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The Commission was established in 1946 as the Population
Commission, and is composed of 47 member States who meet annually in New York. Following the
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held at
Cairo in 1994, it was renamed the Commission on Population and
Development in order to emphasize its expanded role as the main
follow-up mechanism to the decisions of the Conference, and the new
international approaches that aim to integrate population concerns into
development strategies. The Commission is responsible for preparing
studies and advising ECOSOC on a range of population issues;
monitoring, reviewing and assessing the implementation of the ICPD
Programme of Action at the national, regional and global levels; and
making appropriate recommendations to the Council on its findings.
2007 | Background Document | Links
Fortieth session
(April 9-13, 2007)
The Population
Commission’s 2007 theme, “the changing age structures of populations
and their implications for development,” coincides with the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Aging’s five year review which started
this year. Many speakers picked up on the theme, calling attention to
the Madrid Plan and its recommendations.
Statement:
A World Fit for all Ages (April 9, 2007)
In her statement the CPD, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of
UNFPA, recalls the theme of the first International Year of Older
Persons in 1999, “a society for all ages” drawing attention to the
importance of intergenerational solidarity, which resonates through the
Madrid Plan. Further, Ms. Obaid highlights many issues that are also
priorities in the Plan, such as income and health service support.
Lastly, Ms. Obaid encourages Member States to “incorporate the issues
of older persons in national development frameworks and poverty
reduction strategies.”
Background Documents
ICPD Programme of Action (1994)
The Programme of Action
included provisions aiming at protecting older persons, particularly
with regard to establishment of social security systems; elimination of
all forms of violence and discrimination; access to healthcare; and
assistance to those displaced during conflict. The ICPD commitments
were reaffirmed at a special session of the General Assembly held in
1999, which called for the development of comprehensive strategies to
meet the challenges of population ageing and for paying special
attention to the economic and social security of older persons.
Links
Department of
Economic and Social Affairs - Population and Development Division
The Population
Division, the main Secretariat unit assisting the Commission, compiles
and analyzes data on populations aging. The division also prepared
materials for the 2002 World Assembly on Ageing:
Population Ageing 2002 (Wall Chart)
This Population Aging Wall Chart lists the estimated global population
growth of persons aged 60 years or older between the years of 2002 and
2050. The UN projects that this age group will grow to almost 2 billion
in 2050, and thus, for the first time in history overtake the
population of children.
World
Population Ageing: 1950-2050
The Population Division for the UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs prepared this report for the 2002 World Assembly on Ageing and
its follow up. The report analyzes on global trends in population
ageing and takes a closer look into major areas, lesser developed
regions and individual countries.
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