CONCERN OVER IMPACT OF REDUCED RESOURCE ALLOCATION ON WORK OF POPULATION DIVISION EXPRESSED AT COMMISSION
Press Release
POP/612
CONCERN OVER IMPACT OF REDUCED RESOURCE ALLOCATION ON WORK OF POPULATION DIVISION EXPRESSED AT COMMISSION
19960228 Concern over decreasing resource allocation at a time of increasing demands on the United Nations Population Division was expressed this morning at the Commission on Population and Development, as it considered programme questions.The Director of the Population Division, Joseph Chamie, introducing reports on programme questions, said that the Organization's financial crisis had significantly affected the Division's work. The Division was continuing to try to do more work with less resources. Because that trend was expected to continue, the ability of the Population Division to fully implement its work programme was in serious question, he said.
The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Jean-Claude Milleron, agreed that the budgetary situation was serious. "We are under great pressure." He stressed that the work of the Department had a tremendous long-term value. "If we dissipate this inheritance, it would have serious implications for the Organization as a whole."
Several speakers noted that the current cycle of international conferences had produced a number of agreements which had expanded the demands on the Division, while the financial crisis had resulted in a decrease in its budgetary allocations. The representative of Indonesia, joined by the representatives of the United Kingdom, Philippines and France, called for information to be provided to the Commission on exactly how the budget cuts had affected the work of the United Nations in the population field.
Another chief topic of discussion this morning was the importance of conducting studies on international migration, which would be the central theme of the Commission's work next year. Several participants, including the representatives of the United States and Jamaica, called for an analysis of the causes of migration. The representative of the Sudan said work on migrants should address the plight of internally displaced persons who were the victims of natural disasters and also required international assistance.
Other statements were made by the representatives of Malta, India, Netherlands, Ukraine, China, Brazil, Peru, Canada, Japan, Norway, Malaysia and
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Nigeria. Statements were also made by the Assistant Director of the Population Division, Birgitta Bucht; Chief, Mortality and Migration Section, Hania Zlotnik; Chief, Fertility and Family Planing Section, Aminur R. Khan; and Officer-in-Charge, Population Estimates and Projections Section, J.A. Grinblat.
Also this morning, the representative of Italy, on behalf of the European Union, introduced a draft resolution on follow-up to the Cairo Conference. In another action, the Commission elected Simon B.A. Bullut (Kenya) as Vice-Chairman.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of programme questions.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission on Population and Development met this morning to continue its consideration of follow-up to the recommendations of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994). It will also begin its consideration of programme questions.
The Commission has before it a report of the Secretary-General on the progress of work of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis in the field of population in 1995 (document E/CN.9/1996/7). The report covers the activities of the Department dealing with the analysis of demographic variables at the world level; world population projections; population policy and socio-economic development; population information; and technical cooperation in the field of population.
"Some delays in the implementation of programmed outputs occurred as a consequence of the extraordinary measures taken by the Secretary-General in response to the financial situation of the Organization", states the report. Some activities were cancelled, while others had to be carried over to this year. For example, a meeting of an ad hoc expert group mandated to examine issues involved in the measurement of the quality of family-planning services, which was to have been held last October, was cancelled owing to financial constraints.
Reviewing the demographic analysis carried out by the Department last year, the report states that its report on Women's Education and Fertility Behaviour shows that in all regions average fertility levels become lower with the transition from primary to secondary and to tertiary education. Education was also found to affect women's ability and willingness to implement fertility preference through contraceptive means. The study provides numerous arguments showing a strong association between women's education and health status, family well-being and reduced fertility.
Another study, on Levels and Trends of Contraceptive Use as Assessed in 1994, presents regional and global average levels of contraceptive use, and estimates of the extent of availability of modern contraceptives in developing countries. The first findings of the Department's study on Evolving Patterns of Fertility Behaviour in Developing Countries suggest that, although fertility has remained high in sub-Saharan Africa in a number of countries, a fertility transition has commenced there. Fertility continued to decline in Northern Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to the report, the Department has been compiling a comprehensive set of data on child mortality. The estimates obtained indicate that in most countries male children under age one experience higher mortality than their female counterparts, but, among children ages one to four, female mortality is higher than male mortality in many countries. With respect to
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the use of preventive health measures, there are small differences in the immunization coverage of girls and boys in most countries. However, in Northern Africa, Southern Asia and Western Asia, immunization coverage tends to be higher among boys. Among sick children, boys are more likely than girls to be treated at modern facilities and to receive effective treatment. Data relative to several countries shows that, in families that have many daughters, excess mortality among girls appears to be caused by short birth intervals rather than by deliberate neglect.
