In January 1999 Population Communications International (PCI) and the Conference of NGOs in
Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) announced a collaborative initiative to
facilitate the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the five-year review and
appraisal of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action.
The review took place in June 1999 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly.
A primary objective of the PCI/CONGO initiative was to enable the widest possible NGO participation
in the ICPD review and appraisal, with special attention to facilitating the input of NGOs in
developing countries. The partners were committed to ensuring that gains made in reproductive health,
population and development were recognized within the agenda of other meetings, and that NGOs were
provided with the necessary support and information to be effective in follow-up policy debates in
their home countries.
Leading up to and during the preparatory meeting and Special Session, PCI and CONGO engaged in a
wide range of informational, facilitative and outreach activities. These activities included the
convening of NGO briefings and orientation sessions in New York; the establishment of informational
vehicles, such as a listserv, international fax broadcast network, and mass mailings; the framing of
a coordinated media campaign; the coordination of an international NGO database for NGO use; and the
creation of a temporary secretariat in New York to coordinate the above, and to serve as a locus of
information for NGOs from around the world.
LINKS
United Nations Population Information Network (POPIN): http://www.undp.org/popin/
POPIN is a decentralized community of population institutions including governmental, intergovernmental and non- governmental
organizations organized into regional and national networks in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean,
Europe and Northern America. Its objectives are to identify, establish, strengthen and coordinate population information activities
at international, regional and national levels; to facilitate and enhance the availability of population information in collaboration with
the regional commissions, the specialized agencies and the NGO population community; and to provide a forum for the exchange
of experiences among developed and developing countries on population information issues.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): http://www.unfpa.org/ICPD/ICPD.HTM
United Nations Commission for Population and Development http://www.undp.org/popin/unpopcom/34thsess/welcome.htm - Information about the 34th Session of the commission.
United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)http://www.iisd/ca/linkages/cairo.html 5-13 September 1994 in Cairo.
Center for Development and Population Activities: http://www.cedpa.org/cairo/
