NEW REVIEW OF WORLD POPULATION PLAN OF ACTION ISSUED

Press Release
POP/618

NEW REVIEW OF WORLD POPULATION PLAN OF ACTION ISSUED

Information on abortion policies, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, the reproductive behaviour of adolescents, international migration, and sexual education are among the topics addressed in the newly published Review and Appraisal of the World Population Plan of Action: 1994 Report. Prepared by the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, the report covers the main topics of the World Population Plan of Action adopted at the 1974 United Nations World Population Conference while following the structure of the Cairo Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. By providing an overall assessment of the level of implementation of the Plan of Action during the past two decades, the report serves as the stepping-off point for monitoring the Programme of Action of the Cairo Conference.

The complex linkages among population, development and environmental issues are explored in-depth in the report, which provides recommendations on how to achieve sustainable development. "If the prospects for future generations are not to be compromised", it states, "important changes must be made towards the adoption of a sustainable pattern of development, one that maintains a balance between population size and environmental capacities and also succeeds in lightening the grinding burden of poverty that afflicts a large portion of the world's population." Specific data is provided concerning land use and deforestation, water resources, atmospheric pollution and energy resources.

The crucial role of sustained economic growth in achieving population- related goals, as well as the importance of eradicating poverty, are stressed in the report, which recommends promoting the economic activity of the poor. "A comparison of the experiences in various developing countries suggests that poverty reduction can be achieved by first pursuing a strategy that promotes the productive use of the poor's most abundant asset -- namely, labour -- in both industry and agriculture", according to the report. Equally important is the provision of basic social services to the poor, including health care, family planning, nutrition and primary education.

While achieving gender equality is widely regarded as an end in itself from the perspective of numerous United Nations activities, the report examines this important goal from the viewpoint of its impact on demographic indicators, such as mortality and fertility levels. In this connection, emphasis is placed on the role of gender equality in stemming the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. The report calls attention to "an urgent need for programmes aimed at halting the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to be tailored to the specific needs for information and services of women and men".

The report also provides an update on trends in access to education for women and girls, another factor widely viewed as impacting population trends, with fertility decline being closely associated with increased levels of education for women. Until recently, it notes, women have been universally underrepresented at all levels of education, although in some parts of the world there has been a steady narrowing of gender disparities in school enrolment. The gender gap is greatest in low-income countries. Rapid population growth is presenting greater educational challenges, as difficulties arise in trying to keep pace with a growing school age population which usually results in shortages of school facilities.

Increases in levels of education among women have prompted a rise in the average marriage age in developing countries, according to the report. In developed countries, more women are entering the labour force, with resulting modifications in the lifestyles of both men and women that often entail fewer children.

Family well-being may well depend, the report states, on the ability of families to make informed choices concerning fertility. "Such choice is a basic right which also has important benefits for maternal and child survival and health." Family-life education should address such issues as reproduction, sexuality, birth-spacing, and information about sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. "Equally important are parenting skills which are essential for promoting a deeper understanding of responsibilities in a familial and interpersonal context about family values."

While the report finds a decline in the world population growth rate -- from 1.96 per cent per year from 1970-1975 to 1.68 per cent from 1990-1995 -- such a decline has not yet been translated into a decline in absolute numbers. "The annual increment, which was 47 million in the early 1950s, reached 88 million between 1985 and 1990 and is expected to continue to increase to 98 million between 1995 and 2000", it states. The report explores in detail the different regional and country rates of growth, as well as population structures, including the ageing of the world population.

In the context of an analysis of trends in reproductive rights and reproductive health, the report devotes a chapter to examining the diversity

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of reproduction patterns and policies, the availability of and access to family planning, and adolescent fertility. It finds that despite overall reductions in fertility around the world, many countries in the less developed regions continue to be concerned about increasing population size, whereas countries in more developed regions have been facing other concerns related to fertility decline, a notably larger ageing population, a shrinking labour force and immigration issues.

The report recalls that the Cairo Programme of Action encourages governments to focus efforts on meeting population and development objectives through education and voluntary measures, and urges the international community to establish an efficient coordination system and facilities for the procurement of contraceptive and other commodities essential for sexual and reproductive health programmes in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. There is now increased concern about the impact on human reproduction of new biotechnologies, which make possible artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfers, surrogate motherhood, cryogenic storage of sperm and ova, genetic selection and prenatal diagnosis. Noting that numerous ethical questions are raised by these developments, the report calls on the international community to begin to address those issues and discuss the possibility of adopting a set of international standards, perhaps in the form of a protocol, on use of and access to the new biotechnologies.

On the subject of abortion -- "one of the most dividing issues of the past decade" -- the report asserts that numerous debates nourished by emotional positions and aggravated by a lack of solid data and analyses have not been conducive to better understanding of the complexity of the issue nor, consequently, the adoption of sound courses of action. None the less, it states, consensus has emerged on the following points: abortion is resorted to because of lack of sexual education and access to family-planning methods, method failure or some other deficiency; the incidence of abortion should be reduced and the best way to do so is through good prevention; and the enhancement of actions aimed at achieving responsible parenthood, accompanied by improved sexual education, and access to safe and reliable family-planning methods are the best means of preventing abortions.

The report provides detailed information on abortion, access to family planning, contraceptive use and the availability of contraceptives. The sexual and reproductive health of adolescents is also examined, including data on early childbearing and the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, detailed statistics on levels, trends and prospects concerning maternal mortality, AIDS, urbanization and international migration (both documented and undocumented) are contained in the report. A review of population education programmes and activities is also provided, and national experiences are evaluated. The penultimate chapter explores partnership with the non-governmental sector.

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With respect to international cooperation, the report finds that there have been some major achievements in the field of technical cooperation during the past two decades. "The donor community has been respectful of the sovereign right of countries to define their national population programmes, and the neutrality exhibited by multilateral assistance has been highly appreciated by developing countries", it states. To meet future needs just in the area of human reproduction, additional resources are required for expanding services to respond to the unmet demand for family planning, particularly for creating the social and economic conditions that are most conducive to reducing the demand for additional children, and such resources should be optimized through their efficient use.

Owing to stringent budgetary constraints, the report itself was prepared "with the utmost economy of resources, by making extensive use of existing facilities and coordinating mechanisms, as recommended by the Population Commission".

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NOTE:Review and Appraisal of the World Population Plan of Action: 1994 Report (Sales No. E.95.XIII.27; price, $10) may be ordered from the Sales Section, United Nations Publications, New York or Geneva; from major booksellers throughout the world; or from the Director, Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, United Nations Secretariat, 2 United Nations Plaza (Rm. DC2-1950), New York, N.Y. 10017, United States.