False: The 1994 population conference in Cairo mandated a reduction in the world population by 95 percent as part of a plan to bring in a New World Order.

By: Sandesh M
August 17 2022

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Context:

A Facebook post claimed that the heads of state of 160 countries had formulated a sinister plan at a conference held in Cairo in 1994 to depopulate the world from around six billion to 800 million by 2030. The person in the video asserts that he is sharing the information so that people can become alert to free themselves from enslavement. He goes on to say that a New World Order is at the doorstep conspired by the globalists under the pretense of a greater good. The claim is unsubstantiated and misleading. Conspiracy theorists and some fringe media have shared the video multiple times.

In fact:

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) organized in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994 focused on meeting the individual needs of men and women rather than demographic goals. It was one of the most significant conferences attended by 179 governments convened by the Population Division of the United Nations. A Programme of Action (POA) was adopted, emphasizing women's rights and serving as a blueprint for population policies for the next two decades.

A review published by Pubmed on the 1994 ICPD conference mentions that the event was a resounding success, but the POA had no force of law but had political and moral influence. ICPD stressed improving individuals' reproductive and sexual health and marked a shift in how the population issues were addressed. Cairo acknowledged that women should have "free choice" in family matters and set goals for improving their status as a trigger for slow population growth.

The Cairo conference ended the concept of "population control." No mandate was enforced upon nations to reduce the population by 95 percent, nor was a timetable set till 2030 to achieve the goal.

Further, the person in the video claims that the rulers have found solutions to reduce the population by adding fluoride to drinking water, distributing manufactured viruses through vaccines, and releasing poisonous chemicals through chemtrails in densely populated areas. All such claims have been previously debunked by Logically. 

During the pandemic, some on social media falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines were the mechanism by which the world would be depopulated. Microsoft founder Bill Gates was targeted by these claims. These claims were debunked by Logically and other independent fact-checkers several times.

The New World Order (NWO) theory has proliferated on social media platforms, and adherents believe that a purported group of elites or influential persons are planning in a covert way to take over the world's populace and enslave them. They have taken advantage of events like mass shootings, vaccine mandates, heatwaves, and food shortages to sow the seeds of conspiracy. The theory proposed by NWO conspiracists can cause real-life danger as they incite violence and may cause civil unrest. The above claim is also connected to conspiracy theories which are just an imagination.

Verdict: The Cairo conference shifted focus to issues like gender equality, education, and women's empowerment. It was more inclusive than the previous world population conferences. The conference was given the mandate to promote women's health and well-being. It was in no way related to depopulating the world by sinister means as propagated by conspiracy theorists. Hence we have marked the claim as false.