MEDIA ADVISORY

African Population Experts Committee (APEC) and Ministers in Charge of Population Meetings on the 10-year Review of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development

INVITATION TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What: African Population Experts Committee (APEC) and Ministers in Charge of Population Meetings - A Working Group of the Specialised Technical Committee on Health, Population and Drug Control (STC-HPDC-4) on the 10-year Review of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development

When: 7-10 November 2023.

The meeting dates will be as follows:

• 7-8 November 2023: Meeting of the Experts on Population
• 9-10 November 2023: Meeting of the Ministers in charge of Population

Who: The African Population Experts Committee (APEC) and Ministers in Charge of Population Meetings will be organized by the African Union Commission Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs & Social Development (HHS) in cooperation with the Republic of Zambia, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

The meeting will be attended by Senior Officials and experts of relevant Ministries of AU Member States responsible for Migration, Labour, Trade, Employment, and related areas. Delegates will deliberate on the topical discourse and policies around migration and trade in Africa, with the main objective of improving understanding of the nexus between migration, free movement and trade, by unpacking socio-economic benefits and multiplier development dynamics of these phenomena on the Continent.

Why: The Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD) was adopted by African Ministers at the Africa Regional Conference on Population and Development held in Addis Ababa from October 3-4, 2013, and endorsed by African Heads of State at the African Union Executive Council in 2014. This declaration provides region-specific guidance on population and development in Africa, and guidelines for the full implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) beyond 2014 in Africa. The Declaration comprises a total of 88 priority measures (commitments) grouped under six pillars: Dignity and Equality; Health; Place and Mobility; Governance; Data and Statistics; Partnership and International Cooperation. In making the AADPD commitments, the Ministers viewed the demographic dividend as an important dimension of the AADPD agenda, and one of the key pathways from AADPD to sustainable development. With its human rights framing, the AADPD can serve as a standard for policies and programs that empower women and young people and uphold their rights.

The Decision of the STC-HPDC-4 held in June 2022 mandated the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), to initiate the review process for the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development at its 10-year mark. Therefore, this meeting is convening to consider the outcomes of the 10-year review report.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes:

The 10-year review aims at taking stock of progress since the 5-year review and identify best practices that have advanced the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action within the context of SDGs and Africa Agenda 2063. It will identify challenges that are hindering progress and put forth recommendations for each pillar of the AADPD based on the findings of national review reports.

The Expected outcomes from the meeting Meetings will the following:

• Consideration of key messages from the AADPD+10 Review Report for the 57th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in April of 2024Commission on Population and Development 5 “Assessing the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development”
• Consideration and Adoption of the Experts’ Report.

Participation at the event:

Participants will be from the Ministries in charge of Health, Nutrition and population. Other participants will include AU Member States government officials, experts and senior officials from the African Union Organs and Specialized Institutions and Agencies.

Media representatives are invited to attend and cover the African Population Experts Committee (APEC) and Ministers in Charge of Population Meetings in Kenneth Kaunda Wing, Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Lusaka, Zambia.

Note: As part of this meeting, a press conference will also be arranged on the last day of the conference. The time will be communicated in due course

For more information, please contact:   

Ms. Inas Mubarak, Ag. Head of Division, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission | Email: abbasi@africa-union.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

African Union Commission:
Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communications Directorate | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

UNFPA:
Daisy Leoncio | Regional Communications Adviser | Email: leoncio@unfpa.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
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