$64.7 Billion Needed for Population Programmes to Curb Poverty

ISSUE 87 - 06 April 2009

The 42nd session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) concluded last week with the adoption of a resolution on "The contribution of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development to the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals".

By the terms of the resolution, the United Nations' member states inter alia:

1. Reaffirmed that the ICPD Programme of Action is integrally linked to global efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve development.
2. Called upon governments in commemorating the 15th anniversary of the ICPD, to intensify actions to achieve over the next five years, the Cairo and Millennium Development Goals, especially targets 5a and 5b.
3. Recognized the dire need to increase financial resources to implement the Programme of Action, especially for family planning.

In this regard, the Commission adopted the revised Cairo cost estimates proposed in the Secretary-General's report on financing of the ICPD Programme of Action. Below is a press release by UNFPA on the new estimates and link to the full report of the Secretary-General. Also, attached is a table with the costs for 2009-2015.

$64.7 Billion Needed for Population Programmes to Curb Poverty
One third, $21.6 Billion, Expected from Donors, Two-Thirds Due as Domestic Funds

UNITED NATIONS, New York - Investments of $64.7 billion are needed in 2010 for population programmes that are essential to reduce poverty, promote development and curtail maternal death, according to a revision approved by United Nations Members at the closing session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) late on Friday. One third of this sum, about $21.6 billion, is expected as international assistance, while the remaining two thirds would be domestic investments by developing nations.

The new figure of $64.7 billion is a major revision of the $20.5 billion (in 1993 United States dollars) for 2010 that was adopted at the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). This is the first time in 15 years that the Cairo Programme of Action's cost estimates have been reviewed, as demanded by that global consensus.

A report of the United Nations Secretary-General says the revision was urgently needed due to the dramatic growth in current needs, with health-care costs skyrocketing and data collection costs rising, as many countries prepare for the 2010 round of censuses.

United Nations Members approved the new figures in recognition of the "dire need to increase the financial resources for the implementation" of the Cairo Programme, according to a resolution they adopted. They were particularly concerned about funding for family planning, which was far below requirements.

The $64.7 billion is broken into work categories adopted in Cairo. The total 2010 costs for sexual and reproductive health, which include family planning and maternal health, are estimated at $27.4 billion; $32.5 billion for HIV/AIDS; and $4.8 billion for basic research, data collection and policy analysis. The figures change annually, rising from some $67.8 billion in 2011 to $69.8 billion in 2015.

The new estimates more accurately reflect current needs and are more in line with the investments required to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

In a statement delivered on her behalf by the Deputy Executive Director (Programme), Purnima Mane, Ms. Obaid said, "as the financial crisis unwinds, now is the time to increase social investment and redouble efforts for the ICPD agenda." The experiences shared by countries around the world, she added, "clearly showed that we are aware of the urgent need for intensified action and committed to the cause."

The key agenda before the Commission was the contribution of the Cairo Programme to the MDGs. The world's developing countries made the case when they said on the opening day: "the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action is crucial for the eradication of extreme poverty."

Speaking as the Group of 77 and China, they added that the Cairo consensus: "has a direct impact on the ability to achieve the MDGs linked to health and social and economic outcomes in the areas of children, mothers, HIV/AIDS, gender, poverty and employment."

A copy of the Secretary-General's report on, "The flow of financial resources for assisting in the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development" can be found here.

All previous issues of the UNFPA Global Population Policy Update can now be found on UNFPA's website.

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This newsletter is issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in its capacity as the secretariat for the biennial International Parliamentarians' Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD). The first IPCI/ICPD was held in November 2002 in Ottawa, Canada; the second in October 2004 in Strasbourg, France; and the third in November 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. These dispatches are intended to highlight important developments taking place around the world so that parliamentarians can stay informed of and learn from the successes, setbacks and challenges encountered by their fellow counterparts in other countries and regions in their efforts to promote the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (September 1994, Cairo, Egypt). It should be noted that UNFPA does not necessarily endorse all of the policies described in this newsletter.

Please send mailing list update information to Ragaa Said at said@unfpa.org. If you have any questions or comments on the content of this newsletter, please contact Ms. Said, Nobuko Takahashi at takahashi@unfpa.org or Safiye Cagar at cagar@unfpa.org.