On 27-29 November 2003 the UN Office in Belarus, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Belarusian Ministry of Labor and Social Protection held the republican conference titled «Belarus: 10 Years After the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo».

The International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994) was an important landmark in addressing population and development problems and protecting women’s rights. The 20-Year Action Program adopted by the Conference outlined the major directions of activities of governments and non-governmental associations in such fields as population-related issues, gender equality, equal rights of women and men, reproductive health and reproductive rights.

The aim of the Minsk conference was to assess the progress made by Belarus in implementing the Action Program, to identify weaknesses and to define priorities for further efforts. Based on the findings of the Conference it is expected to publish the Set of final documents, summaries of reports and presentations made by its participants.