There is an inalienable relationship between population and development. Development is affected by population and population dynamics as birth, death and migration are affected by the state of development. Demographic trends must be reflected in policy-making. Only then can the policy driven strategies and projects address people’s real status, needs and demands. Therefore, development program should be formulated taking population indicators into account and these development indicators need to be used for program formulation in order to change the demographic trend as desirable.
The 16 chapters of Plan of Action (PoA) of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo during September 5-13, 1994 advocated for recognizing human as the focal point of development. The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), a network of parliamentarians to promote parliamentarians' involvement in addressing population issues in the Asia and Pacific region, established in 1981, further reaffirmed the ICPD and urged parliamentarians of Asia Pacific region in October 1994 to implement effectively the PoA for integrating population and development policies in parliaments with a goal of enhancement of quality of life of people. The AFPPD was formally registered in Thailand and has been active since its inception.
The sixth International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Plan of Action IPCI/ICPD, took place in Stockholm, Sweden on April 2014. The ICPI Stockholm came at a very significant time for the ICPD mandate, marking the 20th anniversary of Cairo Plan of Action. The conference focused attention on the links between population issues and sustainable development. In particular, the conference highlighted the importance of protecting the rights of
women and adolescents, and of providing comprehensive sexuality education and reproductive health services, to promote economic growth and social development. Achieving inclusive economic and social development requires appropriate legislation, national policies and programmes that guarantee and promote human rights, dignity and equality for all.
Following Stockholm Conference, Nepali parliamentarians who attended the event felt the importance of integration of population dynamics in all development planning at national and subnational levels as a critical foundation for sustainable development. Imbibing this notion, the National Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (NFPPD) Nepal, was established in 2014. NFPPD is a non-governmental and non-profit making organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal. NFPPD comprises of former and sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) of different political parties representing the federal parliament of Nepal. Nepal is one of the member countries and has a network with AFPPD.
Since its inception in 2014, NFPPD has been working on the issues of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Plan of Action and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and represented Nepal in several ICPD and AFPPD conferences around the world.
