#The4DSeries

In many low-income countries, particularly in Africa, populations are growing rapidly. They are at the beginning of the demographic transition and must provide an increasing number of people with access to essential services such as health, education and food. Countries that are already experiencing shifts in their population age structure and where the share of the working-age population is rising often struggle to provide their young populations with decent jobs. Interventions in key sectors such as health, education and employment are needed to accelerate socioeconomic progress to harness the potential of a demographic dividend.

Moving population and development forward

This is where the policy dialogues of #The4DSeries come in. Representatives from governments, civil society, academia and youth from different regions come together to raise awareness for the numerous levers for demographic dividends. Benefiting from a platform for exchange, participants are able to learn from one another and discover good practices. They develop key points for action to inform policy planning and guide governments in finding country specific solutions to move population and development issues forward.

Assess key sectors for demographic dividends

Each dialogue in the #The4DSeries focuses on a different topic shaping population trends. These include:

the availability of disaggregated socio-demographic data to provide an evidence base for sustainable policy planning and to achieve a demographic dividend;
the supply of sufficient food and nutrition to meet the needs of a growing number of people as well as to create decent employment opportunities in agriculture;
access to equal opportunities for girls and boys to attend school and the provision of lifelong learning opportunities;
promotion of gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services, including family planning and comprehensive sexuality education.

ICPD and beyond

The foundation for sustainable population and development policies was laid by the Cairo Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994. With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community also highlighted the importance of population matters for sustainable development. At the 2019 Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, the need for accelerated progress in the implementation of these key areas was announced.

Exchange in times of Covid-19

The dialogue series is currently a virtual format due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Each dialogue kicks off with introductory remarks delivered by the hosts. A joint panel discussion follows, in which experts from around the world set the scene by sharing their thoughts on the dialogue’s focus topic. In small groups, participants move on to discuss possible solutions from research and practice during breakout sessions to develop policy recommendations. The results from the breakout-sessions are brought back to the plenary and moulded into key points for action.

Background

The Berlin Institute provides technical and scientific advice for the policy dialogues on demographic diversity and dividends. It contributes expertise for the topics of each dialogue and drafts input papers for discussion. The results of the entire dialogue series were summarised by the Berlin Institute and published in the final report in summer 2023.

The #The4DSeries is a series of events jointly organized by the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with UNFPA and the AU to raise awareness of the relevance of demographic change.

Food for Thought Papers

The Berlin Institute writes background reports (Food for Thought Papers) for each dialogue in the series. The papers review the evidence base, identify needs for action and provide a set of good practice examples. The papers are shared with all participants ahead of each dialogue to inform discussions.

Reports

The final report of the #The4DSeries dialog series is based on the dialogues’ Event Reports and Food for Thought Papers, bringing together best practices and policy recommendations for unlocking demographic dividends.