HARNESS TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TO DISSEMINATE POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT DATA COMMISSION TOLD, AS EXPANDED USE OF INTERNET IS STRESSED
Press Release
POP/613
HARNESS TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TO DISSEMINATE POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT DATA COMMISSION TOLD, AS EXPANDED USE OF INTERNET IS STRESSED
19960228 Technological advances such as the widespread and growing use of the Internet can be harnessed to disseminate information on population and development, speakers said this afternoon as the Commission on Population and Development continued its consideration of programme questions.The Assistant Director of the Population Division, Birgitta Bucht, told the Commission that the Population Information Network (POPIN) had been expanded to encompass a Web site which included publications, newsletters, statistical tables and other information from the United Nations and other organizations. The POPIN Gopher/World Wide Web Site was being updated daily. In the future, the Division planned to produce a CD-ROM version of the POPIN Gopher/Web Site for use in countries or areas that were not yet connected to the Internet.
The representative of the Philippines asked how the POPIN network could be made more accessible to a wider range of people, particularly those in developing countries. Replying to his query, a representative of the Population Division, Susan Pasquiella, said that 72 countries all over the world, developed and developing, had accessed the POPIN.
The Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programmes said that the communications revolution was making it possible to reach men with respect to reproductive health issues as never before. However, she said, the communications revolution was unfortunately reaching adolescents in a harmful way. "No human power can prevent young people from wanting to know about and experimenting with sex. But more education and better communication can help young people avoid some of the minefields that lie between virginity and childbearing in marriage."
The Director of the Latin American Demographic Center of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Reynaldo F. Bajraj, said its activities in the field of information in population included the maintenance of the regional bibliographic data base called DOCPAL. The Chief of the Population Section of the Economic and Social Commission for Western
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Asia (ESCWA), Youssef Gemayel, described a three-year ESCWA project which provided for the establishment and maintenance of an ESCWA database for regional population statistics. The Director of the Population Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Nibhon Bebavalya, said ESCAP had continued to promote new and better technologies for handling, sharing and disseminating population information.
The Chief of the Fertility and Mortality Studies Section, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Zifa Kazeze, said the Commission was currently reviewing its programme orientation so that it would better respond to member States needs, he said.
Also taking part in the discussion were the representatives of Cuba, France, United States, Canada, Indonesia and Brazil. In addition, statements were made by the Chief of the Population Policy Section, Ellen Brennan; Chief of the Population and Development Section, Mary-Beth Weinberger; Interregional Adviser of the Population Division, Jean-Marie Pelet; Director of the Population Division, Joseph Chamie; and the Director of the Statistical Division, Hermann Habermann. A representative of the Natural Resources Defense Council also spoke.
The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. on Friday, 1 March to consider the provisional agenda for its next session.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission on Population and Development met this afternoon to continue 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.
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. (For background, see Press Release POP/612, issued today.)
Statements
ELLEN BRENNAN, Chief, Population Policy Section, said that in the area of reproductive health, the Population Policy Section had issued the third and final volume in the series Abortion Policies: A Global Review. In addition, a wall chart on abortion policies was published in all six United Nations languages.
She said that in conducting the ongoing global analysis of population policies, the Section was faced with having to monitor changes in the population policies of an ever increasing number of countries. The Section was also faced with the increasing complexity and sophistication of population policies, and with the emergence of many new areas of policy concern such as adolescent fertility, reproductive rights, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. In the area of global analysis of population policies, the Section was continuing to produce the "GRIPP file" -- the "Global Review and Inventory of Population Policies".
Another major area of attention was policies to manage the growth of the world's largest urban agglomerations, she said. Research on mega-cities and other large cities had shown that the fundamental bases of urban economic growth were rapidly changing. In the next century, the economic and social development of metropolitan areas would be influence by continued global economic interaction and by the need for nations to be competitive in the
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global economy. The competition would be between cities as well as countries. Success or failure would depend on the ability of municipal governments to provide the type of infrastructure and human capital that were required by modern business. The population of many large cities, however, would continue to grow substantially whether or not they became internationally competitive or whether their economies grew at all.
She said the area receiving the greatest attention was international migration policies. The Section's efforts aimed at contributing to a better understanding of migratory problems and responses by offering a comparative and comprehensive overview of current policies formulated by governments in all regions of the world. She reviewed the Section's work programmes for the 1996-1997 biennium, stating that it would continue working in the areas of global analysis of population policies, reproductive health and urbanization. Although the project on international migration policies would wind down this year, the Section intended to keep working in that important field.
