Institutional framework
The National Population Directorate is the Argentine State institution permanently in charge of population and development issues; it is part of the Ministry of the Interior and reports to the National Registry of Persons. The Directorate also presides over the inter-institutional Roundtable for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus, an ad hoc provisional mechanism for the implementation of the contents of the agreement, resulting from the first meeting of the Regional Conference on Population and Development of Latin America and the Caribbean. Together with the Population Directorate, seven other state bodies form part of the inter-institutional coordination mechanism. The cooperation among these bodies allows for a cross-cutting approach in policies, programs and projects aimed at the implementation and follow-up of the Consensus, covering different relevant issues, namely: human rights; women, LGBTQIA+ and gender violence; sexual and reproductive health; children, adolescents and older persons; Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants; discrimination, refugees and migration.
Participation
Argentina has established a temporary consultative participation mechanism coordinated by the National Population Directorate. This mechanism, known as the Inter-Institutional Roundtable for the Follow-up to the Montevideo Consensus (Mesa Interinstitucional de Seguimiento del Consenso de Montevideo), brings together various national government ministries and agencies, representatives of civil society, and receives technical support from UNFPA Argentina.
The Roundtable addresses the main public policy interventions at the national level related to the priority issues of the Montevideo Consensus. Its responsibilities include analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population, reviewing the measures adopted in response, identifying challenges and future actions, examining the follow-up indicators, supporting the establishment of the Argentine Delegation (as appropriate), and responding to other relevant requirements.
Particular note should be made of the ongoing coordination and feedback with the Argentine Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for the Follow-up to International Commitments, especially in the context of the country’s participation in meetings of the Regional Conference on Population and Development and in the preparation and review of voluntary national reports. The Alliance comprises organizations representing a wide range of population groups, including Indigenous Peoples, women, persons living with HIV, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The information on Institutionality comes from the regional survey for the update of the Virtual Platform for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, implemented by the technical secretariat in 2023, as well as from the Voluntary National Report submitted by the country in 2023.