The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development occurs at a defining moment in the history of international cooperation, the preamble to the Program of Action for the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (UN ICPD) stated. This historic conference, the fifth such world meeting regarding population issues, was held in Cairo, Egypt September 5th to 13th, 1994, at a time when there was growing, worldwide recognition of the interdependence between global population, development and environment. The Cairo Conference considered itself as building upon the foundation already laid in the 1974 World Population Conference in Bucharest and the 1984 International Conference on Population in Mexico City.

Representatives from 180 countries throughout the world gathered to discuss these problems. In order to represent particular world societal blocs, the UN ensured representation from four communities of nations: developing countries, Muslim states, the industrialized West, and Catholic countries. The makeup of attending...