EU Statement - 59th Commission on Population on Development: Closing Statement
Chair, Excellencies, colleagues,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its 27 Member States.
We wish to extend our gratitude to the Chair, H.E. Zéphyrin Maniratanga of Burundi, as well as the facilitators of this year’s main resolution on population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development, Mr. Hamzata Ben Sidi Mohamed Baby of Mali and Ms. Stephanie Toschi of Luxembourg, for their leadership in guiding the negotiations, and to Mr. Arb Kapisyzi from Albania for his efforts in facilitating negotiations on the theme for 61st session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).
Mr. Chair,
The EU engaged in a constructive and open manner in the negotiations to achieve consensus. We regret that we collectively could not reach a consensual outcome document which would show our collective ambition to deliver on the promise of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Action. We especially regret that we could not reaffirm our longstanding collective and strong commitment to human rights to achieve sustainable development, in particular women’s and girls’ rights and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. We want to emphasise that we are nevertheless grateful for the meaningful discussions which demonstrated a clear commitment to the CPD and the theme of this year.
Mr. Chair,
We must build a world free from sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices. While technology can be a powerful driver in this regard, from digital health solutions to data-driven policies, it also comes with risks. Technological divides, particularly the gender digital divide, risk entrenching inequality, with disparities in digital access, skills, and infrastructure leaving marginalised groups further behind. For technology to be beneficial to all, it must align with human rights and uphold the principles of non-discrimination and gender equality, with women, girls, adolescents, and marginalised communities leading our collective action. At the same time, strong safeguards need to be in place to eliminate technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
In conclusion, the EU and its Member States remain steadfast in our commitment to the Commission on Population and Development as a vital forum for reviewing progress and addressing challenges in implementing the Cairo Programme of Action. We also reaffirm our unwavering support for UNFPA as the guardian of the ICPD Programme of Action and extend our gratitude to the DESA population division for their efforts in this process. We will continue to collaborate with all partners to address challenges related to population and development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Thank you.