POPULATION DIVISION PRIORITIES OUTLINED BY DIRECTOR IN COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

26 February 1997

Press Release
POP/641

POPULATION DIVISION PRIORITIES OUTLINED BY DIRECTOR IN COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

19970226 Focus Remains on Programme of Action Of 1994 International Conference on Population and Development

The Commission on Population and Development was told this afternoon that the primary areas of priority for the Population Division included servicing the Commission, doing basic research on population and development issues, and preparing estimates and projects for all countries of the world on a biennial basis.

Speaking as the Commission considered programme questions, the Director of the Population Division, Joseph Chamie, said that in realigning its priorities, the Division had taken care to avoid duplications with other organizations. It had focused on the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo.

At present, the Division's assistance was focused mainly on population training and the analysis of population and related data from censuses and surveys, he said. It also functioned as an executing agency for population projects funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other sources.

The Assistant Director of the Population Division, Birgitta Bucht, said the results of the research studies of the Division had been made available electronically through the Population Information Network (POPIN) Internet site. A key element of POPIN's strategy was to expand the use of the Internet as a population information medium that was cost effective.

The Commission also heard reports this afternoon on population activities of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

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In addition, statements were made by: the Chief of Population and Development Section, Mary-Beth Weinberger; the Director of the Statistics Division, Hermann Habermann; and the POPIN Coordinator of the Population division, Susan Pasquiarella.

Also taking part in the discussion were the representatives of France, India, United States, Hungary, Nigeria, Norway, Turkey, Jamaica, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands and Peru.

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 28 February, 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. (For background information, see Press Release POP/640 of 26 February.)

Discussion of Population Division Programme Performance

MARY BETH WEINBERGER, Chief, Population and Development Section of the Population Division, said the meeting of the working group on projecting old- age mortality and its consequences, held in December 1996, had been a joint activity of the Population and Development Section and the Estimates and Projections Section. Among the topics that had been discussed were epidemiologic transition, the quality of life of older persons and inter- generational relations as populations aged. For the biennium 1998-1999 an expert group meeting had been proposed, contingent on availability of funding. That activity would also relate to the International Year of Older Persons in 1999.

The Population and Development Section also had an ongoing analytic project in the area of population and poverty, she said. Its Population, Resources, Environment and Development Data Bank was meant, first, to aid the Population Division in preparing future reports dealing with population, environment and development linkages -- including future issues of the monitoring report. The data bank was also being offered to the public for teaching, research and informational purposes. In addition, the Population and Development Section acted as a liaison to other offices within and outside the United Nations on issues concerned with population and sustainable development, and also with respect to gender, population and development issues.

JACQUES VERON (France) asked if, in analysing ageing, retirement and the work market were being examined. There were many factors at play and the samples shouldn't be entirely demographic.

Y.N. CHATURVEDI (India) said scientific evidence on the extent and direction of linkages was not all that clear. As in the area of population policies, it was an extremely difficult venture. The relation between population and poverty had not been clearly established, nor had a methodology on how to pursue a relation been clearly spelled out. The people at large did not seem to share the Commission's view that the linkage between population and poverty was clear and obvious.

Ms. WEINBERGER, Chief of Population and Development Section, said those were very difficult issues and hard questions, which had been raised a long time ago. In addition, poverty was a very extensive issue in itself, as

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defined in recent United Nations dialogues. As for the issue raised by the representative of France, at the working group meeting in December the discussions held were quite broad. The desire had been to direct the technical group, achieve better understanding and advise governments. The discussion of population ageing combined consideration of trends with retirement ageing and the strains being placed on social support and pension systems. No one had claimed to have come up with the answer. The discussions were used to raise topics and exchange information.

HERMANN HABERMANN, Director of Statistics Division, said his statement would address the activities of the Statistical Commission related to the Commission on Population and Development. Those three activities were: adoption of a minimum national social data set; revision of principles and recommendations for a population and housing census; and revision of statistics on international migration.

The Statistical Commission had decided that it needed to investigate the statistical implications of recent and upcoming United Nations conferences, he said. An expert group was asked to look at the results of conferences and make recommendations to the Statistical Commission. One recommendation was that the Commission should devise a minimum national social data set, comprised of a reasonable number of indicators. If all countries could come up with one minimum set, then all countries would be better off. And users would be allowed to build on the minimum set.

