By Justus Wanzala

NAIRBI (IDN) – ICPD25, held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi from November 12-14 and marking the 25th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, ended with bold commitments towards attainment of the rights of women and girls.

The conference, attended by more than 6,000 world leaders, scholars, rights advocates and faith leaders saw partners announce commitments to end all maternal deaths, satisfy unmet need for family planning and tackle gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.

Co-convened by the governments of Denmark and Kenya alongside the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the conference focused on offering an inclusive platform, bringing together governments, United Nations agencies, civil society, private sector organisations, women’s groups and youth networks.

Participants noted that attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved unless women, girls and young people are in control of their bodies, their lives, and live free of violence.

UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said the Nairobi Summit represented a renewed, re-energised vision and community working together to act and deliver. She noted that through a united front, the next ten years can be a decade of action and results for women and girls.

The conference also unveiled new data about the cost of achieving the set goals. According to an analysis by UNFPA and the Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Victoria University, the University of Washington and Avenir Health, the total cost to the world to achieve the targets would be 264 billion dollars. Read more via In Depth News