the basis of the highest quality data and analysis of the state of population and development. The Secretary-General would submit a report based on this review to the Commission on Population and Development at its 47th session in 2014 as well as to the UNGASS.

UNFPA welcomed the General Assembly's decision, stating “With the world approaching a population of 7 billion, some 215 million women still facing unmet need for family planning, and demographic changes, such as ageing, urbanization and migration, affecting prospects for sustainable development,” said Ms. Obaid, “the United Nations Member States have again acknowledged the importance of fully implementing the ICPD agenda to improve the lives of people around the world.

To read the UNFPA press release, please click here.