26 July 1991

32nd plenary meeting

International Conference on Population and Development

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 3344 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974 on the United Nations World Population Conference, 37/14 B of 16 November 1982 on Secretariat organization for United Nations special conferences, 39/228 of 18 December 1984 on the International Conference on Population, 44/210 of 22 December 1989 on future needs in the field of population, including the development of resource requirements for international population assistance, S-18/3 of 1 May 1990, containing the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, 45/199 of 21 December 1990, containing the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, 45/206 of 21 December 1990 on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s and 45/216 of 21 December 1990 on population and development,

Recalling also its resolution 1989/91 of 26 July 1989, in which it decided to convene an international meeting on population in 1994, under the auspices of the United Nations,

Noting with satisfaction the appointment of the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund as Secretary-General of the 1994 international meeting on population and of the Director of the Population Division of the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs as the Deputy Secretary-General of the meeting,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on preparations for a 1994 international meeting on population and the progress made in the preparations for the meeting,

Emphasizing the national sovereignty of all countries in formulating, adopting and implementing their population policies, mindful of their culture, values and traditions, as well as of their social, economic and political conditions, and consistent with human rights and with the responsibilities of individuals, couples and families,

1. Decides that the meeting should henceforth be called the International Conference on Population and Development;

2. Invites the Secretary-General of the Conference and all concerned organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in carrying out the preparatory activities of the Conference, to draw on the guidelines provided in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, as well as on the results of the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the International Forum on Population in the Twenty-first Century, and to draw on other recent major intergovernmental instruments and meetings;

3. Decides that the objectives of the Conference should be:

(a) To contribute to the review and appraisal of the progress made in reaching the objectives, goals and recommendations of the World Population Plan of Action and to identify the obstacles encountered;

(b) To identify instruments and mechanisms in order to ensure the operational implementation of the recommendations;

(c) To maintain and strengthen the level of awareness of population issues on the international agenda and their linkage to development;

(d) To consider the desired focus of intensified action at the global, regional and national levels, as well as all necessary ways and means of treating population issues in their proper developmental perspective during the forthcoming decade and beyond;

(e) To adopt a set of recommendations for the next decade in order to respond to the population and development issues of high priority identified in paragraph 4 below;

(f) To enhance the mobilization of resources needed, especially in developing countries, for the implementation of the results of the Conference;

resources should be mobilized at the international and national levels by each country according to its capacity;

4. Emphasizes that population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development will be the overall theme of the Conference and identifies within that theme the following groups of issues, which are not listed in any order of priority, as those requiring the greatest attention, during the forthcoming decade, from the international community and from the Conference:

(a) Population growth, changes in demographic structure, including ageing of population, and the regional diversity of such changes, with particular emphasis on the interaction between demographic variables and socio-economic development;

(b) Population policies and programmes, with emphasis on the mobilization of resources for developing countries, at the international and national levels by each country according to its capacity;

(c) The interrelationships between population, development, environment and related matters;

(d) Changes in the distribution of population, including socio-economic determinants of internal migration and the consequences for urban and rural development, as well as determinants and consequences of all types of international migration;

(e) Linkages between enhancing the roles and socio-economic status of women and population dynamics, including adolescent motherhood, maternal and child health, education and employment, with particular reference to the access of women to resources and the provision of services;

(f) Family-planning programmes, health and family well-being;

5. Stresses the need, in connection with foregoing issues, to take account of the particular circumstances of the least developed countries;

6. Authorizes the Secretary-General of the Conference to convene six expert group meetings corresponding to the six groups of issues identified in paragraph 4 above, in order to provide the required input for consideration by the Conference, ensuring the participation of a full range of relevant disciplines and of geographical regions;

7. Requests the Director-General for Development and International Economic Cooperation to provide overall guidance, orientation and coordination of the input from the appropriate secretariats of the United Nations system to the preparatory activities of the Conference;

8. Requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to make use of the substantive contribution of all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system concerned, as well as of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in the preparatory activities for the Conference;

9. Also requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to make full use of the existing resources of all units of the United Nations system concerned, in particular the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund;

10. Invites the regional commissions to convene as soon as possible meetings or conferences to review the experience gained in population policies and programmes in their regions, in the light of paragraphs 3 and 4 above, bearing in mind the relationship between such policies and programmes and development issues, and to propose future action, as part of their contribution to the preparatory activities for the Conference;

11. Requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to report to the Economic and Social Council at its regular sessions of 1992, 1993 and 1994 on the progress made in all aspects of the preparatory activities for the Conference;

12. Also requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to report to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on the status of the preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development;

13. Decides, in principle, to hold the second session of the Preparatory Committee in August 1993, immediately following the rescheduled twenty-seventh session of the Population Commission, to review the state of the preparatory work, including the reports of the expert groups on their meetings;

14. Also decides, in principle, to hold the third session of the Preparatory Committee early in 1994 to review the documentation for the Conference, including the draft recommendations;

15. Recommends that the General Assembly consider establishing a voluntary fund for the purpose of supporting the developing countries, in particular the least developed among them, in participating fully and effectively in the Conference and its preparatory process and that it invite Governments to contribute to such a fund;

16. Requests the Conference to report to the Economic and Social Council and to the General Assembly.