Blog by Bette Levy, Soroptimist International Representative to the United Nations in New York. 

The 58th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD58) convened at UN Headquarters in New York from April 7 to 11, 2025, under the theme “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.”

While CPD is among the smallest and least followed ECOSOC commissions, it is my favorite one to attend. It is not flashy like the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) with thousands of women attending (with all the receptions, side events, and parallel events), yet it tends to be the most difficult and controversial commission – often ending with no agreed conclusions, leaving only serious-minded and well-educated Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) even to make the effort to attend. We work together as a small collective of like-minded advocates who come to make a difference for women and girls in all their diversity.

I believe that CPD is perhaps one of the most important Commissions for SI to engage in. It is the only commission that focuses solely on population and development – aiming to assess global progress toward the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action – CPD does so with a focus on health equity, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and sustainable development.  While at other commissions there is some controversy regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights, at CPD it is a major issue. Right from the beginning there is always the issue around development and whether or not gender equality and human rights have a role in development.

Health, Rights, and Development in Focus

CPD58 emphasised the interconnection between health, human rights, and development. Delegates examined strategies to advance universal health coverage, reduce health disparities, and address demographic challenges such as aging, urbanisation, and migration. The session highlighted the importance of integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) into national health plans and ensuring access to quality health products and services across all life stages.

However, despite robust discussions, CPD58 concluded without an agreed outcome document. Again, this year the Chair pulled the text to avoid a vote and there will only be a chair’s summary included in the CPD report.

Disagreements among Member States, particularly regarding language on SRHR, Family roles, this year came from Argentina and the USA denouncing any references to the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, which hindered consensus. CSOs expressed disappointment over the lack of a conclusive outcome, emphasising the ongoing unmet needs in SRHR and the importance of reaffirming commitments to the ICPD Programme of Action.

Nonetheless, CPD58 served as a platform for reaffirming the global commitment to health and well-being for all. It highlighted the need for continued advocacy, investment, and collaboration to address health disparities and promote equitable access to healthcare services worldwide.

As the international community moves forward, the insights and commitments shared during CPD58 will inform future efforts to achieve the goals set forth in the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Civil Society and Member States in Dialogue

Side events, like the one organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partner countries, focused on advancing health equity and universal access to health products. These events addressed the critical need for assistive technologies and essential medicines, particularly in low and middle-income countries, to support healthy lives and well-being for all.

Member States shared national experiences and commitments to health and well-being. Ghana reported progress in reproductive health through policies like the Free Maternal Care Policy and the Costed Family Planning Implementation Plan (2024–2030), leading to improved maternal and child health outcomes. Sweden emphasised investments in universal health coverage and SRHR services, highlighting their impact on health outcomes, education, and economic empowerment.

CSOs also played a significant role. Soroptimist International highlighted the compounded impact of gender, age, poverty, disability, and climate change on the health of women and girls, calling for inclusive health systems and universal access to healthcare.

The International Sexual and Reproductive Rights Coalition (ISRRC) highlighted that over 700 women and girls die daily from preventable causes related to childbirth and pregnancy. They criticised efforts by certain states to push an anti-rights and anti-health agenda, which they viewed as a threat not only to the current discussions but also to international cooperation on human rights and sustainable development.

A United Stand for Rights and Multilateralism

Despite these challenges, the ISRRC acknowledged that a vast majority of countries upheld the right to health, particularly for women and girls. They called for continued defense of human rights through international cooperation and urged governments, UN agencies, and civil society to work together towards multilateralism, peace, human rights, and gender equality.

To be sure the bright spot of the commission after the disappointment of once again the agreed conclusions being pulled was a joint 42 member state cross-regional statement delivered by H.E. Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa.

“It is my pleasure to deliver this statement on behalf of 42 governments Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, UK, Uruguay, and my own country South Africa.

We express regret that a resolution was unable to be adopted. For more than three decades, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD PoA) has guided our collective efforts to achieve sustainable development, advance gender equality, and respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of all people without discrimination. We are deeply concerned by what we have witnessed in this forum around fundamental right and issues that have enjoyed longstanding consensus in the United Nations attempting to be undermined. We cannot allow the actions of a few to jeopardise our shared aspirations and the futures of many. We must remain committed to the principle of achieving the full realisation of human rights for all. We must reinforce – not undermine or weaken – our commitments to multilateralism, human rights, and sustainable development, and with it our commitment to implement the ICPD PoA and 2030 Agenda including the SDGs in their entirety. We are at a critical juncture.

We are facing a moment where human rights including the right to development, sustainable development, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights – central components of the ICPD PoA and the 2030 Agenda – are being challenged. Growing hunger, conflict, climate change, unsustainable debt burdens, regression in development cooperation, economic instability, and increasing discrimination are deepening inequalities, including gender inequality. These factors are undermining the ability of governments to invest in the health and wellbeing of their populations. In the face of these crises, global cooperation is not just important – it is indispensable. For decades, governments have made bold commitments to achieve the ICPD PoA through the Commission on Population and Development. We remain resolute in our commitment to this process and fora. We call on all Member States to decisively uphold the ambition, integrity, and spirit of consensus that the ICPD PoA embodies. Let us move forward together with courage, conviction and a shared commitment to the rights, development, dignity for all – leaving no one behind.”