World leaders, CEOs, United Nations and civil society representatives will seek to galvanize renewed action for Small Island Developing States, and articulate small island priorities for the next 20 years at the Third International Conference on SIDS, which begins on 1 September in Appia, Samoa. They are expected to announce major new commitments and initiatives on a range of issues that will have measurable impact in advancing the economic, social, and environmental well-being of SIDS.
The conference will thus provide a crucial opportunity to mobilize all sectors of society to promote equitable growth, social well-being, and a low-carbon economy, while at the same time preserving the environment on which many SIDS are dependent.
The S.A.M.O.A. Pathway
“A big Conference success has already been achieved. This is the first international conference many of us can remember that has reached agreement on its political outcome during the preparatory process, before reaching the Conference itself”, said Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of the Conference, at a press briefing in the run up to the global gathering.
This shows that there is “broad agreement among UN Member States on the challenges that SIDS are facing today” he continued. Conference participants will now be able to focus their energy on how to take forward the decisions in the outcome document and on generating sustainable partnerships. The outcome document, called the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, or S.A.M.O.A. Pathway, has already been agreed on in principle and is to be adopted at the Conference.
Multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues
This is the first UN international conference that has multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues as part of the official programme, running in parallel with the plenary sessions. This reflects the realization that sustainable development can’t be achieved by governments alone.
“This is the first international conference many of us can remember that has reached agreement on its political outcome during the preparatory process”
Wu-Hongbo, Secretary General of the SIDS Conference
The pre-conference activities that took place between 28 and 31 August had partnerships as a main theme, and the results of these four fora – The Youth Forum, the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Forum, the Renewable Energy Forum and the Private Sector Forum – will serve as inputs to the Conference.
The Conference will consist of an opening and a closing ceremony and a total of six plenary meetings to be held from Monday, 1 September to Thursday, 4 September. The Conference will also include six multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues on:
Sustainable Economic Development
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management
Social Development in SIDS, Health and non-communicable diseases, youth and women
Sustainable Energy
Oceans, Seas and Biodiversity
Water and sanitation, food security and waste management
Strong UN Commitment
The UN system is strongly committed to this Conference. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and at least 19 heads of agencies will attend.
Around 700 participants from Major Groups and other stakeholders representing almost 150 organisations have registered for the Conference. This is significantly more than attendance to the previous two SIDS Conferences. Furthermore, 121 side and parallel events will be held in Apia. The host country is expecting around 3000 participants.
Island voices, global choices
The Conference is taking place on the eve of major global choices. The UN’s post-2015 development agenda is expected to be adopted at a Summit in September 2015, and the world is also aiming to reach a new climate change agreement in 2015. One of the aims of the Conference is to ensure that island voices are heard loud and clear when people and leaders discuss and agree on these major issues next year.
Civil society, the UN system and other partners will join Governments at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday, 22 September, for the Special Session of the General Assembly on Population and Development. The Governments will gather at the highest political level to follow up on the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, to assess the status of implementation of the Programme of Action and to renew political support for actions required for the full achievement of its goals and objectives.
The special session marks the twentieth anniversary of the Programme of Action and provides an opportunity for the international community to respond to new challenges relevant to population and development (such as ageing and climate change) and to reinforce the integration of population issues into the post-2015 development agenda. The special session will be composed of plenary meetings and will feature statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Member and Observer States and observers, and five selected representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Two reports will inform discussions at the special session: a report on the operational review of the implementation of the Programme of Action, and an index report of recurrent themes and key elements identified during the sessions of the Commission on Population and Development, especially during the forty-seventh session in 2014, which focused on an assessment of the Programme of Action. The index report reviews statements highlighting the importance of human rights and a people-centred approach for the post-2015 development agenda and urging priority to goals of gender equality, empowerment of women, investment in young people, inclusive economic growth and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Key findings from the operational review emphasize the significant progress that has been made since 1994 in women’s equality, population health and life expectancy, educational attainment and reducing extreme poverty. The report also calls attention to the continued, critical needs to extend human rights and protect all persons from discrimination and violence; invest in lifelong health and education, especially for young people; achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; ensure security of place and mobility; build sustainable, inclusive cities; change patterns of consumption; and strengthen global leadership and accountability.