The population and housing census was devised because of changes in technology and the increased ability of national census offices, he said. It also responded to the increased ability of users to access census material stored in electronic data formats and specific user needs for data.

JOSEPH CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, speaking in regard to statistical revisions on international migration, said the report would be revised and issued with the help of the Statistics Division. The set of recommendations would be produced to meet the needs of countries in the years ahead.

BIRGITTA BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, said the Division continued to publish the results of its research studies in a variety of formats to meet the needs of different audiences. Increasingly, results were being made available electronically through the Population Information Network (POPIN) Internet site. The POPIN was a decentralized network for the coordination of regional and national population information activities, with a global coordinating unit located in the Population Division. A key element of POPIN's strategy was to expand the use of the Internet as a population information medium, and by expanding POPIN, the Population Division and other

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population institutions were being provided with a cost effective way to disseminate population information and publications worldwide.

With its recent activities, the POPIN Internet site was rapidly evolving into a "virtual library" of population information and data from various countries and regions, she said. The POPIN site includes journals, newsletters, publications, statistical tables, conference proceedings and other information from the United Nations system and intergovernmental, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. It contained the documents and country statements of the Commission and from the International Conference on Population and Development. For the countries and regions where the Internet was not yet available or readily accessible, a CD-ROM version of the POPIN World Wide Web site was being produced. A revised edition of the CD- ROM, including additional contributions, was expected to be prepared by June 1997 for distribution to all regions.

RICHARD CORNELIUS (United States) stressed the importance of the work done by the Population Division to promote Internet access in the developing world concerning their field. How many times was the site accessed? he asked. Were there specific targets regarding the number of developing countries assisted in gaining access to POPIN?

ANDRIAS KLINGER (Hungary) asked if it was possible to include more statistical and demographic data on the POPIN Internet site. It would be beneficial if publications like the long form of the world monitoring report could be accessed through POPIN.

SAM OTUYELU (Nigeria) said he had noticed that technical assistance efforts for POPIN had not yet reached any part of Africa south of the Sahara. It was important that assistance continue and be extended to the other regions of Africa.

HELGE BRUNBORG (Norway) asked if estimates and projections would be made available on the POPIN system.

SAMIRA YENER (Turkey) said her delegation made use of POPIN in preparation for the session, and was very involved in the work of POPIN.

Mr. CHATURVEDI (India) said he requested the Population Division to continue issuing information on CD-ROM. It would be immensely useful if Commission documents and working papers could be made available on the Internet, thereby improving the Commission's efficiency and effectiveness.

Mr. VERON (France) asked if there was follow-up for institutions on use of the Internet and progress reports on use of the Internet by demographic centres.

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EASTON WILLIAMS (Jamaica) said a quarterly progress report of the Population Division should be put on the Internet, so members of the Commission could be updated on the work of the Division on a regular basis.

Ms. BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, said the only limitation on additional information included in the POPIN site was the size of the staff. Working papers were not included, because it was thought that they should be complete before being included. That could change in the future. The POPIN Internet site was accessed 60,000 times per month by users from approximately 86 countries.

SUSAN PASQIARELLA, POPIN Coordinator of the Population Division, said the Division did not have the funding to connect a lot of institutions to the Internet. It was more interested in content and making available population information from countries available on the Internet. The focus was on developing countries, particularly those regions and countries as they became connected to the Internet. The Division would be making more estimations and projections available on the Internet.

The Division was not neglecting Africa, she said. It was trying hard to do as much as possible by assisting African institutions make information available on the Internet, whether or not they were connected. It was presently considering contracts with several different African countries. The Division recently held a national workshop in India using a CD-ROM version of the POPIN website. As for progress reports on Internet access by demographic centres, the Division did not have the resources to connect institutions to the Internet, but it did help institutions already connected.

Ms. BUCHT added that said the Population Division produced a biannual newsletter, which supplied progress reports and gave information about the Division. The newsletter was regularly posted on the POPIN Internet site.

