Frequently asked questions

When and where will the Nairobi Summit take place?

The governments of Kenya and Denmark and UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, are co-convening the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 in Nairobi, Kenya on 12-14 November. It will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and mark the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which took place in Cairo in 1994.

Why is the Summit being convened? What are its objectives?

The 25th anniversary of the ICPD presents a unique opportunity to inspire action, and to mobilize the political will and financial commitments we urgently need to finally and fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action and meet the SDGs by 2030.

The goal is to elicit commitments to end preventable maternal deaths, eliminate unmet need for modern contraceptives, end gender-based violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation, among others. These voluntary commitments may be political or financial in nature and will be made at the global, national and local levels. They may be made by governments, businesses, foundations or other organizations.

Why does the Summit matter? 

The world that governments envisioned at the ICPD in Cairo remains far from reality for millions of girls and women, boys and men, and families who have been left behind.

  • 232 million women want to prevent pregnancy but cannot get modern contraceptives

  • 830 women die every day while giving life, mostly from preventable causes

  • 33,000 girls are forced into child marriage and 11,000 girls’ genitals are mutilated, every day

  • Nearly 1 in 5 women or girls will be assaulted by their partner this year

  • 5 million pregnant women have been displaced by conflict or disaster and are in need of medical care

Moreover, the world committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, but we cannot do that if we don’t also reach the goals laid out in the ICPD Programme of Action. Simply put, there can be no SDGs without the ICPD.

Who should attend?

The Summit aims to bring everyone together: heads of state, ministers, parliamentarians, thought-leaders, technical experts, civil society organizations, young people, business and community leaders, faith-based organizations, international financial institutions, people with disabilities, academics and many others interested in the pursuit of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The Summit will support the exchange of diverse perspectives by, for instance, organizing a dialogue between the head of a development bank, a village elder and a youth leader on how to end maternal mortality.

What are the anticipated outcomes?

The Summit will be a platform for governments and other organizations to announce voluntary, global commitments—including financial ones—that will accelerate progress. Innovative financial models and far more resources—from governments, international financial institutions and even private sector partners—are required to finish the ICPD agenda by 2030. The commitments will guide the development of specific national and local commitments by government bodies, civil society organizations, businesses and others with the aim of completing the work outlined in the ICPD Programme of Action.

What kind of event will this be?

This is not your typical United Nations event. The Summit will take place over two and half days, beginning with a high-level plenary followed by workshops, round tables, side events, exhibitions and cultural events. Events will create spaces so that people with different perspectives may find common ground and result in solutions that reflect shared values.

What is the programme?

The full programme is still being developed and will be posted on the Nairobi Summit website when available.

Overall, the Summit will take an integrated approach, covering five themes and highlighting the power of gender equality, youth leadership, political and community leadership, innovation and data, and partnerships to accelerate progress throughout.

What are the themes of the Summit? 

There are five themes for the Summit.

1. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health as a part of universal health coverage.

Around the world, sexual and reproductive health care is often under-funded and separated from primary health care. At the summit, expect discussions and debate on how to integrate the essential package of sexual and reproductive health services into national primary health care, equalize access, improve quality, and enhance accountability as part of the drive towards universal health coverage.

2. Financing to finish the ICPD Programme of Action and to sustain the gains made.

Current financing arrangements are falling far short of what’s needed to realize the goals of the Programme of Action. At the summit, expect announcements of new partnerships and commitments to invest, as well as conversations on how innovative funding mechanisms can help achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for modern contraceptives, and zero gender-based violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation within the next decade.

3. Drawing on demographic diversity to drive economic growth and achieve sustainable development.

All countries need to plan for demographic shifts in the years ahead to design policies and investments that respond to their unique demographic realities of fertility, ageing, urbanization, migration and displacement, and ensure that labour, health, education and pension systems are optimally located and funded. At the summit, expect to explore actions that governments are taking to better monitor demographic change, and inform long-term policies for economic growth. The ICPD Programme of Action and the SDGs can only be achieved if there is a full understanding of the needs of every segment of the population.

4. Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Everywhere, every day, people are assaulted or otherwise harmed because of their gender. At the summit, expect to discuss how we can get to zero gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030, analyze what has worked, and explore the promising and sometimes surprising approaches that can help governments finally end the threat of violence and harm.

5. Upholding the right to sexual and reproductive health care even in humanitarian and fragile contexts.

Women fleeing war or stranded in places where services have collapsed still want to prevent pregnancy and may still need help to give birth safely. More women and girls, men and boys become victims of sexual violence in these environments and need access to health care. At the summit, expect to learn how we can end the bottlenecks to providing the full range of sexual and reproductive health services under these conditions, how governments and aid organizations can prepare for crises and integrate sexual and reproductive health care in post-crisis reconstruction.

What is expected of different national stakeholders and partners at the Nairobi Summit?
 

Countries and partners should come to Nairobi with concrete and specific commitments on how to end preventable maternal deaths, eliminate unmet need for modern contraceptives, end gender-based violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation, among others goals laid out in the the ICPD Programme of Action, within the context of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. So governments and national partners should start preparing for the Summit now.


How can different stakeholders engage in the commitment processes? 

As one of the co-conveners of the Summit, UNFPA is co-facilitating through its regional and country offices an inclusive, broad-based national consultative process on the basis of the 2018 ICPD National Progress Reports from the Midterm Review, to reach consensus on the national commitments (political, financial and programmatic) that will be presented in Nairobi.

The range of stakeholders engaged in the process include government ministries/departments, thought-leaders, technical experts, local authorities and municipalities, youth-led organizations, national and international civil society organizations, private sector, parliamentarians, academia, faith-based organizations and many others.

Ideally, this consultative process will lead to a set of national commitments that will align with a broader set of global commitments.

In addition to national commitments, what other outcomes can stakeholders expect from the consultative process?

  • Assist in documenting innovative and best practices related to the 5 themes and 5 accelerators of the Nairobi Summit, highlighting lessons learned for the benefit of other countries and regions.

  • Help mobilize a wide range of stakeholders – including youth networks, civil society, grassroots organizations and the private sector, among others – to support their participation in the Nairobi Summit.

  • Leverage partnerships with the private sector and other non-traditional partners to engage on ICPD25 and the Nairobi Summit.

How can I attend or learn more?

The Nairobi Summit will welcome participants from around the world, including government leaders, representatives from UN agencies, local government officials, and leaders from civil society, communities, nongovernmental organizations, women's groups and youth networks. 

Registration on the Nairobi Summit website opened in July 2019.

Get Summit updates by subscribing to the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 newsletter at unf.pa/ICPDsubscribe.

 How will the Nairobi Summit engage adolescents and youth?

Young people’s perspectives and leadership are essential to the success of the Nairobi Summit. The meaningful engagement of young leaders, youth-led and youth-serving organizations is being ensured through an ambitious and comprehensive youth leadership accelerator. Find out more about the Summit's youth strategy here.