The International Conference on Population and Development+15, on Monday opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the expectation that participatory countries would show more commitment towards the Programme of Action (POA) and implement strategies that would improve the lives of the African people.
About 250 participants, including ministers of state, experts on population, gender and development, civil society and media personnel are attending the conference which would end on October 23.
The conference, which is being hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Africa Union Commission (AUC) is on the theme: "ICPD and the MDGs: Working as One."
Various topics and issues to be discussed include an overview of the ICPD+15; regional review report; panel discussions on achievements and facilitating factors and challenges as well as sub-regional initiatives on population and development.
At a media briefing, Mrs Etta Tadesse, Head, UNFPA Liaison Office to the AUC and ECA, said though some level of achievements had been recorded in connection with the ICPD ideals, there was still much to be done considering the fact that there remained only five years to achieve set targets.
The ICPD was first held in Cairo in 1994 where a programme of action that provided a comprehensive framework on issues of interrelationship between populations, sustained economic growth and sustained development and advances in education, economic status and empowerment of women was adopted to be implemented by each member country. Ghana is a member.
According to Mrs Tadesse, a lot of commitment was needed on the part of countries to attain the ICPD which is Africa's agenda to improve the lives of its people.
"It is about time we come out with time-bound attainable decisions that could be worked upon within the shortest time. And this is what we expect from the Ministers and various representatives at this conference," Mrs Tadesse said.
Professor Oladele Arowolo, ECA Consultant, said there was the need for all countries to come together to achieve the goals of the ICPD which also fall in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
<<Print>>