Governments

Governments have continued to express their commitment to the ICPD PoA since it was signed by 179 UN Member States in 1994. Their participation has been crucial to ensuring that the ICPD process has been robust, that results have been based on the best available data and that the voices of various stakeholders are considered. At the 2014 UNGASS, they re-affirmed their commitment to the ICPD PoA and its full implementation beyond 2014, and have made strong calls for the inclusion of the findings and recommendations in the Framework of Actions Beyond 2014 and into the post-2015 development agenda. Governments have been key partners in the evidence gathering processes and in the consultations at national level.

The goals and objectives of the ICPD PoA touch on every area of development policy, and every UN agency has a role to play in the review process. UN agencies were part of the governance and guidance mechanisms at every level of the ICPD Beyond 2014 review process - from strategic planning to delivery. In addition, all UN agencies identified ICPD focal point staff who led their organisations input to the review. UNFPA has a specific role and expertise in relation to population and development issues and was therefore mandated as the co-ordinating body for the ICPD Beyond 2014 review, and had particular responsibilities in leading the process, through the ICPD Beyond 2014 Secretariat.

Parliamentarians are an important and influential partners who played an important role in the ICPD Beyond 2014 review. There are four regional Parliamentarian groups: Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development, Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, Inter-American Parliamentarian Group on Population and Development and European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development. Each group brings together parliamentarians in their region with UNFPA support on a regular basis to discuss the ICPD agenda and the 2030 Agenda.

Civil society, at all levels, is instrumental in shaping the ICPD agenda. Civil society plays an important advocacy role in advancing the PoA, as well as in delivering the objectives of the ICPD, by implementing activities on the ground. In December 2011, UNFPA hosted Moving Beyond 2014, a global civil society stakeholder meeting in Istanbul that brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) to coordinate their efforts and provide feedback on the ICPD Beyond 2014 process. UNFPA also hosted five regional consultations, during the review, which provided CSOs with the chance to offer their input on how to link the ICPD Beyond 2014 process to the UN Development Agenda Beyond 2015.

In December 2012, youth, government and civil society representatives participated in the ICPD Global Youth Forum. The Forum addressed key themes of staying healthy, comprehensive education, families, youth rights and well-being - including sexuality, decent employment and fully inclusive civil participation. The resulting ICPD Global Youth Forum Bali Declaration provides recommendations for the future development agenda and a tool for on-going advocacy on global youth priorities.