Country Profiles for Population and Reproductive Health

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo created a shift in the way the world viewed the relationship between population and development. The 179 nations participating in the conference approved a 20-year Programme of Action. This visionary programme, which was later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly, reflects an international consensus on the need to foster sustainable development. It emphasized the linkages between reducing poverty, empowering women, improving health, providing universal access to reproductive health services, enhancing the quality of life of the world’s people and creating a better balance between population dynamics and social and economic development. The following year, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing defined a 20-year Platform for Action that complemented and expanded on the Cairo commitments. This Platform aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, and to constructively engage men in achieving gender equality.