When 179 Governments met in Cairo at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, 5.7 billion people were living on the planet. Today, the world’s population has reached 7.2 billion people. Despite slowing population growth, UN projections suggest that world population could reach 9.6 billion by 2050, with most of the increase concentrated in the poorest countries. The world’s population today is characterized by unprecedented diversity and change, reflected in patterns of fertility, mortality, migration, urbanization and ageing. The consequences of these major population trends present new opportunities and challenges not only for the achievement of the objectives of the Programme of Action and the key actions for its further implementation, but also for sustainable development overall as highlighted in the proposal by the Open Working Group for a set of sustainable development goals.
“There are very few factors that will shape the future global development situation as fundamentally as population patterns and trends. At the same time, the world is an increasingly complex place to live, with Governments facing quite different demographic opportunities and challenges ,” said Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General of UN DESA.
Population growth increasingly concentrated in Africa and Asia
The World Population Situation in 2014, a report released by UN DESA’s Population Division, shows that future population growth will be predominately concentrated in Africa and Asia, which will account for 90 per cent of the growth in the world’s population between 2014 and 2050. Approximately 40 per cent of global population growth will occur in the least developed countries of the world.
“There are very few factors that will shape the future global development situation as fundamentally as population patterns and trends.”
Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General of UN DESA
Yet considerable diversity exists in future population trajectories, driven mostly by differences in fertility. Population decline and the acceleration of population ageing are important concerns for many Governments. Between 2014 and 2050, the populations of more than 40 countries and major areas are expected to decrease. Europe as a whole is projected to experience population decline after 2020.
World population grows older as the number of younger people stabilises
The number of young people has grown rapidly in recent decades but is expected to remain relatively stable over the next 35 years. In 2014, there are 1.2 billion people aged 15 to 24. Today’s young people are healthier compared to their counterparts in 1994. They are also more likely to attend school, to postpone entry into the labour force and to delay marriage and childbearing.
The number and proportion of older people, in contrast, are expected to continue rising. Globally, the share of older persons (aged 60 years or older) in the total population increased from 9 per cent in 1994 to 12 per cent in 2014, and is expected to reach 21 per cent by 2050. The number of people over age 60 almost doubled between 1994 and 2014, and older persons today outnumber children under the age of five. Better policies are needed to ensure economic security in old age, to improve health care at all ages and to strengthen family support mechanisms.
Changing patterns of birth and death
Total fertility for the world had fallen to around three children per woman by 1994, compared to around 4.5 children per woman in the early 1970s. In 2014, total fertility for the world had reached around 2.5 children per woman. More than 90 per cent of Governments now support family planning programmes. However, only a few countries have met even a minimal benchmark of a 50 per cent reduction in the unmet need for family planning. Increased efforts will be needed to provide universal access to voluntary and high-quality family planning information, counselling and services for all countries of the world.
Declining fertility rates have also been driven by expanded opportunities for women and significant declines in infant and child mortality. Worldwide, the risk of death for children under age five fell by 40 per cent between 1994 and 2014. Likewise, life expectancy at birth increased worldwide from 64.8 years in 1990-1995 to 70.0 years in 2010-2015. However, the gap in life expectancy between the more developed regions and the least developed countries remains large at 17.1 years.
“We still have a lot of work to do in order to meet the agreed targets for life expectancy and for infant, child and maternal mortality,” said John Wilmoth, Director of UN DESA’s Population Division.
The world becomes more urban and more mobile
More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, rising from 2.3 billion people in 1994 to 3.9 billion in 2014 and is projected to grow further to 6.3 billion people by 2050. The rapid growth of urban populations presents challenges to sustainable urban planning and good governance. Urban policies that improve access to education, health care, housing and other services, mitigate environmental impacts, and expand economic opportunities, are needed.
“We still have a lot of work to do in order to meet the agreed targets for life expectancy and for infant, child and maternal mortality”
John Wilmoth, Director of UN DESA’s Population Division
The number of international migrants worldwide reached 232 million in 2013, up from 154 million in 1990. There are more people living outside their country of birth than ever before, and it is expected that the numbers will increase further. With international migration increasingly recognized as an enabler of social and economic development, increased efforts are needed to ensure regular, safe and orderly processes of migration.
Population trends matter for the post-2015 development agenda
During the upcoming special session of the UN General Assembly commemorating the Cairo conference, the international community will have the opportunity to forge clear links between the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and the setting of the post-2015 global development agenda, including goals and targets for sustainable development. This new development agenda must take into account numerous demographic factors, including the impacts of population size, growth and decline, the needs of children, youth and older persons, and the reality of people’s mobility both within and between countries.
