Dear IFMSA family and SRHR advocates, I am thrilled to announce the opening of the call to join the IFMSA delegation to the United Nations 59th Session of the Commission on Population and Development, taking place from April 13 to 17, 2026, in New York, United States. About the Commission: A Population Commission was established by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 3 (III) of 3 October 1946. In its resolution 49/128 of 19 December 1994, the General Assembly decided that the Commission should be renamed the Commission on Population and Development. In the same resolution, the Assembly decided that it, the Council and the Commission should constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental mechanism that would play the primary role in the follow-up to the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and that the Commission, as a functional commission assisting the Council, would monitor, review and assess the implementation of the Programme of Action at the national, regional and international levels and advise the Council thereon. The meeting will occur from the 13th to the 17th of April 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America.
This session will focus on one theme: "Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development". About the IFMSA delegation. The delegation will consist of 9 IFMSA members and be led by the LRA (10 delegates overall).
Objectives of the IFMSA participation in the meeting: Deliver statements and interventions from the floor to outline the IFMSA stance on the issues addressed in the meeting. Participate in parallel and side events during the meeting. Network with external partners relevant to the IFMSA work and connect with member states. Showcase IFMSA’s participation through Social Media. Create and develop advocacy plans, policy briefs, and other advocacy-related publications in defined advocacy streams. Participate in, contribute to, and facilitate capacity-building sessions for the IFMSA delegation. Support the LRA in developing logistical aspects of the meeting (accommodation, social program, etc.) Act on behalf of 1.5 million medical students worldwide to advance population and development.
Other possible delegation tasks are participating in reflection sessions, attending plenary sessions, speaking opportunities, etc.
Selection criteria: Motivation for participation. Experience in the topic of the meeting. Experience in IFMSA external affairs efforts and IFMSA policy work (the related work carried outside of IFMSA can also be evaluated). Contribution to the delegation and clear follow-up plans, especially on the local and national levels, and participation in opportunities to assist future delegations. Regional and gender representation will be taken into account.
Application process. Fill out the Application Form. It is an online form with several questions that comprise the application. Please note the character limit and respond only to what is being asked. Fill out and upload the Candidature Form (CF) correctly. The CF needs to be signed and stamped by your respective NMO President for the application to be valid. In case the NMO President is applying, the CF must be signed by another member of the NMO's EB or TO. The official name of the meeting to be used in the CF is “The 59th Session of the Commission on Population and Development”.
The Application Form with the Candidature Form need to be submitted before the 28th of February 2026, 23:59h GMT. Late submissions will be deemed invalid.
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me directly via Email or WhatsApp.
Hugs, Darine.
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