Concerning international migration, the report states that at the world level the total number of international migrants rose from 75 million to 120 million between 1960 and 1990.
The Department's 1996 Revision of its world population estimates and predictions presents, for the first time, full sets of data, by sex and age, for the Gaza Strip, Macau and Western Sahara. In addition, owing to the continued spread of HIV/AIDS in the world, the number of countries for which the demographic impact of that disease is being incorporated will be increased to 28, up from 16 in the 1994 revision.
The global Population Information Network (POPIN) has used the Internet to greatly increase world-wide dissemination of population information produced by the United Nations system. The POPIN World-Wide Web site address is http://www.undp.org./popin/popin.htm. The Department continues to publish the results of its research studies in a variety of formats to meet the needs of different audiences through activities such as the maintenance of databases and software.
Regarding technical cooperation, the report states that during 1995, the Population Division continued to provide technical assistance services to more than 80 projects in 45 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Western Asia, Latin America and countries with economies in transition.
Also before the Commission is a note by the Secretary-General containing the proposed programme of work for the 1996-1997 biennium (document E/CN.9/1996/8). The note states that the work programme has been designed to undertake follow-up activities relating to the Cairo Conference, to carry out research of the highest priority at the global level, to disseminate research findings in the most effective manner possible and to provide substantive support for technical cooperation projects in the field of population. (Details of the programme of work are contained in document E/CN.9/1996/CRP.1.)
Statements on Follow-Up to Cairo Conference
JUDITH BANNISTER (United States) said the United Nations had established the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, which
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coordinated all work on the HIV/AIDS epidemic carried out by six United Nations organizations -- World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Bank. The UNAIDS would support policy development, research, technical assistance, advocacy and coordination. It would maximize the effectiveness of the United Nations system in confronting the pandemic, and would result in enhanced cooperation among donor agencies, national AIDS control programmes and non-governmental organizations. The United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Census Bureau, and other government agencies were deeply involved in the global struggle against AIDS, and welcomed UNAIDS in the war against that deadly virus.
VICTOR PACE (Malta) said that, in implementing the Cairo Programme of Action, account had to be taken of the numerous reservations expressed by Member States in the relevant document. Failure on the part of United Nations bodies and agencies to do so would expose the Organization to criticism for having impinged on the rights of Member States. It was imperative that every phase of discussions and implementation of the Programme of Action be guided by respect for the religious belief, ethical values and cultural backgrounds of Member States. In so doing and particularly because of the nature of the issues being discussed, it had to be ensured that parental rights and responsibilities were given their due importance. Parental rights and responsibilities in that context were perhaps the issues most strongly pronounced during the three major conferences addressing population issues.
He said the results attained in Malta showed that a radical drop in the average number of births was a result of general education, the changing role of women and their full participation in family decision-making. Adequate resources, a focus on education and communication facilities and an investment in the wide range of medical assistance required in the sectors linked to reproductive health were of key importance. RAFIQ ZAKARIA (India) said his country was working with other developing States that faced similar population problems, and he suggested that the exchange of information and views at the governmental level be extended to the non-governmental level so as to better tackle common problems. Over-population was a question of survival for the developing world. "Unless it is rapidly checked, we get pushed two steps backwards every time we take one step forward." The UNFPA should strengthen its activities on behalf of countries that faced serious population pressures.
SAMANTHA ARI WARDHANA (Indonesia) said that the Programme of Action was not an international treaty with formal legal validity, and, therefore, it was not binding. No agency should have enforcement powers with respect to population matters, as that would constitute a violation of the sovereign rights of States.
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BIRGITTA BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, replying to questions posed previously by States, said that harmful traditional practices could have serious negative impacts on reproductive health. In reviewing issues related to entry into reproductive life, the Division would try to carefully use and clearly distinguish the terms involved. Any language which could be misunderstood as violating the sovereignty of States should and would be revised.
