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Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session, Day 3 - Afternoon.

The Committee will focus on four areas of social development, namely: (1) future-proofing social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific in view of key megatrends including demographic trends, climate change and digitalization to address vulnerabilities and support sustainable social development, (2) building inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems in the face of emerging challenges as well as the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific, endorsed by the Committee in October 2020, (3) social and economic challenges and opportunities associated with slower population growth and the shift towards a greater number and share of older persons, and (4) strengthening disability-inclusive development and disability rights, as well as Implementation of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032.

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session, Day 3 - Afternoon!

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Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session, Day 2 - Afternoon.

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session, Day 2 - Afternoon

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session, Day 2 - Afternoon!

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Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 2– Morning).

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 2 – Morning)!

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Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – Afternoon).

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

The Committee will focus on four areas of social development, namely: (1) future-proofing social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific in view of key megatrends including demographic trends, climate change and digitalization to address vulnerabilities and support sustainable social development, (2) building inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems in the face of emerging challenges as well as the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific, endorsed by the Committee in October 2020, (3) social and economic challenges and opportunities associated with slower population growth and the shift towards a greater number and share of older persons, and (4) strengthening disability-inclusive development and disability rights, as well as Implementation of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032.

Related Sites and Documents

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – afternoon)!

[worldpopulationday]

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – Morning).

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

The Committee will focus on four areas of social development, namely: (1) future-proofing social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific in view of key megatrends including demographic trends, climate change and digitalization to address vulnerabilities and support sustainable social development, (2) building inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems in the face of emerging challenges as well as the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific, endorsed by the Committee in October 2020, (3) social and economic challenges and opportunities associated with slower population growth and the shift towards a greater number and share of older persons, and (4) strengthening disability-inclusive development and disability rights, as well as Implementation of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032.

Related Sites and Documents

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – Morning)!

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Engaging Youth and Academia with the World Population Prospects 2024: A UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue for the Classroom.

Join the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the United Nations Academic Impact for a special Global Policy Dialogue for the Classroom focused on breaking down the recent "World Population Prospects 2024."

Watch Engaging Youth and Academia with the World Population Prospects 2024: A UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue for the Classroom!

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World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results - Press Briefing.

Press Briefing by Mr. Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), along with Mr. John Wilmoth, Director, Population Division, UN DESA and Ms. Clare Menozzi, Senior Population Affairs Officer, Population Division, UN DESA. They brief journalists on the World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results.

Watch the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) on the World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results - Press Briefing.

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Launch of ICPD30 Think Pieces.

Watch Navigating Megatrends: The ICPD Programme of Action for a Sustainable Future!

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2024 United Nations Population Awards ceremony.

The aim of the United Nations Population Award Ceremony is to celebrate the achievements of laureates and their contributions to the development and/or implementation of solutions to issues and questions related to population and development. 

The Committee for the United Nations Population Award selects the laureates of the Award. The Committee is composed of ten representatives of Member States of the United Nations. For the period 2022-2023 the Committee reached a quorum of nine Member States consisting of the Republic of Bulgaria, Côte d'Ivoire, Guatemala, the Republic of Indonesia, Lebanon, the Republic of Liberia, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Portugal and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago elected by the Economic and Social Council for a term of three years (2021-2024). 

This year, the Committee for the United Nations Population Award will commemorate the 2024 laureates during an in-person event at UN Headquarters on 11 July, World Population Day, at 3pm EDT.

The United Nations General Assembly established the United Nations Population Award in resolution 36/201 on 17 December 1981. The Award is presented annually to an individual or individuals, or to an institution or institutions, or to any combination thereof, for the most outstanding contribution to the awareness of population questions or to their solutions.

Watch the 2024 United Nations Population Awards ceremony!

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Navigating Megatrends - The ICPD Programme of Action for a Sustainable Future.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the ICPD, and as the international community prepares for the Summit of the Future in September 2024, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has produced five Think Pieces exploring key themes shaping the future of the ICPD mandate and providing future-focused ideas on how to achieve the PoA in a world of radical transformation.

The think pieces are entitled: 

Demographic Change and Sustainability

The Future of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

The Future of Population Data

ICPD and Climate Action

A Safe Digital Future

The think pieces are intended to prompt discussion on future priorities and directions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerating, advancing and amplifying the vision and principles of the ICPD. 

Developed under UNFPA's leadership, the Think Pieces include technical contributions from more than 50 experts from the UN system, academia, civil society and INGOs.

Watch Navigating Megatrends - The ICPD Programme of Action for a Sustainable Future!

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Partnership continues to bring urgent care and protection to Syrian women and girls.

Over the past year, humanitarian funding from the European Union (EU) has enabled the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to deliver much-needed care and protection to nearly 300,000 Syrians throughout the country, primarily women and girls. The much-needed assistance, totalling EUR 14.6 million between 2023 and 2025, includes sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and the prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV), delivered from Damascus and cross-border from Gaziantep.

Despite the sustained efforts of humanitarian actors, the Syria crisis remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian and protection emergencies. In 2024, 16.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance — the highest number since the onset of the crisis in 2011. Among them, 8.4 million women and girls, around 4.1 million of whom are of reproductive age. 

A recent desk review conducted by UNFPA has revealed significant challenges in healthcare access across Syria, impacting essential health services drastically. Meanwhile, women and girls continue to face human rights violations that include unlawful killings, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and gender-based violence and discrimination, all of which have become normalised in recent years. UNFPA remains unwavering in its commitment to delivering a harmonised regional response to ensure that women and girls are protected from violence while also having access to quality SRH services — a vision that cannot be realised without the generous support of donors like the EU. 

