The second edition of the Global Congress on Population, Health, and Human Development (PHDC’24) opened on Monday in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital.

The five-day global conference has drawn experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders from around the world to focus on some of the most pressing issues of the time — population dynamics, health, and human development. The conference’s theme: “Human Development: For a Sustainable Future” highlights the urgent need to address these interconnected challenges to find sustainable solutions that benefit societies globally.

Assistant UN Secretary-General and head of the UNDP for Arab countries Abdullah Al-Dardari, speaking at the opening of the conference, highlighted a stark contradiction: while the Arab region accounts for five per cent of the global population, it experiences 30 per cent of the world’s conflicts. Nevertheless, the region boasts some of the highest human development indicators, underscoring the fragile nature of these disagreements, he stressed.

Al-Dardari emphasised that resolving conflicts through political channels requires addressing the root causes. This means ensuring that health, education and economic growth progress in tandem, supported by robust infrastructure. He specifically pointed out Egypt as an example, commending its global milestone in infrastructure efficiency, achieved alongside its efforts in human development and economic growth.

One of the conference’s biggest goals was to ensure that health systems all over the world can provide equitable and accessible care to all individuals. This means pushing for universal health coverage and fostering an environment of social justice so that communities can take control of their well-being.

Director-General of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom emphasised in a recorded message that health is both a prerequisite for and a result of development. He lauded Egypt’s presidential initiative “100 Million Health” through which, he said, tangible results have been achieved on the ground because it was based on these principles. The initiative, launched in 2019, is an umbrella for multiple health initiatives that aim at everything from stunting to ending waiting lists for surgical procedures.

The conference included the presentation of a certificate to Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar for the elimination of malaria in Egypt, awarded by the WHO. The document was presented by Hanan Balkhy, the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Adhanom said the achievement was the result of a century of commitment from the Egyptian government and its people.

The conference also underlined the importance of creating sustainable livelihoods and building more adaptable communities. Environmental crises, population shifts, and the rising demands on social infrastructures are global concerns, and PHDC’24 seeks to provide long-term solutions that can support these transitions.

Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat participated in a high-level roundtable on population and human capital development in Egypt held during the global conference. She noted the significance of the conference, noting that it coincides with the government’s formulation of a new vision that prioritises human development, particularly given the strong link between human and economic development.

Al-Mashat highlighted the Egyptian government’s commitment to human development, with LE118 billion allocated for the 2024-25 budget specifically for this sector. Additionally, Egypt’s international cooperation portfolio contributes $7 billion, sourced from concessional financing, technical support, grants and debt swaps, to further enhance human development initiatives with the focus of these efforts on education.

Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif pointed to the close relationship between education levels and population growth. He noted the ministry’s role in raising awareness of population issues through curricula, activities, and events, explaining the link between school dropouts and the exacerbation of population-related problems.

Samira Al-Tuwaijri, lead health specialist at the World Bank, stressed the importance of the human element to Egypt and its future, driving development in an environment focused on learning and skills. She explained that producing a generation capable of working in a competitive labour market begins with having healthy, educated children who can grow into productive adults.

PHDC’24 stressed the importance of turning knowledge into action. Gathering data and insights is important, it said, but what matters most is finding ways to apply this knowledge in a way that makes a real difference for individuals and societies.

Discussions at PHDC’24 are also about creating a roadmap for addressing population and health challenges, ensuring that population-related issues are fully integrated into broader sustainability goals. Promoting a sense of social responsibility around these topics is crucial as the conference is also committed to helping stakeholders build their capacity to implement these human development initiatives. By focusing on innovation in fields like education, health and well-being, new ideas can benefit future generations.

Sessions at PHDC’24 explored how countries can adjust to the challenges posed by population shifts, environmental crises and evolving social systems. It was about finding the right strategies to help societies grow stronger even as the world changes.

A big focus of the conference was on equality and accessibility, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, has the same opportunities when it comes to healthcare, education, and economic growth.

The topics being covered at the conference range from sustainable development, governance, and the role of new technologies like artificial intelligence and big data in advancing human development, to discussions around social protection systems, universal health coverage, and lifelong learning. Addressing demographic challenges — ageing populations, migration trends and population distribution — is also a significant part of the dialogue. Public health topics, including disease prevention and the role of predictive tools in building sustainable health systems, are being explored.

Reproductive health was another critical issue on the table, with the focus on how investing in future generations can create long-term prosperity. The conference is also highlighting economic inclusion and entrepreneurship, particularly among women and young people, as key drivers of human capital development and economic growth. There’s a recognition that supporting mental health is fundamental to human development, and it’s being treated as a core human right at PHDC’24.

The conference also paid close attention to climate challenges, discussing how the world can strengthen capacities to adapt and create a more sustainable future.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 24 October, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly