The ICPD at ten

Ten years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was held in Cairo, this issue of Entre Nous magazine, published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, reviews progress made in implementing the programme of action adopted at the conference. Topics covered include contraceptive usage in transitional economies, the global gag rule relating to abortion services, and the provision of reproductive health services in conflict settings. The issue also includes an interview with the former Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Ingar Brueggeman, a calendar of forthcoming events in the Europe and Central Asia region, and a comprehensive list of publications and resources.

A key message from the issue is the need for increased investment in international family planning and reproductive health. It highlights a major funding shortfall in this area, caused primarily by the diversion of resources to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and considers the threat this poses to meeting the Cairo target of reproductive health for all by 2015. The final article cites the Amsterdam Call for Action agreed at the 2003 conference ‘Reproductive health: key to poverty reduction’, where participants pledged renewed commitment to the realisation of the ICPD programme of action.