Today the world is celebrating the 30th anniversary of international conference on population and development held in Cairo, back in 1994. Placing people at the centre of development that conference laid a corner stone for the realization of better health, rights and choices for all which resonates and magnifies the global 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, agreed upon in 2015.
A safe birth, a choice of contraceptives, protection from gender-based violence, protection from the violence based on caste, race and ethnicity, access to fundamental sexual and reproductive health and rights. These fundamental rights that sustain life are now more widely recognized than ever. But the number of people denied these rights has not yet reached zero- as it can and as it must. This indicates thatthe debate on population and development yet remains inconclusive.
Overall, people today live longer, healthier lives. Still, millions remain far behind on the trajectory of progress, trapped by multiple, compounding forms of marginalization and discrimination. In a world of tremendous wealth and proven solutions in sexual and reproductive health care, such disparity suggests a lack of will, not a shortfall of ideas or resources. This is important to keep in mind because it means that much faster progress in ending marginalization and discrimination is not just desirable but possible, starting right now.
In the present-day world, various new issues and challenges are emerging in the existing debate on population and development that pan across the fields of climate change, health and well-being, education, resource management and so on.Taking forward, this conference specifically aims to extend the existing debate and discussion where not only researchers and academicians will discuss these new issues but it also invites various government and non-government organisations working in the field of development to share their experiences.