Mr. CHAMIE, Director of Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, introducing technical cooperation activities of the Division, said the Cairo Programme of Action stressed the need for technical cooperation and introduced the need for assistance to countries with economies in transition, on a temporary basis. The Division attempted to provide substantive and technical support to technical cooperation projects and programmes in the field of population and functioned as an executing agency for population projects funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other sources. In addition, the Division also worked to assist in strengthening national capabilities in the field of population by providing relevant computer hardware and software, training, manuals and expert services for demographic analysis, population research and population and development.

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During the period under consideration, the Division provided technical assistance services to approximately 20 countries, he said. The assistance focused mainly on population training and the analysis of population and related data from censuses and surveys. With the aim to further decentralize responsibilities, the Division would endeavour to utilize national and regional capabilities in technical assistance for population.

TOMAH J. MAKANNAH, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said that the Commission's activities in the field of international migration and development included the preparation of technical publications and the organization of workshops, seminars and working groups. Its Population Division had published a technical publication entitled Causes and Consequences of International Migration in Africa. The publication identified the major migratory movements and their determinants, along with their socio- economic and political consequences. He said the African Women's Centre at the Commission last October organized an expert group meeting, at which topics discussed included the status of women refugees and displaced persons within the context of peace. The activities of the centre for the next three years would have as its theme "Human and Legal Rights of Women".

He said the ECA had undertaken a restructuring under which the Population Division, along with the agriculture, environment and human settlements sections, among others, would merged into an umbrella division called Food Security and Sustainable Development Section. One of the objectives of the merger was to facilitate work on population activities within the interface of the component sections. It was also hoped that population issues would not be marginalized by the new arrangement.

REYNALDO BAJRAJ, of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), said the Population Centre of his commission had continued joint activities with statistical offices and other national institutions for the production of new estimates and projections in order to monitor population trends. Those projections, in due course, had been discussed with the Population Division. One of the most important activities in the field of population and development had been technical cooperation. Such cooperation had been provided to several countries in the region to help them better introduce demographic variables in the formulation of investment projects in the social sectors. That had been done in coordination and with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank.

In addition, the Population Centre of ECLAC had provided technical assistance to the national university that now conducted the Spanish language component of the UNFPA Global Training Programme in Population and Sustainable Development, he said. The Centre also ran its own course on demographic analysis. For those teaching activities, as well as for several other tasks, it was financially supported by the UNFPA. The Population Centre of ECLAC

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also maintained a database in which it registered people born abroad. That enabled it to construct a matrix that showed, for each country of origin, where its nationals migrated and what they did, something that could not be known with the data of each country in isolation.

MIROSLAV MACURA, Chief of the Population Activities Unit of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), said the Commission had conducted a five-year programme of data collection, training and research in the field of international migration. It had also completed a number of publications, which were on display at the meeting. The programme's objectives were to document and, where possible, explain underpinnings of different types of population movements within central and eastern Europe and movements from those areas to western Europe and beyond.

Continuing, he said the semi-annual journal, entitled International Migration Bulletin, provided fresh data and analysis on refugees, asylum seekers and regular migration movements shortly after they occurred. A set of more profound studies had recently been published in a volume entitled International Migration in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Among the publications being finalized was one that analysed a variety of recent population movements affecting Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.

In the field of fertility and family, he said, a major region-wide cooperative project under way was yielding a wealth of new data and knowledge on partnership and reproductive behaviour across Europe and North America. Comparable survey information had been collected in 20 countries and standard data sets completed in almost all those countries. In addition, standard country reports were being provided. A cross-country comparative research programme had recently been launched with scholars and research organizations submitting study proposals. The surveys were expected to have a strong reproductive health component. A project was also under way on population ageing, the objective being to provide new information and knowledge on older persons in some 15 ECE countries. One of the outcomes of the project would be a scientific conference on older persons in the ECE region to be convened as part of the preparations for the 1999 International Year of Older Persons.

AKIL AKIL, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), said ESCWA launched a project to provide an integrated system on population and political systems in Arab countries. In 1996, ESCWA also participated in the organization of a conference of Arab countries on population matters, which was held in Cairo. At that conference, the participants recommended the establishment of a regional programme of action to provide for the follow-up for other population conferences, including the Cairo Conference. The ESCWA also advocated that mechanisms be initiated on a regional level for follow-up

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on regional and sub-regional conferences and meetings with a concentration in relating specific issues and matters to the mandates of pertinent agencies.