“The interests of the indigenous peoples must be part of the new development agenda in order for it to succeed. As we prepare for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September, I urge all Member States to work in full partnership with indigenous peoples and their representatives to improve their lives and opportunities. Together, let us recognize and celebrate the valuable and distinctive identities of indigenous peoples around the world. Let us work even harder to empower them and support their aspirations”, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the 2014 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The UN is working in many different ways to ensure that the voices of indigenous are heard. As part of these efforts, the UN General Assembly is organizing the first ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, a High Level Meeting on 22-23 September 2014. Today, there are some 370 million indigenous peoples in the world. They represent remarkable diversity — more than 5,000 distinct peoples in some 90 countries. They are still among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, with many of them struggling to remain on their lands and retain the right to their natural resources, while others have long since been removed from their lands, denied their languages and traditional ways.
“Existing mechanisms for consultation with indigenous peoples should be strengthened, and new mechanisms established where they are needed”
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary General of DESA
Bridging the gap: Implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples
The United Nations and indigenous peoples have made significant progress in their collaboration with the establishment of the three pillars of engagement — the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — the United Nations has undertaken important steps towards greater recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples. What is required now is more decisive action at international and national levels to bridge the gap between the promise of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 to set out minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world) and the reality of its implementation.
“Greater efforts are needed to bridge this implementation gap. Coordination among Governments, UN Agencies and others when dealing with indigenous peoples’ issues should be improved. Existing mechanisms for consultation with indigenous peoples should be strengthened, and new mechanisms established where they are needed,” said UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo at this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The World Conference will focus on how to ensure that regional, constitutional, federal/national, provincial and local laws, policies and procedures comply with Declaration and other international human rights standards that uphold the rights of indigenous peoples. It will consider potential actions under the UN system for the implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples.
Addressing Indigenous Peoples’ lands, territories and resources
A centrepiece of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is article 3, which affirms: “Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” During the more than two-decade debate that preceded the adoption of the Declaration, it was increasingly understood that self-determination is a foundational principle that anchors the constellation of indigenous peoples’ rights.
Lands, territories and resources have particular cultural and spiritual significance and value for indigenous peoples; they constitute the basis for the continued existence of their societies. For centuries, indigenous peoples have faced and continue to face colonization of their lands, territories, resources, air, ice, oceans and waters, and mountains and forests. This has resulted in patterns of domination, exploitation and subjugation of their peoples. The provisions of the Declaration affirm their inherent rights to participate fully in decision-making that affects them.
This year, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues recognized that good governance – including transparency; responsiveness; consensus-building; equity and inclusiveness; effectiveness and efficiency; accountability; participation; consultation and consent; human rights; and the rule of law – must be achieved at the international, national, regional and local levels and applied to governments and institutions of indigenous peoples. Good governance is about who has access to decision-making and authority with regard to lands, territories and resources that result in revenue and services to peoples.
“We are all committed to ensuring that the priorities of indigenous peoples are duly recognized and reflected in our global development efforts, specifically in the crafting of the upcoming post-2015 development agenda”
H.E. John W. Ashe, President of the General Assembly
The Forum also noted that there are examples of indigenous laws, traditions and customs that represent good governance. There are instances where States have worked with indigenous peoples to develop governance structures that improve conditions in indigenous communities and where indigenous peoples are involved in every stage of project design.
The World Conference will examine indigenous people’s right of self-determination and permanent sovereignty over lands, territories, resources, oceans and waters. It will consider how to establish effective mechanisms through agreements reached between states and indigenous peoples to effectively implement these rights.
Indigenous priorities for the post-2015 sustainable development agenda
“We are all committed to ensuring that the priorities of indigenous peoples are duly recognized and reflected in our global development efforts, specifically in the crafting of the upcoming post-2015 development agenda“, said H.E. Mr. John W. Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in his remarks at the Informal interactive hearings for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, 17 June 2014.
Indigenous peoples are actively involved in the work preparing for the post-2015 development agenda, including the designing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to ensure that their concerns are reflected and their rights protected. The interests of the indigenous peoples must be part of the new development agenda in order for it to succeed,” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples at this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. A discussion on the post-2015 development agenda will take place at the World Conference, with indigenous peoples presenting their priorities for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the connection between customs, belief systems, values, languages, cultures and traditional knowledge.
The World Conference will be an opportunity to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, including pursuing the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Conference will also result in a concise, action-oriented outcome document prepared on the basis of inclusive and open informal consultations with Member States and indigenous peoples.
