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

Preparing for Cairo

National Activities: Preparing for Cairo



 More than 100 countries have advised the ICPD Secretariat of the special 

arrangements they have put in place to prepare for the 1994 International 

Conference on Population and Development. In most of these countries, an ad 

hoc national committee has been formed. Though its composition may vary from 

country to country, these committees usually involve all relevant government 

departments and agencies, as well as NGOs, academics and sometimes 

parliamentarians.



National Committees essentially fulfill two tasks. The first consists of 

preparing a National Report on Population, which all countries participating 

in the ICPD have been invited to submit by the end of September 1993. These 

reports are prepared by national rather than international experts. The 

second task of the National Committees is to increase public awareness of 

population and development issues at both local and national levels in order 

to promote better understanding of the activities and purpose of the Cairo 

Conference.



Limited financial assistance is being provided by the ICPD Secretariat to 

developing countries to help fund their national preparations and cover the 

costs of drafting their national reports. The resources for this important 

assistance are being provided by extra-budgetary contributions from a number 

of both developed and developing countries.

(Out of 47 countries designated by the U.N. as "Least Developed Countries" 

(LDCs), 40 were able to attend PrepCom 11 through contributions made to the 

U.N. Voluntary Fund).



How Bangladesh is preparing for Cairo



The Government of Bangladesh has established a 19-member National Committee 

to work on its National Report on Population. This Committee includes key 

government representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 

the Planning Commission, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry 

of Social Welfare and Women s Affairs, as well as a number of NGOs, research 

organizations, academics and women's groups.



With financial support from the ICPD Secretariat, Bangladesh has also 

established five working groups to prepare its National Report and has 

organized three two-day seminars.



The Government of Guinea offers another example



The Government of Guinea established a National Committee to coordinate its 

ICPD-related activities, including the preparation of its National Report on 

Population.

This Committee includes representatives from government ministries involved 

in planning, population, human resources, communication and the economy.



National consultants have already started working on the draft version of 

their national report, which they will then present to the Committee and the 

National Population Council for comments and approval.



The Committee also plans to organize meetings to promote public awareness of 

the linkages between population and development issues at the national 

level. Seminars will also be arranged to ensure that all government sectors 

can actively participate in the ICPD process.