A Population Commission was established by the Economic
and Social Council in its resolution 3 (III) of 3 October
1946. In its resolution 49/128 of 19 December 1994, the
General Assembly decided that the Commission should be renamed
the Commission on Population and Development. In the same
resolution, the Assembly decided that it, the Council and the
Commission should constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental
mechanism that would play the primary role in the follow-up to
the implementation of the Programme of Action of the
International Conference on Population and Development, and
that the Commission, as a functional commission assisting the
Council, would monitor, review and assess the implementation
of the Programme of Action at the national, regional and
international levels and advise the Council
thereon.
Under its terms of reference
the Commission is to assist the Council by:
1. Arranging for studies and advising
the Council on:
(a) Population issues and
trends; (b) Integrating population and development
strategies; (c) Population and related development policies
and programmes; (d) Provision of population assistance,
upon request, to developing countries and, on a temporary
basis, to countries with economies in transition; and (e)
Any other population and development questions on which either
the principal or the subsidiary organs of the United Nations
or the specialized agencies may seek advice.
2. Monitoring, reviewing and assessing
the implementation of the Programme of Action of the
International Conference on Population and Development at the
national, regional and global levels, identifying reasons for
success and failure, and advising the Council
thereon;
3.
Providing appropriate recommendations to the Council on the
basis of an integrated consideration of the reports and issues
related to the implementation of the Programme of
Action.
The Commission is composed of 47 Member States elected
by the Economic and Social Council for a period of four years on
the basis of geographic distribution. Representatives should have
a relevant background in population and development. It met typically
every two or three years until 1994, after which it has met once
a year.
Composition of the Commission: 46th Session, 45th Session, 44th Session, 43rd Session, 42nd Session, 41st Session, 40th Session
|