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The conference adopted a 20-year Programme of Action which focused on individuals' needs and rights, rather than on achieving demographic targets. Also referred to as the "Cairo Consensus," it was the first international document to recognize the interconnections among reproductive health, a sustainable environment and economic development. The Cairo Consensus encouraged each participating country to invest in and strive for the following goals by the year 2015:
Since the ICPD, national governments, NGOs, clinics, doctors, nurses, women's rights advocates and environmental groups from around the world have committed themselves to ensuring that promises made in Cairo become a reality. Most countries have developed nationwide plans of how to implement the goals of Cairo - how to better deliver voluntary services to more women, families and children. Environmental organizations have worked side-by-side with women's organizations, collectively advocating for increased global access to reproductive healthcare and education. In 1994 the U.S. was regarded as a leader on global reproductive health issues. The U.S. committed financially to supporting the implementation of the ICPD goals in developing countries through USAID, its own population and development organization and for UNFPA, the United Nations implementing organization. However, more than ten years later, the U.S. has fallen extremely short of its financial commitment to the Cairo Consensus. Measured in constant dollars, U.S. funding for international family planning under President Bush has fallen to its lowest level since 1970. The U.S. leads donor countries for international reproductive health and population efforts, with aid of $963 million in 2002. But when the size of the U.S. economy is accounted for, the U.S. falls into 11th place. The U.S. does even worse when it comes to overall development assistance, devoting only .13 percent of its gross national income in 2002, stark contrast to the Netherlands' .81 percent of GNI (1). In 1999, an official five year review of the Programme's progress was conducted by the United Nations General Assembly. The ICPD+5 Review demonstrated that the 1994 ICPD goals were still valid and that progress had been made in advancing the international goals. However, urgent action was still needed - specifically to address insufficient funding. At the 10th Anniversary for ICPD in 2004, mid-point of its 20-year Programme of Action, there was much to celebrate. Many countries were successful in translating the commitments they made in Cairo into policies and action programs that transformed the lives of women and men around the world. But, much remains to be done. We must commit ourselves to insuring that by 2015, we will be able to point to ten more years of progress. We must hold our government accountable and see that it lives up to the promises we made in Cairo. Click here to find out why the Cairo Consensus is important to environmentalists (pdf)
Communicate with your decision- makers about your support of the Cairo Programme of Action. Let them know you are part of a nationwide effort to urge the U.S. to live up to the promises we made to women and families around the world at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Encourage them to support funding for policies and programs that promote healthy families and a healthy environment!
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The Cairo Consensus
Addressing the issue of population requires analysis of the most deeply held cultural, religious, political and individual beliefs. For decades, tackling population growth has been mired in controversy - often pitting women's rights advocates against environmental advocates. But, at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), 179 nations- including the U.S.- met in Cairo, Egypt, to re-define how we address both the problems of and solutions to population growth. 