 recognized the importance of ICPD for development and for the post-2015 agenda. The findings of the review provide profound and wide-ranging evidence of these links.
“By bridging individual dignity and rights with collective sustainability, the Cairo Agenda, its subsequent implementation and the framework for action of the review can help guide the way to achieving many of the aims of the post-2015 process and sustainable development,” he said, declaring: “Now is the time to reaffirm the core message of the ICPD — that individual dignity and human rights are the path to a resilient, sustainable future.”
General Assembly President John Ashe noted that persistent gaps and barriers have continued to delay the IPCD objectives of achieving dignity and well-being for all.
In remarks delivered by his Chef de Cabinet Paulette Bethel, the President highlighted several key lessons from the reports that are before the Commission’s current session, including the need to continue to work towards the elimination of discrimination and marginalization to ensure that all people, men and women, young and old can unleash their full potential.
Among other lessons is the fact that progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is, in spite of some gains, slow and uneven, and that it is vital to prepare for the challenges of society’s growing ageing population.
According to a news release on the Commission’s opening, older persons are the world’s fastest growing age group. The number of people over age 60 almost doubled between 1994 and 2014, and older persons today outnumber children under the age of five. Globally, the share of older persons is expected to reach 21 percent by 2050.
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