UNITED NATIONS POPULATION INFORMATION NETWORK (POPIN) UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

Women's Rights

Leading Women's Rights Leader To Head ICPD NGO Committees

NGOs: Getting Ready for Prepcom II



Planning by non-governmental interests for Prepcom II and the rest of the 

ICPD process took a major step forward recently with the establishment of a 

Steering Committee for the ICPD NGO Planning Committee. Following on from 

reports in ICPD '94, issue 5, this new Steering Committee has now been put 

in place and held its first meeting on 11-12 March in New York.



Committee Decides on Leader



On 11 and 12 March, the full NGO Steering Committee for the ICPD came 

together with a mandate from the Planning Committee for the ICPD to 

coordinate the participation of NGOs at Cairo and on the way to Cairo.



The first action taken by the Steering committee was the election of a Chair 

- Ms. Billie Miller from Barbados - internationally known for her work on 

women's issues, particularly family planning. Ms. Miller will head the 

Planning Committee and its Steering Committee through the preparatory stages 

leading up to ICPD in Cairo in September 1994. One of the major tasks will 

to ensure the widest possible NGO representation.



In recognition of the immense administrative task facing the NGO community 

as it prepares for the ICPD, the Committee has set in place a strong 

administrative support team to assist it.



The Steering Committee agreed on mechanisms to ensure that the widest NGO 

representation was possible throughout the ICPD process and concentrated its 

efforts on the upcoming Second session of the Preparatory Committee meeting 

in May.



Dr. M. El-Banna, who came from Cairo to represent the Egyptian National 

Preparatory Committee, expressed his confidence in the Steering Committee 

and stated that the Egyptian NGO Committee will do all it can to be of 

assistance. The Egyptian National Preparatory Committee looks forward to 

working in partnership with the Steering Committee to ensure the success of 

the NGO Forum in Cairo. Dr. El-Banna extended an invitation to the Steering 

Committee to hold its summer meeting in Cairo to finalize plans for the NGO 

Forum.



The Steering Committee plans to meet again in New York in May, 1993 prior to 

the opening of the Second session of the Preparatory Committee for the ICPD.