On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is pleased to issue this pocket edition of the ICPD Programme of Action, which was adopted by 179 governments in 1994, and the Key Actions for its further implementation, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in July 1999.

The Cairo Conference, held from 5 to 13 September 1994, was the largest intergovernmental conference on population and development ever held. A total of 11,000 participants—from governments, the United Nations, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media—contributed their expertise to make the Conference a critical success.

The Cairo Conference moved population policy and programmes away from a focus on human numbers to a focus on human lives. It put the emphasis where it should be: on improving the lives of individuals, and increasing respect for their human rights. Delegates from all regions and cultures agreed that reproductive health is a basic human right.