Statements on Programme Questions
JOSEPH CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, introducing reports on programme questions, said that the Organization's financial crisis had significantly affected the Division's work. The Division was continuing to try to do more work with less resources. Because that trend was expected to continue, the ability of the Population Division to fully implement its work programme was in serious question.
Ms. BANNISTER (United States) commended the Division for its work. Its reports on contraceptive use and female education and its relation to fertility were of great relevance. The United States supported the Division's research on the causes of child mortality. Such work was critical to addressing the difficult problems involved.
The proposed programme of work was useful and timely, she said. It would be appropriate to analyse migration trends because of the Commission's intention to focus on that issue next year. Analysis of the root causes of migration would be of great value. The Division should continue to study the relationship between population and development, as well as urbanization and urban conglomerations. Such research would constitute an important contribution to the work of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, 1996).
AASJE PAPINEAU SALM (Netherlands) said the Division had undertaken excellent analytical work over the past year. Its in-depth scientific analysis of different demographic trends at the global level was a sine qua non for developing new policies and monitoring transitions currently under way. Special attention should be paid to the Division's work on migration. The Commission would next year examine international migration and its causes. The Netherlands was working on a manual on migration statistics which would be submitted to the United Nations Statistical Commission and should be published in 1997.
Mr. WARDHANA (Indonesia) said, clearly, the Organization's financial crisis had negatively affected the Division's work. It might be useful for the Commission to analyse the allocation of resources in order to deal with that problem. In addition, the Division should seek extrabudgetary resources.
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Concerning the work programme, he said that it would be guided by the priorities set out in the Programme of Action. The Division would provide technical cooperation support and would serve as an executing agency for various funding sources. However, it was unclear how the Division could implement all of the tasks allocated to it, bearing in mind its financial constraints.
OLEKSIY I. GOLUBOV (Ukraine) said the methods used by the Division in preparing its reports could be used in carrying out national surveys, especially on the issue of migration. Demographic research in individual regions could be of great practical value, particularly in Eastern Europe. It was a matter of regret that the specific needs of countries with economies in transition had not been adequately reflected in the Commission's report, even though the concerns of those countries had been fully reflected in the Programme of Action. Environmental factors and their impact on reproductive health were of great concern. In particular, the impact of the Chernobyl accident on public health must be studied and mitigated.
EASTON WILLIAMS (Jamaica) said data on migration should be disaggregated by gender and age. A close look at the root causes of international migration was also necessary.
JOHN HOBCRAFT (United Kingdom) said the Division had carried out commendable work, but concern arose over growing burdens imposed on the work programme that were simultaneously accompanied by budgetary cuts. More specific information on the impact of the budget cuts should be provided to the Commission so that it could better deal with the problem. Without such specific information, "we find it difficult to provide our support for your work, which is strong indeed", he said.
ZHANG YANG (China) said the Population Division had made every effort to implement the recommendations of the Programme of Action. She looked forward to seeing the publication of data on the levels and trends of contraceptive use and the changing patterns of fertility.
She was pleased that the document on world abortion policies had been published in all six languages. That would improve dissemination of the information. The increased use of electronic mail would also work towards that objective.
JOSE AUGUSTO LINDGREN ALVES (Brazil) said he approved and supported the work of the Population Division. He called attention to the question of international migration which was growing in importance on national and international agendas. He requested that a study of migration flows within regional grouping be undertaken.
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MARIA CRISTINA LOPEZ ODRIA (Peru) said her country had joined the consensus on social development at the Cairo and Beijing Conferences. Nothing in the language of the final documents contradicted the right to life, and nothing in Peru's national policies was against that principle.
She welcomed the progress made by the Division on research and proposed that it undertake studies to measure the internationalization of action on reproductive health.
RUTH ARCHIBALD (Canada) said she supported the comments of the United States and others on the quality of the work of the Division. She also endorsed the comments by the delegate of Indonesia on concerns about the financial situation facing the Division. She asked whether the Division could give some indication of the work to be accomplished through extrabudgetary resources.
MASAKI KNOISHI (Japan) praised the work of the Division and hoped that it would feature those topics that were of interest to many countries.
