National action and international cooperation

The Programme of Action called on Governments to incorporate population concerns into all relevant national development strategies, plans, policies and programmes, and to foster the active involvement of all stakeholders in this process. It also called for improvement in national capacities and in the cost-effectiveness, quality and impact of national population and development strategies, plans, policies and programmes. With these goals in mind, it stressed the need for improved collection and analysis of data and information on issues related to population and development. The Programme of Action urged Governments to strive for an adequate level of resource mobilization and allocation at the community, national and international levels to support work in this area. Regarding international cooperation, the Programme of Action emphasized that international cooperation should be consistent with national population and development priorities and that the international community should develop long-term joint programmes with relevant stakeholders. It urged Governments to increase international financial assistance in the field of population and development to enable developing countries and countries with economies in transition to achieve the objectives and goals of the Programme of Action. In this regard, it was suggested that Governments diversify their sources of contributions and that international financial assistance for South-South cooperation be increased.

Related Subject(s): Population and Demography