PRESS BRIEFING BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNICEF

30 September 1996

Press Briefing

19960930 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

The mid-decade goal of the 1990 World Summit for Children of 80 per cent immunization coverage for diphtheria, measles, polio, tuberculosis and whooping cough had been met by 129 countries, Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

Ms. Bellamy was speaking on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the 1990 gathering. She was joined by Dr. Juan Ramos de la Fuente, Minister of Health for Mexico, who was present as a representative of the six countries which initiated the Summit, along with Canada, Egypt, Mali, Pakistan and Sweden.

Ms. Bellamy said it had been six years since the gathering of representatives from 159 countries for the Summit. Many heads of State had taken part, and the Summit had shown that people representing their governments and interests could come together and achieve significant results.

In the mid-decade review of progress towards goals set at the Summit, she went on, there was a great deal of good news to report. There was also a recognition of work still to be done. Most countries had met their immunization goals except in the area of neo-natal tetanus. One hundred twenty-nine countries had met the mid-decade goal of 80 per cent immunization coverage for diphtheria, measles, polio, tuberculosis and whooping cough.

The world was on the brink of eradicating both polio and guinea worm in the not-too-distant future, she continued. Other good news included the increased availability of oral rehydration therapy, treatment for iodine deficiency and baby friendly hospitals. With respect to water, while much work remained, the goal that had been set at the World Summit had not only been met but been exceeded. The gap between water supply coverage and universal access had been reduced by 35 per cent rather than 25 per cent.

Moreover, the Convention on the Rights of the Child which had been included in the Summit, was the most widely ratified international treaty -- 187 countries had ratified it, and two others were moving in that direction. Numerous countries were engaged in its implementation, and UNICEF was involved in the process.

The review also "forces us to re-dedicate ourselves to the challenges that remain", she said. The issue of maternal mortality, where it was estimated that the problem was greater than imagined in 1990, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, was one of concern. The issue of

malnutrition, not only severe malnutrition but mild to moderate malnutrition, and the impact that it had in disabling children was of concern.

There had been improvement in the areas of education and sanitation, but both were of some concern. The increase in population had exceeded the rise in enrolment of children in school. In addition, there was the very significant challenge of the gender gap. It was estimated that 60 per cent of the 100 million children who should have been in school but were not were girls. Population growth had also outstripped the construction of hygienic sanitation facilities.

She said the report allowed for perhaps "half a morning of celebration, followed by a re-dedication" to achieving the goals of the Summit by the year 2000. The media had played an important role in the preceding six years, raising public consciousness to the issues around the world; it had been an ally in the many successes that had been achieved.

Dr. de la Fuente of Mexico said the importance of the UNICEF initiative in many developing countries had been to help in putting children's health and well-being at the centre of the political agenda. For the first time, through open commitment, the problems of children had acquired real absolute importance within the political agenda of many countries. In the last six years, many had gone through very difficult economic and political processes, and it was remarkable that they had still managed to keep measures for children as a priority on their agenda.

The Plan of Action proposed at the Summit had helped many countries to shape and refine their social programmes, he said. It had helped establish priorities when dealing with poor and rapidly growing populations. A good example was the events in Mexico, where there had been a move towards a more comprehensive essential health package which included the actions of the World Summit as well as other actions designed to help under-served sections of the population.

There were still some very serious problems, including those of maternal mortality and malnutrition, he said. The extent of maternal mortality had been underestimated at first in Mexico and Latin America and there was a need to move more aggressively to tackle it. Malnutrition had been a chronic problem in many countries. However, what was new was the recognition that the focus should not be solely on its severe forms. The scope of the problem of malnutrition had grown because now it was viewed in a more comprehensive manner.

Speaking on the social rights of children, he said there was an emphasis today on those rights, as opposed to 1990, when the primary focus had been on children's health. Today, there was a balance between the health and social rights of children.

UNICEF Briefing - 3 - 30 September 1996

Had there been any initiatives by UNICEF on the problem of child labour? a correspondent asked. Ms. Bellamy responded that the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was one of the goals of the World Summit for Children. The issue of child labour, along with the Convention, was directly a part of the work of UNICEF. Child labour had to be understood as not merely something where children were exploited in factories and buildings, but had to be seen in its breadth. Children were exploited as agricultural labour as well as by garment manufacturers and brick makers.

Another correspondent wanted to know what was the biggest challenge facing the children of Latin America? Ms. Bellamy said one of the key challenges was economic disparity. Maternal mortality and malnutrition were other significant issues. Dr. de la Fuente added that while it was difficult to identify a single biggest challenge, he would stress that the first right of any child was to be born as a desired child. Many children in Latin America and elsewhere were born as undesired children. That required a much broader, integral and comprehensive approach, with wide implications in terms of reproductive health and maternal mortality.

To a correspondent's question on the performance of the United States in achieving the Summit goals, Ms. Bellamy said that as UNICEF had reported in the Progress of Nations report, the United States was a country that, in relation to its population, had the largest number of rich as well as the largest number of poor children. One of out of every five children born in the United States was born into poverty, as defined in that country. Moreover, the United States Government intervened to the minimum degree to try to reduce the impact of poverty. Therefore, she added, "we call upon both the developed and developing countries to put children first in their political and economic agenda, and urge the United States to do that as well".

Answering a question on whether any efforts had been made to allay suspicions regarding free immunizations, Ms. Bellamy said success of immunization was not just the availability of vaccines but the advocacy that went with it. It was important that people understood what was being done, and to that end governments and communities had to be involved along with organizations like UNICEF. Dr. de la Fuente added that social mobilization was important. In Mexico, in each week of immunization, more than 200,000 people from the community had been mobilized. Additionally, the influence of media and non-governmental organizations was crucial.

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