In 1994, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem was one of many women’s rights activists who took part in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. She felt elated when 179 governments agreed on the ICPD Programme of Action, which enshrined the human right to decide freely whether, when and with whom to have children.
Twenty-five years later, she has mixed emotions. While significant progress has been made, the promise of Cairo remains far from complete, Dr. Kanem writes in an op-ed for the Asahi Web-RONZA.
On the 25th anniversary of ICPD, she calls on all stakeholders to make sexual and reproductive rights a priority for a new generation whose rights are at stake. That's why the governments of Kenya and Denmark and UNFPA are co-convening the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25.
"Today, in a world buffeted by discrimination, political turbulence and climate change, the progress made since 1994 is under threat. Against this backdrop, it is more urgent than ever to champion the vision of Cairo and redouble our efforts to complete the unfinished business."
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