The 1994 Cairo Conference or ICPD adopted a new Programme of Action (PoA) as a guide for national and international action in population and development for the next 20 years. The PoA emphasises the enduring link between population on one hand and development on the other hand; and introduced for the first time the concepts of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The African consensus on the ICPD beyond 2014, is known as the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD).

This National report reviews the progress and evaluates the extent to which The Gambia has fulfilled the commitments reflected in the AADPD over the past five years. The country’s prospects for harnessing the demographic dividend are also assessed.