Call for Delegates | Join the Canadian Delegation to the UN Commission on Population and Development

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is responsible for monitoring the implementation of key commitments made by 179 countries within the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme Of Action with respect to poverty reduction and inequality, population dynamics, nutrition and food security, and sustainable development. As a member of this commission, Canada works to advance key development priorities, including gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and human rights.

The  55^th CPD Session will be held from April 25^th to April 29^th, 2022. The theme of the session is “Population and sustainable development, in particular sustained and inclusive economic growth.” Although some activities will take place in-person in New York, it is likely that most CPD55 activities. (including informal negotiations, expert panels, side events and general debate) will be largely virtual, as has been the case for the last two years, due to COVID-19. Delegates should expect to participate virtually unless CPD55 returns to a fully in-person format.

Delegation
The Canadian delegation to the CPD annual session typically consists of delegates from Global Affairs Canada headquarters as well as from Canada’s Permanent Mission to the UN. Since 2019, Canada has also included a youth and a civil society organization (CSO) delegate on its official delegation, with delegates participating virtually in 2020 and 2021. 

Role of the youth and CSO delegates:
The youth and CSO delegates will:

• help to inform Canada’s engagement at the CPD by providing their perspectives on the negotiated resolution, the national statement and key issues related to the theme of the annual session.
• have the role of observers at side events, presentations in plenary, and other relevant meetings.
• prepare a report with key takeaways, lessons learned and recommendations to Global Affairs Canada for future consideration, following the CPD session

DELEGATION

The Canadian delegation to the CPD annual session typically consists of delegates from Global Affairs Canada headquarters as well as from Canada’s Permanent Mission to the UN. Since 2019, Canada has also included a youth and a CSO delegate on its official delegation, with delegates participating virtually in 2020 and 2021.

Role of the youth and CSO delegates:

The youth and CSO delegates will:

• help to inform Canada’s engagement at the CPD by providing their perspectives on the negotiated resolution, the national statement and key issues related to the theme of the annual session;
• have the role of observers at side events, presentations in plenary, and other relevant meetings.

Delegates selection criteria:

CSO Delegate

Eligibility criteria:

• The organization must be a registered non-governmental organization in Canada;
• The CSO’s organizational mandate should berelated to inclusive economic growth, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, or gender equality with a domestic or international assistance focus;
• The organization is not already being represented by an international affiliate organization at the CPD;
• The organization and its representative haven’t been selected in previous years as a member of the Canadian delegation to the CPD;
• The organization’s representative must be available on an ad hoc basis (approximately two to three hours per week) from mid-March to late-April 2022 (and seven+ hours during the formal week of April 25 to 29, if participating virtually) for consultations and participation in events.
• Organization’s representative must have relevant experience and knowledge related to CPD55 theme.

Merit Criteria:

• The organization mandate and key priorities align with, and contribute to, informing strategic priority matters on the CPD agenda;
• The organization’s work has a direct alignment with the theme of the CPD session (sustained and inclusive economic growth), either from a domestic or international perspective;
• The organization has access to a wide network of partners that can further enrich and inform Canada’s engagement at the CPD;
• The organization has the technical ability and experience to give depth and breadth of advice.

Asset Criteria:

The following criteria will be considered assets during the selection process:       

• Experience with the UN system or contributing input to international resolutions or processes;
• Ability to provide advice and input on CPD55 thematic issues from both a domestic and global perspective;
• Represents a diverse and inclusive network, including people of all gender identities, Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, persons with disabilities and minority groups;
• Knowledge and/or experience working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues.

Youth Delegate

Eligibility criteria:

• Must be between the ages of 18 and 24;
• Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Must be interested in and have an understanding of sustainable development, inclusive economic growth, poverty alleviation, or gender equality with a domestic or international assistance focus; in Canada or within an international development context;
• Hasn’t been selected in previous years as a member of the Canadian delegation to the CPD
• The youth delegate must be available on an ad hoc basis (approximately two to three hours per week) from mid-March to late-April 2022 (and seven+ hours during the formal week of April 25 to 29, if participating virtually) for consultations and participation in events.

Merit Criteria:

• Experience related to sustainable development, inclusive economic growth, poverty alleviation, gender equality, international development or advocacy.

Asset Criteria:

The following criteria will be considered assets during the selection process:                                            

• Experience with the UN system or contributing input to international resolutions or processes;
• Ability to provide input and advice from both a domestic and global perspective;
• Knowledge and/or experience working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues.

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How to Apply:

Interested candidates must apply before February 23^rd, 2022, 11:59 pm (Atlantic time). Please note: only those selected for further processes will be contacted. Thank you for taking the time to apply. For any questions, please contact [email protected]