On average, more than 33,000 girls are forced into child marriage every day. Every year, more than 4 million girls are subjected to female genital mutilation. Son preference, gender-biased sex selection, and other harmful practices cause gender imbalances that negatively impact the fabric of societies. This session will dispel the myths that perpetuate these practices and their staggering toll. The global target of eliminating harmful practices by 2030 will be achieved only if efforts to address these problems are dramatically intensified.

This youth-led signature session will focus on the more than 1.8 billion young people in the world today between the ages of 10 and 24. How the sexual and reproductive health needs and aspirations of adolescents and youth are met defines young people today and will define our common future. This signature session will discuss the challenges and opportunities of young people from around the world in realizing the ICPD agenda. It will focus on the barriers adolescents and youth face in realizing their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The session puts the young people in the driver's seat and provides a platform for young adolescents and youth to share their ideas for solutions based on their expertise and experience, and share how they are holding governments accountable to their promises.

Climate change disproportionately affects populations in the Global South, despite their lower contribution to the root causes of this global crisis. As prevention and adaptation efforts progress too slowly, young people across the globe are stepping up to the challenges of climate change by speaking out, as well as educating and mobilizing their communities. This session offers a point-counterpoint debate between national leaders and young climate activists on the challenges of action, the need for partnerships, strategies for adaptation and resilience, and the future of climate justice.

Today, more than two billion people live in countries affected by conflict, violence and fragility. This session will highlight major humanitarian trends including rising displacement to galvanize action to fulfill the promise of Cairo to uphold the rights for universal sexual and reproductive health and ending GBV everywhere including in humanitarian and fragile settings.

The design and capacities of the health workforce are major determinants in the quality of sexual and reproductive health care. This session will address the specific needs of the health workforce, including: optimizing the role of the midwife as the backbone of sexual and reproductive health services; encouraging and enabling collaboration among health-care professionals; and exploring the needs of policy and health infrastructure to support health-care for mothers and their newborns. This event will be convened by the International Confederation of Midwives and UNFPA.

How can religious leaders, from a wide range of faiths, uphold and amplify the Nairobi Commitments? What is the role of religious actors in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights? This dialogue will allow participants from diverse faiths and organizations to reflect on the relationships between religion, rights and choices. Expect tough questions on contentious and complex issues, and a thoughtful discussion on the way forward.

Supermodels, entrepreneurs and fashion designers are part of multi-billion-dollar industries that have the power to change how we think and talk about women's health, including menstrual hygiene, sexuality and sex education. Some of these social influencers are already using their platforms and reach to attack the stigma and taboos around women’s sexual and reproductive health. In this signature session, we’ll learn from what influencers are already doing to address social norms, destigmatize women’s health, and empower the next generation. The session will also be an opportunity for participants to discuss what works, identify what more is needed, and invite new faces into the conversation and movement!

As medical technology advances, ethical questions and conflicts inevitably arise, affecting policymakers, practitioners and individuals. From assisted reproduction to embryonic gene modification, the world faces a range of ethical dilemmas that did not exist during the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. This session will describe various sexual and reproductive health advancements and the ethical and social implications of implementing these technologies. Expect a moderated discussion addressing how these technologies relate to reproductive autonomy, how they advance justice, and how they uphold the core ethical principle of “do no harm”. This event will be convened by The Center for Health, Ethics and Social Policy and The Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy, University of California at Irvine, and PSI.