"The health, rights, and dignity of women and girls in Syria are irreplaceable," remarked Laila Baker, UNFPA’s Regional Director for the Arab States. "Thanks to the EU's formidable partnership and support to our joint commitments, we have been able to provide essential sexual and reproductive health and protection services throughout Syria, including in rural and hard-to-reach areas, where such services are often scarce."

A recent impact assessment across Syria revealed that community members highly value UNFPA-supported services, with 90 percent of respondents rating these services as "absolutely essential" or "very important." Additionally, women and girls surveyed emphasised the scarcity of such services in their communities, underscoring the indispensable nature of a coordinated, impactful response.

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realisation of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care, and comprehensive sexuality education.

About EU Humanitarian Aid

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by human-made disasters or those caused by natural hazards. 

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

EU-UNFPA partnership continues to bring urgent care and protection to Syrian women and girls

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Advancing Women's Sexual and Reproductive Agency - Key to Accelerating SDG Progress, Eradicating Poverty, and Building Resilient, Sustainable Societies (HLPF 2024 Side Event).

As part of these efforts, UNFPA is convening a conversation among Member States, civil society, research institutions, and international organizations. This dialogue will focus on the importance of women's sexual and reproductive agency and how it contributes to the acceleration of other SDGs such as Goal 1, 2, 13, and 16, the progress achieved thus far, and the next steps needed to position the measurement of sexual and reproductive agency as central in the post-SDG era.

Objectives

Showcase the latest research and evidence on SDG Target 5.6.

In the run up to the post SDG era, identify ways to strengthen efforts to measure sexual and reproductive agency, particularly for those women and girls who are furthest behind, while exploring its positive impact on other SDGs.

build partnerships across government, civil society, and academia to support efforts to enhance measurements and monitoring for sexual and reproductive agency and position them in the post-2030 Agenda.

Watch Advancing Women's Sexual and Reproductive Agency: Key to Accelerating SDG Progress, Eradicating Poverty, and Building Resilient, Sustainable Societies (HLPF 2024 Side Event)!

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including and empowering persons with disabilities.

UNFPA in cooperation with its partners works jointly to promote the social inclusion of women and girls.

including and empowering persons with disabilities.

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(Part 2) ICPD30 Global Dialogue on Technology.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA), the Governments of the Bahamas and Luxembourg with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, are convening key stakeholders to celebrate achievements, address polarization, and position for the future.

Panel discussion: Rights-based, inclusive and equitable technology - Driver of progress for women and girls

Panel discussion: Tech for diagnostics, development and treatment - Pioneering equitable healthcare R&D

Closing session

Over the past three decades, technology has been a powerful catalyst for the remarkable achievements of the conference's Programme of Action, particularly for women's health, rights and choices. Advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), have expanded the possibilities for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, accelerating gender equality and sustainable development. 

The dialogue brings together key stakeholders from the public and private sector to: 

Celebrate achievements by showcasing three decades of technological advancements, including the rapid growth of AI, which have contributed to sustainable development as well as to progress for women's health, rights and well-being.

Foster progress for rights-based and equitable design and use of technology as well as access to technology. The dialogue will promote discussions to support safe, private, equitable and secure design, use and access, aligned with human rights and gender equality principles.

Advance commitments towards the development of feasible, cost-effective and scalable technologies, addressing the digital divide and the associated inequalities in technology diffusion, which affect people's access to the benefits of technologies and risk further worsening social divides and discrimination.

Enable collective action to address safety, equitable access, governance, discrimination and tech-facilitated gender-based violence by aligning technology with human rights, gender equality, the rule of law and the common good.

Support future partnerships and collaboration to harness the potential of technology for sustainable development and to work towards a world in which technology equalizes opportunities for women and girls and benefits all.

Related Sites and Documents

International Conference on Population and Development Website

Watch (Part 2) ICPD30 Global Dialogue on Technology!

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(Part 1) ICPD30 Global Dialogue on Technology.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA), the Governments of the Bahamas and Luxembourg with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, are convening key stakeholders to celebrate achievements, address polarization, and position for the future.

High level opening ceremony

Panel discussion: Meaningful connectivity - Closing the digital devide.

Over the past three decades, technology has been a powerful catalyst for the remarkable achievements of the conference's Programme of Action, particularly for women's health, rights and choices. Advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), have expanded the possibilities for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, accelerating gender equality and sustainable development. 

The dialogue brings together key stakeholders from the public and private sector to: 

Celebrate achievements by showcasing three decades of technological advancements, including the rapid growth of AI, which have contributed to sustainable development as well as to progress for women's health, rights and well-being.

Foster progress for rights-based and equitable design and use of technology as well as access to technology. The dialogue will promote discussions to support safe, private, equitable and secure design, use and access, aligned with human rights and gender equality principles.

Advance commitments towards the development of feasible, cost-effective and scalable technologies, addressing the digital divide and the associated inequalities in technology diffusion, which affect people's access to the benefits of technologies and risk further worsening social divides and discrimination.

Enable collective action to address safety, equitable access, governance, discrimination and tech-facilitated gender-based violence by aligning technology with human rights, gender equality, the rule of law and the common good.

Support future partnerships and collaboration to harness the potential of technology for sustainable development and to work towards a world in which technology equalizes opportunities for women and girls and benefits all.

Related Sites and Documents

International Conference on Population and Development

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Empowering Young People Through Youth-Friendly Spaces.

“I found myself in this youth-friendly space and learned a lot of new experiences”, Kinda, 21 years from Homs, Syria Check here to know more about...

Empowering Young People Through Youth-Friendly Spaces.

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Midwives save lives in remote, war-torn Syria.

“In my 25 years as a midwife, one of my most challenging cases was a high-risk pregnancy of a woman carrying twin fetuses,” says Yusra, 47, midwife...

Midwives save lives in remote, war-torn Syria