MARY-BETH WEINBERGER, Chief, Population and Development Section, Population Division, said the Population and Development Section had engaged in several activities in the broad area of interrelationships between population, resources and development. She reviewed a study entitled Government Views on Population and the Environment, which covered the linkages between population and environment issues in national reports and in the comments adopted at the series of United Nations environmental conferences, as well as the series of international population conferences culminating in Cairo. Work had continued on the Population, Resources, Environment and Development Data Bank and a further update was planned for the 1996-1997 biennium. That data bank was meant to aid the Population Division in preparing future reports dealing with population, environment and development linkages.
During 1995, she continued, the main emphasis had been on updating the data to take into account the latest revision of the population estimates, and on increasing the thoroughness of the documentation for users of the data. The section also planned to issue a more extensive revision during 1997, which would extend the geographic coverage and include the developed countries. Other activities under way included a study on trends in population variables as they related to land use in developing countries. Work was also under way on a report on approaches to measuring poverty. It would consider some ways in which measurement choices might affect the demographic profile of households classified as poor.
She said the Population and Development Section would also act as a liaison to other offices within and outside the United Nations system on issues concerned with population and sustainable development and also with respect to gender, population and development issues.
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BIRGITTA BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, said that the Population Information Network (POPIN) had been expanded to encompass a Web site, which included publications, newsletters, statistical tables and other information from the United Nations and other organizations. The POPIN Gopher/World Wide Web Site was being updated daily. It was funded through extrabudgetary resources, which had been secured through March. Provided that future funding was received, the POPIN Gopher/Web Site would be expanded to provide teaching materials on how to find population resources. Another planned activity was to produce a CD-ROM version of the POPIN Gopher/Web Site for use in countries or areas that were not yet connected to the Internet.
LIBRAN N. CABACTULAN (Philippines) praised the expansion of the POPIN network, but asked how it could be made more accessible to a wider range of people, particularly those in developing countries. "It's well and good to be talking about this facility, but I wonder how much it is being used."
Ms. BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, said that during the Cairo Conference, some 28,000 people worldwide had used POPIN. Access to the Internet was expanding quickly all over the world, thus providing a tremendous opportunity to disseminate information.
SUSAN PASQUARIELLA, of the Population Division, said that 72 countries throughout the world, developed and developing, had used POPIN. The Philippines, Singapore, Egypt and many Latin American countries had access to the Internet. However, in light of the fact that many countries did not have direct access to the Internet, efforts would be made -- if resources were available -- to make POPIN available on CD-ROM.
JEAN-MARIE PELET, Interregional Advisor of the Population Division, said that technical support services specialists working in the field had carried out missions to a number of countries. They had also actively participated in various conferences, workshops and seminars. He went on to describe the publications being prepared on such subjects as family planning programmes, reproductive health, demographic training and education. A comparative analysis of higher education training in population and development was being prepared, he said. The Population Division would be conducting a study on environmental degradation in rural areas of developing countries and was also supporting projects to improve national capacity for data analysis.
The Division had worked on technical assistance projects in some 50 countries, with the aim of strengthening national capacity for gathering and analyzing demographic data, he said. The number of technical support services specialists had been reduced to four because of the loss of posts in the Division. During the restructuring process at the end of 1993, the mandate for technical assistance in the field of population had been moved to the Population Division from the Department for Technical Assistance. At that time, there had been 17 persons working full-time on technical assistance
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projects. Today, there were only four persons working full-time and four working part-time, plus support staff.
ANA SILVIA RODRIGUEZ ABASCAL (Cuba) said that the programme of work had been altered to fulfil the mandates of the recent world conferences relating to population and development matters. "We are struck by the fact that population programmes have already been affected by savings measures that have not been considered by the General Assembly", she said. She asked for more information on how changes could have been made without prior consideration by the General Assembly.
JOSEPH CHAMIE, Director, Population Division, said that although direction on the budget had not yet been given, contingency plans were being drafted within the Secretariat to deal with the budget shortfall. One measure being taken in anticipation of budget problems was avoiding advertising new posts allocated to the Division, in anticipation of their possible abolishment. Efforts were also being made to economize on travel and other non-staff costs. Other measures involved such issues as early separation. "But you are absolutely correct", he said. "We are only anticipating possible changes, but they are not in effect."
MICHEL OBLIN (France) said that in the context of austerity, the tendency was to mix everything together. But it was important to distinguish between restructuring and a lack of adequate resources. He asked what the precise impact was of restructuring measures on activities such as technical assistance.
Mr. PELET, Interregional Advisor of the Population Division, said that in the past, experts had visited projects on a more regular basis to ensure proper implementation. The reduction of staff had impeded that effort.
