SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS 'STATEMENT OF POPULATION STABILIZATION BY WORLD LEADERS' REFLECTS COOPERATION AND COMMITMENT
Press Release
SG/SM/5798
POP/599
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS 'STATEMENT OF POPULATION STABILIZATION BY WORLD LEADERS' REFLECTS COOPERATION AND COMMITMENT
19951025 Following is the text of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's remarks at a Headquarters ceremony at which President Soeharto of Indonesia presented him with a statement on population stabilization, signed by 75 heads of government:I am honoured to receive the "Statement on Population Stabilization by World Leaders" on this, the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. These days of commemoration have been inspiring. We have reaffirmed our common mission to humanity. We have demonstrated that our common goals and beliefs will prevail as we move towards world peace and human development.
This Statement reflects that same spirit of cooperation and commitment. It is a source of strength for all those who work for this great cause.
People are our planet's greatest strength and most precious possession. Like all assets, they must be cared for wisely.
Solutions do not come quickly or easily. In the population field, successful change will take generations. And yet, population programmes are one of the great success stories of our time. During the 1960s, when this Statement was initiated, global population grew at a rate of over 2 per cent annually. Fertility stood at almost five births for each woman. Numbers were increasing at a pace unprecedented in history. It took the foresight of leaders like President Soeharto and the dedication of all individuals around the world to understand the full impact of this phenomenon and the need for action. Today, we have achieved a decline in fertility to just over three children per woman, and a growth rate of 1.6 per cent.
There is still a long way to go. But population programmes have made a difference. A difference in the number of people that the planet must sustain. A difference in the progress made towards social and economic development. And, most important, a difference in the health, well-being and aspirations of millions of families around the world. It was a high point for me to experience,
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at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, the focus of over 180 governments on that aspect of population activities: the improvement of the quality of life of women and men everywhere.
I am proud that the United Nations has played such an important role in these endeavours. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in cooperation with other parts of the United Nations, the non-governmental sector and civil society, has been critical to the provision of these programmes.
President Soeharto, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for your commitment to this great mission of service to all humanity.
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