Expert consultation series on population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development

Overview

The special theme of the 59th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), taking place in April 2026, is “Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development”. As part of the substantive preparations for the annual session, the Population Division of UN DESA will convene a series of expert consultations during October 2025 to discuss selected aspects of the special theme. The consultations will bring together experts from various sectors and regions to review key developments and evidence most critical to bring to the attention of the Commission, in order to inform the preparation of the report of the Secretary-General on the special theme.

Profound changes in the technological landscape have taken place since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994. ICPD took place in the early days of commercial use of the internet and world wide web; since then the world has seen widespread adoption of mobile communication, new forms of communication such as social media, massive increases in digital data systems, advances in biotechnology and health science and renewable energy, and most recently artificial intelligence.

The ICPD Programme of Action contained a chapter on “Technology, research and development” that covered basic data collection, analysis and dissemination, reproductive health research and social and economic research. Yet the profound transformations of the technological landscape impact the commitments and policy recommendations of every chapter. 

Technological advancements have boosted ICPD implementation by expanding access to reproductive health services, improving data collection and monitoring, empowering individuals through digital education, and enhancing collaboration, coordination and advocacy through online platforms.

Technological change has in some cases exacerbated inequalities and created new divides and challenges, including, for example, unequal access between countries, and within countries for women, the poor, older persons or marginalized groups; data security and privacy; cyber-bullying and rapid spread of misinformation or unvetted information. 

The Programme of Action continues to provide the crucial normative foundation for policies in population and sustainable development, which should harness technological innovation while protecting human rights and ensuring that no one is left behind.

While recognizing the breadth of impacts of technology across the Programme of Action topic areas, as well as the vast scope of research that has strengthened the evidence base for policies relevant to population and sustainable development, the report of the Secretary-General to be prepared by the Population Division will focus on selected aspects that intersect with demographic trends and where normative guidance of the CPD is particularly salient, for example, advances in population data, new technologies for contraception or assisted reproduction, technology that advances overall and healthy life spans, and technology trends with relevance to international migration. The report will both highlight evidence on the impact of technological change and take a forward-looking view of advancements on the horizon.

Documents

• Concept note
• Programme
• Organization of work
• List of participants
• Biographies of speakers
• Report