HERMAN HABERMANN, Director of the Statistical Division, said that pursuant to the Economic and Social Council resolution entitled "2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme", the Statistics Division had planned an expert group meeting, to take place later this year, to review the emerging issues and experience of nearly 237 countries. It would recommend improved methods of census taking and consider revision to the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses that were widely used by countries in 1980 and 1990 census rounds. Preparations were under way to produce a series of census handbooks and manuals to assist countries in planning and organizing their future census.
He said population changes in the next century would be critically affected by international movements of people including immigrants, emigrants, returning migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other groups. Data on international migration were least developed both in countries of origin and destination. A draft report on international migration statistics recommended
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taking an economic perspective of uses and user requirements for data and providing further elaboration of concepts and treatment of short term migration and return migration.
In response to the world conferences on social issues and their plans of action, he said, the Division had established a United Nations Common Data System Task Force to develop a coordinated and consistent methodological approach to data collection across the United Nations system in response to demands on national governments to monitor the achievement of goals that had emerged from the various summit conferences. It had been agreed that development of a United Nations common code of statistical practice that emphasized numerical transparency was urgently needed and that it was vital that all United Nations publications should be transparent with respect to published data. The Statistics Division had helped draft guidelines on numerical transparency and some common statistical practices in the collection of data.
JUDITH BANNISTER (United States) asked when the Conference on the 2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme would be rescheduled.
Mr. HABERMANN, Director, Statistics Division, said some problems were caused by the retirements of certain staff members. He could not say when or what would be accomplished in the Division but he hoped that the Conference on the 2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme would take place in the second part of 1996.
Mr. CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, said the questions about what would occur in the future were perhaps better known to the delegates than to the secretariat. In response to the question about differentiating between restructuring and financial crises, he said he would try to keep those items clearly identified.
Regarding the budget, he said, he had reproduced the programme budget for the biennium programme 1994-1995 which related to the Population Division that and a document on specific details relating to the Division. Those documents were available to the delegates. Referring to questions on the proposed budget for 1997, he said it had been submitted by the Secretary- General to the General Assembly.
At the present time, he said, there were no interregional projects funded except for a 3-month extension for the POPIN project. Other extra- budgetary expenses were related to personnel.
He said that for the biennium 1994-1995, 81 outputs had been programmed and 78 were completed. The report on levels and trends of fertility had been postponed because of vacant posts that could not be filled due to the financial crisis. The scope and detail of other activities had to be
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curtailed because of diminished resources. Non-staff costs were expected to be reduced by 10 per cent. He did not know yet how the suggested savings were to be distributed across the Secretariat and the Division.
Two of the Division's publications were out of print, he said. The Division was doing its own desk top publishing. Readership was broad and the Division sent out at least 500 copies to institutions, most of which were in developing countries. Virtually all of the documents were available electronically.
RUTH ARCHIBALD (Canada) said the Commission had decided last year that resources would be required for new work on reproductive health and migration. She asked for clarification.
SAMANTHA ARI WARDHANA (Indonesia) said that the proposed budget for 1996-1997 had been extensively discussed in the Fifth Committee. It had approved an amendment related to the Division.
Mr. CHAIMEE, Director, Population Division, said the Commission had given clear instructions in its report and had recommended the strengthening of the Secretariat within existing resources. The budget proposal was processed and discussed and the end product had been agreed to last year. They had started with 26 posts. One post at the P2 level was removed and one post at the P5 level was added, thus producing a net gain of zero.
REYNALDO F. BAJRAJ, Director of the Latin American Demographic Center of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), said priority subjects addressed by ECLAC were population trends, monitoring of population policies, integration of population factors in development policies, dissemination of population information and specialized training. The Economic Commission's activities were coordinated with several specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "There were many instances of joint activities with such institutions."
He said the Latin American Demographic Center operated REDATAM-Plus, which stood for retrieval of census data for small areas by microcomputer. Activities in the field of information in population included the maintenance of the regional bibliographic database called DOCPAL and the regional network IPALCA, which included national bibliographic population centres.
The ECLAC countries had finalized the process of enhancing their draft regional plan of action to reflect the outcome of the Cairo Conference, he went on. In April, a special committee on population and development would be convened to examine the current socio-demographic situation in the region and related issues.
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ELZA SLVATORI BERQUO (Brazil) expressed appreciation for the role played by ECLAC during the regional preparation for the Cairo Conference as well as in relation to follow-up to that Conference.
NIBHON DEBAVALYA, Director, Population Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said that in addition to its regular programme of work, ESCAP had implemented various activities in line with the recommendations of the Bali Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development and the Cairo Programme of Action. In November, it had organized the first session of the Inter-organization Subcommittee on Population and Development in Asia and the Pacific. That session approved the draft terms of reference for the Subcommittee and suggested that it take steps to strengthen regional cooperation among the member organizations. Also during 1995, ESCAP provided technical assistance including various human resources development activities, organized training courses, workshops and study tours and disseminated valuable population data and information to developing countries in the region.