LIBRAN C. CABACTULAN (Philippines) said the report provided a full range of what had been done to implement the recommendations of the Cairo Conference. He emphasized that, in light of the name change of the Commission, development must be taken into account. He would like to see the results of a study on the eradication of poverty. The study should also focus on those matters which were relevant to the developing countries.
He said it was important to know what the status of the various projects were, in light of the financial crunch. Other conferences that followed the Cairo Conference had a direct bearing on what the Commission was doing. The Habitat II would entail specific areas that were directly related to population.
SHAHIRA HASSAN AHMED WAHBI (Sudan) joined others in commending the work of the Population Division, which, he said, was of great importance. Its future work on migrants should also address the plight of internally displaced persons who were the victims of natural disasters and also required international assistance.
HELGE BRUNBORG (Norway) said that the demographic work of the Division should focus on qualitative factors.
JACQUES VERON (France) expressed satisfaction with the Division's work over the past year. He sought specific information on measures that had been taken to restrict programme implementation as a result of the cash-flow situation of the United Nations. "It would be important to have a list of what has been cancelled and what has been put off."
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Concerning the Division's publications, he asked if they were being produced only in English or in other official languages of the United Nations system. A table showing which languages each document was published in would be useful. In addition, it would be useful to analyse who actually read the publications so as to gain familiarization with the market for those texts.
JEAN-CLAUDE MILLERON, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, said the budgetary situation was serious. "We are under great pressure." The budget had been approved and the Department had been asked to find savings to cover a greater than 6 per cent cut in its budget. This had an impact on staffing. It was important to take a long-term view; the work of the Department had a tremendous long-term value. "If we dissipate this inheritance, it would have serious implications for the Organization as a whole." The Department was ready to adjust its activities and was willing to re-examine its priorities, but it was essential not to harm the crux of United Nations support for work in the field of population.
Next year's discussion on international migration should be guided by the understanding that in order to analyse the issues, statistics and expert input would be critical, he said. A new spirit of collaboration would be required. He said he took encouragement from the words of praise offered by delegations.
Mr. CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, said the Division's work was extremely transparent. Much of what had been requested in terms of budgetary data and figures was already available and could easily be provided to all who were interested. Information on the Division's outputs could also readily be provided. One example of a meeting which had been postponed had been that of the expert group mandated to examine issues related to the quality of reproductive health care.
He said the Division was working to accommodate the two forces of expanding and reducing. For example, requests for the publication of documents in various languages had cost implications.
Topics dealing with international migration had been high on the Division's priority list, and efforts would be made to produce top-quality reports on that subject, he said. Specific data would be provided on migration flows. A global, comprehensive approach was being adopted to address population issues, with an examination of regional trends as well.
Much of the work of the Division went unnoticed because it was repackaged and reproduced without attribution, he said. For example, the Division had provided relevant statistics to the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Division would also contribute substantively to the secretariat of Habitat II.
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While much of the Division's work was published in English only or in English, French and Spanish, its wall chart on abortion policies around the world would be published in all six languages, he said. The translation of publications into those languages required extrabudgetary resources.
AMINUR R. KHAN, Chief, Fertility and Family Planing Section, said that contraceptive use contributed positively towards women's health, in general, and reproductive health, in particular. According to a report on a study of levels and trends of contraceptive use as assessed in 1994, the level of unmet need remained high. Twenty to 25 per cent of couples in developing countries (except China) was at risk of unwanted or mistimed pregnancy, but were not using contraceptions. Although 82 per cent of the governments provided direct support for family-planning service, many governments had experienced difficulties in extending services nationwide. Contraceptive methods were much less readily available in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. According to the report, by 2015, contraceptive use would need to be above 65 per cent in all regions except Africa, in order to produce the decline in fertility indicated in the United Nations medium-variant projections. There was evidence that changes were already in progress, but needed to be accelerated.
He said education had long been recognized as a crucial factor in influencing reproductive behaviour of women. Living arrangement was also important and, on that topic, the Population Division had published a comparative study showing that, with declining fertility rates, developing countries had experienced a reduction in the number of family members who lived together.
Work had continued on studies on the family-building process, and on evolving patterns of fertility behaviour in developing countries which examined patterns and trends in fertility. Preliminary results suggested that, although fertility had remained high in sub-Saharan Africa, in a number of countries, fertility transition had commenced.
