The Commission on Population and Development ended its fifty-sixth session on April 14th, 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, unable to adopt by consensus a draft resolution concerning the agenda item on population, education and sustainable development.
The withdrawal of that text took place amidst a heated discussion that touched on substantive and procedural matters. Several delegates objected to the reference to comprehensive sexual education in that text, while also highlighting the lack of transparency with which some of its language was circulated. However, other delegates noted that this language was already agreed upon at other times and underscored the pivotal role of comprehensive sexual and reproductive education in empowering women and youth. In total, as many as 57 Member States spoke during the session.
“I see no other possibility than to withdraw this text,” Commission Chair Gheorghe Leucă (Moldova) said after several delegates raised their objections. Prior to its withdrawal, he had urged for its adoption by consensus, calling on the Commission to demonstrate that countries are united in finding pathways out of the education crisis. Noting that he circulated language that seeks to address “our last remaining differences”, he had called on delegates to demonstrate maximum flexibility, “on behalf of the hundreds of millions of children and adults worldwide who lack access to quality education”.
The sessions were opened on Monday by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, stating that, despite global promises and progress, some 263 million children and young people are out of school, indicating that achieving quality education for all by 2030 is “seriously off track”.
The initial keynote speech was delivered by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lutz, who spoke about the power of multi-dimensional demography for understanding sustainable development priorities. The multi-dimensional demography includes age, sex, and other attributes like education as the foundation for a theory that integrates demographic metabolism, the demography transition, and the demography dividend.
During the following days, the issue of population, education and development was under the microscope with different panels and interactive debates, as well as statements by Member States in the general discussion. Also, 24 side events were celebrated, hosted by different Member States and NGOs, as the one organized by IFFD and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations. NGOs could also send written statements and deliver oral statements during the session.
Back on the last day, the Commission also adopted the decision titled “Special theme for the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on Population and Development”, by the terms of which it decided that the special theme for its fifty-eighth session, in 2025, shall be “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”.
Briefly opening the next session, the Commission elected Noemi Espinoza Madrid (Honduras) to serve as Chair. It elected Noga Barak (Israel) as Vice-Chair, while Vice-Chairs from other regions will be elected at a later date.
In her closing remarks, Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), expressed regret over the absence of consensus on the theme of this year’s Commission. She highlighted the importance of quality education and lifelong learning, especially in light of educational setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, also made a final statement.
Finally, the Chair said that, for the first time in 20 years, the Commission has assessed the links between population, education and sustainable development. This assessment comes at a critical time when the world is dealing with an education crisis, which was highlighted during the Transforming Education Summit last year. The debates reflected the wide array of challenges the world faces in providing inclusive and equitable quality education and in promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, as well as provided practical solutions to address the crisis. Even though States were unable to come together on the resolution, he expressed hope that this session has inspired the Commission’s future work.
[Source: United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, extract of several press notes, and own elaboration.]
The representatives of IFFD to the Commission.
IFFD Side Event during the Commission
IFFD Written Statement to the Commission
