"Cairo-Plus-Five" review is finding political will strong -- but funds lacking.

Last year, the UN Population Fund initiated a 5-year review of progress in attaining the goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The review included a series of meetings, including a forum in The Hague involving 2000 people, and will culminate in a special session of the UN General Assembly that will endorse the Secretary-General's progress report. The message that has emerged from these meetings is that countries have made a political commitment to implement the ICPD agenda but some of the largest donor countries, including the US, have failed to fulfill their pledges. The final report from the Hague Forum focuses on progress and constraints in: 1) creating an enabling environment for achieving sustainable development; 2) achieving gender equality, equity, and the empowerment of women; 3) promoting reproductive health and rights; 4) strengthening partnerships; and 5) mobilizing and monitoring resources. The Hague Forum was marked by a lack of controversy even though it recommended that: 20% of all donor allocations for reproductive health be earmarked for adolescent-oriented initiatives, postcoital contraception be promoted to reduce the incidence of unsafe abortion, and laws punishing women for undergoing illegal abortions be reviewed. The most significant obstacle to implementing the ICPD goals is the fact that total funding is only half of the $17 billion promised for the year 2000. To date, the US has provided only about a third of its pledged amount.