HANIA ZLOTNIK, Chief, Mortality and Migration Section, said a database on child mortality was being made available on diskette. A preliminary version of a report on female mortality had been issued under the title "Too Young to Die: Genes or Gender". "As the title suggests, the biological factors and the social, economic and cultural factors that may determine sex differentials in child mortality are explored." The report would provide a basis for designing measures aimed at eliminating preventable mortality among female children.
A computer data bank on migration was being updated on an ongoing basis, she said. It contained information on migration from developing to developed countries. Estimates of the number of international migrants had been made for 1990 largely from census information. The most recent estimates of the
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total number of international migrants in the world, including refugees, showed a rise from 75 million in 1965 to 120 million in 1990. In response to a request by the General Assembly in its resolution 49/127, a report had been prepared on international migration and development, including aspects related to the objectives of convening a United Nations conference on international migration and development.
Mr. CABACTULAN (Philippines) asked for a breakdown between urban and rural areas of data on international migration. As the international distribution of labour continued, it was expected that both sending and receiving States would benefit. Data on that issue would be useful to the Commission's future discussion of the matter.
Ms. ARCHIBALD (Canada) said that information on urban and rural migration would be useful.
RAJ ABDUL KARIM (Malaysia) said the studies done on mortality would be of great value. She asked if the data compiled by other agencies such as the WHO could be provided to the Commission.
Ms. BANNISTER (United States) said it was important to classify components related to urban and rural migration.
CHRIS OGOKWE (Nigeria) asked for clarification of the statement that rural urban migration in Africa had declined by 25 per cent.
Mr. VERON (France) asked if differential treatment of boys and girls accounted for the mortality phenomena.
Mrs. ZLOTNIK, Chief, Mortality and Migration Section, said the document had only covered what the Section did, not every activity in the United Nations. The WHO was studying maternal mortality and maternal morbidity. Regarding the impact of female mortality on life expectancy, she said it varied from country to country. The Section did not have good data to measure adult mortality in all the countries. The report had looked at the aspects of differential mortality of children, and there was some evidence that girls were more susceptible to certain diseases, but the causes were not clear.
She said the measurement of international migration and net rural-urban migration and reclassification was taken by a rough method, but the proponents of that method had shown that it was capable of providing information. Rural- urban migration had not declined by 25 per cent in Africa. Unfortunately, the Section had not been able to study internal migration per se. They had, however, an interest in doing so.
In the data bank, there was information on foreign born classified by place of residence, urban or rural, she said. Potentially, that data existed
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in national censuses, but it was difficult to collect. The Section was faced with a lack of information. It did its best, but was dependent on countries to provide information.
J.A. GRINBLAT, Officer-in-Charge, Population Estimates and Projections Section, said that coherent estimates and projections added up to a body of data that was used throughout the United Nations system. Among the reports published by the Division were World Urbanization Prospects: The 1994 Revision and World Population Prospects: The 1994 Revision. Planning had begun for the 1996 Revision of urban, rural and city population estimates and projections. It would provide data on urban and rural populations for all countries until the year 2030. In addition to preparing the 1996 revisions, the Division had worked to improve its technology to produce data bases, and it had answered a vastly increased number of requests for special tabulations of data.
Introduction of Draft Resolution
ANTONIO GOLINI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, introduced a draft resolution sponsored by that group of States on follow-up to the Cairo Conference (document E/CN.9/1996/L.4). By its terms, the Commission would request that evidence of further progress in achieving the goals of the Conference Programme of Action be communicated to the Commission on an annual basis through selected publications and documentation. The Commission would welcome the encouraging evidence of actions by the international community in response to the challenges of the Programme of Action relating to reproductive rights and reproductive health, and would stress the need to accelerate such action. The Commission would encourage the widest possible dissemination of United Nations reports on progress in implementing the Programme of Action.
Also by that draft, the Commission would request that the newly constituted Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) Task Force on Basic Social Services make arrangements to ensure coordination, collaboration and harmonization in the implementation of the Programme of Action. The Task Force would also be requested to coordinate the development of appropriate indicators so that progress in addressing reproductive health needs could be assessed on a more authoritative basis.
The Commission would also request improved annual reporting on financial flows and a revised version of the report on the activities of the non- governmental sector in the areas of reproductive rights and reproductive health.
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