A Jordanian delegation headed by Professor Dr. Issa Al-Masarwa, HPC Secretary-General/Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Population Council, representing the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation participated in the fifth ordinary session of the Arab Council for Population and Development ACPD held on Monday, November 27th, 2023, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo. The session was organized by the General Secretariat of the Arab Council for Population and Development and headed by Sudan, with the participation of ministers, parliamentarians and ambassadors of Arab countries, members of the national councils and committees for population and development in the Arab world, in addition to representatives of international organizations holding the status of observers.
The presidency of the Council was handed over from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Sudan. The session activities included the launch of the report, prepared in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Higher Council for Planning in Kuwait ‘Sensing the Social Risks Associated with Demographic Changes in the Population of the Arab World.’
During the course of the session, the Council approved a number of decisions, including those related to demographic transformation and development, opening of the demographic window, cooperation and reinforcing partnership between the government and private sectors to support population programmes, initiatives and projects in the Arab world, as well as experiences of countries in population platforms and observatories and their contribution in implementing the program of action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Cairo Declaration 2013. Moreover, a workshop was conducted on supporting skills development and improving employment among the youth, implications of reverse migration on human capital, mental wellness of children in countries emerging from conflict, youth and risky behaviours, and mechanism on integrating gender into plans and development programs to achieve sustainable development goals. Also, the Arab Population and Development Day 2024 was set on October 28, 2024 with the campaign ‘Population of the Arab World: Between Reality and Aspirations,’ in addition to preparing and coordinating Arab efforts and positions to participate in the activities of the 57th session of the UN Committee on Population and Development.
The Council also approved two matters encompassed under Evolving of new businesses: The first dealt with the response of the Arab Council for Population and Development to the situation in Gaza. Also on the agenda was the adoption of the statement of the Arab Council for Population and Development regarding the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. The Council called on member states to reaffirm their commitment to consolidating joint Arab action in the field of population policies in a manner that would address all the needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip, and to work on coordinating efforts for all initiatives aimed at securing the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid to Gaza, mobilizing and providing medical supplies, food and water to all residents of the occupied Palestinian territories, and calling on member states of the Arab Council for Population and Development to contribute to the Palestinian People Resilience Support Fund and to respond to and meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the population in the Gaza Strip and provide humanitarian aid and relief for all residents.
During the meeting, Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General for Social Affairs/ League of Arab States, stressed the urgency for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blatant Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The second matter under the Evolving of new businesses was regarding the floods and torrents endangering the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the call of the Arab countries, members of the Arab Council for Population and Development, Arab organizations, and United Nations bodies concerned with relief and humanitarian work, to move and intervene quickly and urgently and provide urgent humanitarian aid for the relief of the Somali people and to enable them to strongly withstand the catastrophic crisis resulting from the climate changes affecting their country.
The Council also reviewed the measures undertaken by the social sector/ Population Policy Department/ Technical Secretariat of ACPD to put into effect the decisions of ACPD ensuing from the fourth ordinary session. It is noteworthy that the Higher Population Council in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan participated in fulfilling the decisions and outcomes of this session. Henceforth, HPC executed a training workshop for members of ACPD, where participants from 20 countries took part in the 2-day workshop, Building capacities and skills in the field of preparing policy summaries and fact sheets to serve the process of developing and gaining support for population policies and reproductive health programs.
