Comments
The Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development calls for establishing an integrated and sustainable institutional structure responsible for population and development matters, the central task of which is to ensure full integration of population dynamics into the planning of sustainable development, sectoral policies, and public programmes and policies in general (priority measure 4). The integration of population dynamics into sustainable development planning is a central focus of population and development activities. Consequently, it must involve different institutions of government responsible for such areas as health, education, pensions, gender and planning. This broad range of public agencies involved in population and development matters underscores the need for a coordination body within government (as proposed in this priority measure) to ensure the comprehensive treatment of population and development issues.
Possible lines of action
1. Explore the models of other countries that have a functioning institutional structure for population and development, evaluate their principal challenges, and select the model most appropriate for the country. 2. Adopt an institutional structure for population and development, including the designation of a public institution to provide technical support and coordinate actions on the issue. 3. Guarantee the sustainability of the population and development institutional structure, in financial and political terms, and identify the main challenges. 4. Promote the design and implementation of policies and programmes based on a prior assessment of the existing mechanisms for coordination among different sectors to ensure that population and development issues are handled in an integrated manner. 5. Strengthen the institutions working in different sectors (such as pensions, health, education, gender and planning) on population and development issues, including training and updating of their personnel, and facilitate the long-term retention of specialized human resources. 6. Establish formal channels for civil society participation, facilitate and encourage participation by the poorest and most marginal groups, and create a process for interactive debate and feedback to ensure that all stakeholders recognize that their contribution is meaningful. 7. Establish budgets for the civil society participation mechanism. 8. Promote the development of a public institutional structure on population and development matters at the subnational level.
Related instruments, forums and mechanisms
1. Existing national frameworks for population and development.
2. National frameworks created for follow-up and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals.
