IPCI 2024 Oslo – a parliamentarians’ conference for a better future
This April in Oslo we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cairo Conference, where both women and sexual rights became part of the parliamentarians’ agenda for a brighter future around the globe. How do the commitments made 30 years ago keep changing our world for the better?
What is ICPD30?
The ICPD or Cairo Conference was a ten-day conference held in November 1994, where representatives of the nations of the world discussed the future of the world’s population. Among other things, the conference addressed developing countries’ right to continuous economic development, and a fairer trade between Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and High-Income Countries (HIC).
Nevertheless, the Cairo conference is best remembered as the conference that highlighted the role of women, and where the goal of emphasising reproductive health was unanimously supported by the delegates as part of the ICPD Action Plan. The 30-year review of the implementation of the ICPD Action Plan (ICPD30) is an opportunity both to celebrate the successes of the past three decades, as well as to reflect on the future of the ICPD agenda.
What is IPCI?
The 8th IPCI (International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action) will be held in Oslo from 10 to 12 April 2024. Around 300 parliamentarians, ministers, UN experts, civil society leaders and other stakeholders are scheduled to attend the IPCI conference. In Oslo parliamentarians are expected to write and sign a Statement of Commitment: an action-oriented declaration that charts a clear direction to accelerate progress on the ICPD agenda.
Grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the conference is designed to contribute to the capacity of parliamentarians to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in their countries. IPCI Oslo also aims to create solidarity and cooperation between international parliamentarians, SRHR advocates and human rights movements.
The 8th IPCI/ICPD conference is a pivotal meeting place for parliamentarians to focus on three common themes on the ICPD agenda:
- The converging global megatrends that are reshaping our world, from demographic diversity to the threat of the climate crisis, and their impact on our ability to achieve universal access to SRHR.
- The growing threat of digital violence, from cyberstalking and hate speech to doxxing and deepfakes, and its impact on women leaders.
- The challenges facing the funding landscape for SRHR, as governments’ priorities come under threat from security concerns. The ICPD agenda must be funded to drive progress in a digital and complex world. The return on investment in sexual and reproductive health and rights is well proven, but there is still a long way to go when it comes to ICPD commitments.
The IPCI conference provides a unique space for sharing best practice and promoting dialogue to ensure that the ICPD Programme of Action is updated and funded, and that SRHR for all is achieved.