AMMAN — Jordan, on behalf of the Arab world, recently presented a report on the Regional Review of the 2013 Cairo Declaration at the 52nd session of the Commission on Population and Development at UN Headquarters in New York.

 

The Kingdom is being represented by the Secretary of the Higher Population Council (HPC) Abla Amawi at the conference, which ends on Friday and is focused on reviewing the “Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development’s” contribution to Sustainable Development Goals, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 

The Regional Review of the 2013 Cairo Declaration by the Arab world was carried out by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in partnership with United Nations Population Fund and the Arab League in 2018, and peaked with the convening of the Arab Regional Conference on Population and Development last year in Beirut, according to the statement.

 

Jordan’s report on the review noted that the Regional Review revealed that progress had been insufficient, according to Amawi. Large segments of society remain exposed to poverty, poor health and isolation.

 

Moreover, persistent inequalities in countries, especially between rural and urban areas, threaten governments’ abilities to ensure that members of society do not fall behind and that they enjoy their rights.

 

Other factors that could compromise governments’ efforts include the continued marginalisation of women in relation to economic participation, gender-based discrimination, high rates of child marriages and forced marriages, high unemployment rates among Arab youth and structural and cultural impediments facing youth, the elderly, refugees and people with disabilities which limits their economic social and political integration.

 

Amawi said that the Regional Review served to reaffirm the commitment of Arab states in implementing the values and objectives of the 2013 Cairo Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adding that many messages emerged from the Arab Regional Conference.

 

One of the most important of which was that the achievement of population and development objectives depends on the existence of human rights-based approaches on population issues, integration of population priorities in national development planning, ensuring adequate budgets and designing effective follow-up mechanisms.

 

She also stated that the responsibility for ensuring the incorporation of all social groups and the protection of such groups through reforms of national policy frameworks, development of universal social protection schemes and the promotion of wider participation in public policy-making lies with the countries in the report.

 

During the session, Amawi also reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment towards international conferences concerned with population and development and the adoption of their outcomes.

 

She noted that Jordan took into consideration the sustainable development priorities and developed a road map for the implementation of 2030 development agenda called Jordan 2025.

 

However, Amawi said that despite the Kingdom’s achievements, many challenges remained including the continued negative consequences of regional crises on Jordan’s progress towards sustainable development.

 

The effects of these crises had resulted in high population growth rates, an increased need for the provision of basic services, a strain of budgets, high unemployment and poverty rates, slowed economic growth and increased public debt.