He said that in the area of research, the aim of ESCAP's work was to help developing countries in the region to evolve adequate strategies, policies and measures so that they would be able to work towards solving their own population problems. In the area of technical assistance, it had adopted various approaches for improving the technical skills and knowledge of government officials and other professionals working in the field of population. The regional Commission has assisted its developing member nations in order to promote self-reliance among those countries through exchange of experience, and the sharing, pooling and utilization of their technical resources.
The regional Commission had continued to promote new and better techniques and technologies for handling, sharing and disseminating population information, he said. It had also continued to support population information centers in a number of countries with the aim of enabling them to become self- reliant in the information gathering, analyzing, processing and disseminating capabilities. The ESCAP secretariat used publications and meetings to disseminate population information. Work during 1996-1997 would focus on providing assistance to ESCAP member countries in their efforts to implement both the Bali Declaration and the Cairo Programme of Action.
ZIFA KAZEZE , Chief, Fertility and Mortality Studies Section, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said population activities of the Commission were geared towards facilitating the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration and the Cairo Programme of Action and related population and development frameworks. Those activities fell under the categories of parliamentary services, published materials, operational activities and coordination, harmonization and liaison with other organizations.
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He said that some of the programmed research studies to be carried out in 1996 and 1997 would focus on the following areas: management of family planning programmes; urban environment and health; infant, child and maternal mortality; population and conflict; and impact of environmental policies and programmes relating to population and human settlements. Seminars and workshops had been programmed in 1996 and 1997 on the integration of population factors in development planning, patterns and causes and consequences of female migration and on adolescent fertility in Africa.
The Commission was currently reviewing its programme orientation so that it would better respond to member States' needs, he said. Special emphasis would be given to strengthening population policies in relation to food security, environment and sustainable development. Arrangements were under way to foster better collaborative working relations between ECA and its development partners in assisting member States.
YOUSSEF GEMAYEL, Chief, Population Section of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), said ESCWA had continued to monitor population trends, reviewing and analyzing recent developments in the region. It had published its demographic and social indicators as of 1994. The population estimates, published every two years, aimed to contribute to policy-making. The Section had made contacts with outside organizations with a view to integrating demographic and related socio-economic variables on the Arab region. Studies had been undertaken on population dynamics and poverty.
He went on to say that a three-year project had been implemented to assist national population commissions in the region. The project provided for the establishment and maintenance of an ESCWA database for population statistics on the region. The ESCWA was currently creating a project framework which would serve as a follow-up mechanism to the Cairo Conference.
PHYLLIS TILSON PIOTROW, Director of the Center for Communication Programmes, Johns Hopkins University, said the ideas and values promoted by the Cairo Conference could change policies and programmes around the world only if they were widely communicated in every country. The mass media should be strongly urged and encouraged to play a much larger role in spreading the Cairo message. Governments and non-governmental organizations should use new technologies such as the POPIN and CD-ROM databases to disseminate the goals of the Programme of Action. Governments and non-governmental organizations should also emphasize the need for improvements in interpersonal communication, counselling and the effective use of educational materials in health facilities.
The communications revolution was making it possible to reach men with respect to reproductive health issues as never before, she continued. "Men do not often attend maternal and child health clinics, but they have access to mass media, attend sports and community events and purchase personal products
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regularly at retail outlets." The communications revolution made it possible to create dramas, talk shows, and question and answer sessions specifically for men, as well as advertisements for condoms to protect against sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and unwanted pregnancies. Governments and non- governmental organizations should be encouraged to support messages and events designed to reach men and foster shared decision-making on reproductive health issues.
She said the communications revolution was unfortunately reaching adolescents in a harmful way. "No human power can prevent young people from wanting to know about and experimenting with sex. But more education and better communication can help young people avoid some of the minefields that lie between virginity and childbearing in marriage." The international community must recognize that young people desperately needed information on sexuality and reproduction.
JACQUELINE HAMILTON, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said her organization had published a study called One Year After Cairo on how governments had translated the Programme of Action into policies and programmes. The survey had documented significant progress in a number of countries which had begun to review, change, expand or create programmes in light of the Conference's outcome. Many new bodies had been created to focus on women's education and development as well as health and reproduction. A few national leaders, such as President Alberto Fujimori of Peru and former President Jean-Betrand Aristide of Haiti, had taken strong positions on family planning in their countries.
Many developing countries had indicated their intention to increase budgetary allocations for population programmes, she continued. Several donor countries had said they would increase their level of development aid for population programmes but others, such as the United States, had lowered their external assistance programmes in the field of population.
She called for the establishment of a focal point within the Secretariat to provide information to interested non-governmental organizations.
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