Nairobi, 14 November 2019 - The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 concluded today in the Kenyan capital, with partners making bold commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.

“The Nairobi Summit represents a renewed, re-energized vision and community working together to act and deliver. Together, we will make the next ten years a decade of action and results for women and girls, keeping their rights and choices at the centre of everything we do,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.

Over 9,500 delegates from more than 170 countries took part in this radically inclusive conference, co-convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark with UNFPA, uniting behind the Nairobi Statement, which establishes a shared agenda to complete the ICPD Programme of Action.

North Macedonia delegation, invited and supported by UNFPA, participated at the Summit showing strong support from the Government to SDG’s and UN Agenda 2030.

North Macedonia Delegation at the Nairobi Summit - Photo: UNFPA MK

The members of the Delegation were North Macedonia First Lady Elizabeta Gjorgievska, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska, Secretary - General of North Macedonia Parlament Cvetanka Ivanova, Chief of Cabinet, Ministry of Health Bojana Atanasova, Members of the North Macedonia Parliament, Jagoda Shaphanska and Liljana Popovska, President of the Committee for Safe Motherhood Ana Daneva Markova, President of the Union of the Gynecologists Gligor Tofoski, President of the Y-PEER youth network Kristijan Angeleski, Program director in NVO HERA Elizabeta Bozhinoska, Editor at the News Agency MIA Zlatko Shumkovski, Member of the Summit IC Nesime Salioska and UNFPA CO assistant representative Afrodita Shalja.

“The Government of North Macedonia commits to reducing unmet need for family planning to 10% by 2030, particularly for young people is one of the 14 commitments that were adopted by the Government yesterday while this Summit is taking place", said Jovana Trenchevska. She added that the national commitments are for all priority areas, and have been developed with wide consultations of all relevant partners.

State Secretary in Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska presenting the adopted Government commitments - Photo: UNFPA

The First Lady of North Macedonia gave a speech at the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: An essential element of Universal Health Coverage session.

“Reproductive health, women’s empowerment and gender equality are the way towards sustainable development. My country is strongly committed to ICPD goals and it was one of the Vice-presidents of the Conference in 1994 “, said Gjorgievska.

She added that the first National strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Strategy was developed in 2010 but its implementation started in 2018 with SRH Action Plan.

“This was major breakthrough for human rights, especially sexual and reproductive rights, and has already led to tangible results“, said North Macedonia First Lady.

North Macedonia First lady talking about women's reproductive and sexual health and gender equality - Photo: UNFPA

The other members of the National delegation also had their presentations, speeches and active participation in the Nairobi Summit that shows the North Macedonia commitment to SDG’s goals and UN Agenda 2030.

"The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 was a massive success," said Director-General of the Kenya National Council for Population and Development Dr. Josephine Kibaru-Mbae. "But it was only a start. We leave Nairobi with a clear roadmap of actions we must all take to advance the ICPD agenda and transform the world for women and girls."

The Summit opened with the release of new research showing the price tag to achieve “three transformative results” -- zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices -- within the next decade. The total cost to the world would be $264 billion, according to the analysis by UNFPA and the Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Victoria University, the University of Washington and Avenir Health.

Summit attendees then stepped up with specific and concrete commitments to help the world reach these ambitious, but achievable, goals. Pledges were made by governments, civil society, youth groups, faith-based organizations, academia and many more.

Governments including Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, together with the European Commission, committed around $1 billion in support. The private sector also stepped in: Children’s Investment Fund (CIF), The Ford Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Philips, World Vision and many other organizations announced that they will mobilize some $8 billion in combined new pledges.

“There will be no ICPD50. Women and girls around the world have waited long enough to have rights and choices,” said Ambassador Ib Petersen, Denmark’s Special Envoy for ICPD25. “Looking towards 2030, we now enter a decade of delivery during which we will walk the talk and hold all of us to account for the commitments we made in Nairobi.”