NIBHON DEBAVALYA, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said the ESCAP secretariat accomplished a variety of population and development activities during the year, conducting collaborative research, providing technical assistance and organizing training courses, workshops and study tours. It also disseminated population data and information to developing countries in the region. The research efforts focused on such topics as: population and environmental dynamics; poverty and the quality of life; and using population data for local area development planning. It also dealt with: strengthening policy analysis and research on female migration; employment; family formation and poverty; and implications of ageing for Asian families and the elderly.

For national capacity-building, ESCAP had adopted various approaches for improving the technical skills and knowledge of government officials and other professionals working in the field of population, he continued. It also assisted developing countries in the region with training courses, seminars and workshops to promote self-reliance. It continued to support population information centres in Asian and Pacific island countries. The aim of the Commission's work in information dissemination was to enable those developing countries eventually to become self-reliant in their information gathering, processing and disseminating capabilities.

The ESCAP secretariat used publications and meetings to disseminate population information, he said. Among its current publications were the quarterly Asia-Pacific Population Journal, a bi-monthly newsletter entitled Population Headliners and the annual ESCAP Population Data Sheet. The ESCAP also produced non-current publications under the Asian Population Studies Series and in the form of issue papers and reports for meetings. It would continue in 1997 to implement a number of projects to strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems.

CARLOS ARAMBURO (Peru) said he recognized the technical support that his country and other countries of Latin America had received from regional commissions. He emphasized that in the distribution of resources priority should be given to technical assistance.

AKINTOBI KADEJO (Nigeria) said he wanted to comment on the report of the Economic Commission for Africa. The Nigerian delegation had participated in a conference of demographers held in Addis Ababa last year. He asked if population issues and the Population Division would not get marginalized during reform of the United Nations.

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RICHARD CORNELIUS (United States) said his delegation wanted to express its appreciation to the Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis. It was clear that the Population Division had achieved a great deal, despite budgetary and staff constraints. It had completed and published several reports that would prove helpful to Member States. In fact, in some areas of population study, its reports provided the only intensive studies available. For instance, its report on the latest trends in levels of contraceptive use indicated that voluntary contraception was becoming increasingly widespread. The Division's forthcoming study on gender differences in infant mortality would also be helpful.

He stressed that an expanded migration database should include detailed gender information. In fact, the Population Division had a major role in standardizing definitions in the area of population, he said. It was encouraging that the estimated rate of population growth had been revised downwards and it was important that such a rate be sustained. The expansion of population information on the Internet was welcome, for the net provided a cost-effective means of communication. He again congratulated the Division. He was an advocate of the role of the Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis in monitoring the goals of the Cairo Conference, and was appreciative of the Population Division.

HELGE BRUNBORG (Norway) said he wanted to know the manner in which population data was collected. He was concerned that the collection of such data should not put an excessive reporting burden on national statistical offices.

Mr. MACURA, of the ECE, said in Europe there had indeed been concern about the reporting burden put on national statistical offices by inter- governmental organizations collecting data. That situation had developed because inter-governmental organizations had followed a practice of approaching national statistical offices in an uncoordinated way. However, the problem had been recognized and steps had been taken for coordination between inter-governmental organizations. Indeed, on 7 March a group of organizations would meet in Geneva to look into the problem and would come up with a joint questionnaire.

Mr. MAKANNAH, of the ECA, said the question raised by the representative of Nigeria would feature in the forthcoming meeting of the council of ministers of the ECA.

Mr. MACURA, of the ECE, said the Commission was about to complete the process of reform, which involved downsizing and restructuring. The process would conclude in April. Questions had been raised as to whether the ECE should continue its population work at the present level. So far, it had emerged unscathed in the process. However, in another two or three years,

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there would perhaps be another debate. The Commission on Population and Development should be aware of some of the stresses that the regional commissions currently faced. It was possible that, as a result of downsizing, the structure of the population organization in the United Nations might crumble, not just at the centre, but in the regions as well.

JOHN HOBCRAFT (United Kingdom), addressing the proposed programme of work for the biennium 1998-1999, said that he recalled an important resolution from last year's session that set out clear expectations. Those expectations included seeking priorities related to the review of the Cairo Programme of Action, the need for a reappraisal of the work programme and the development of innovative approaches. It was not fully clear how that mandate from last year had been exercised in the programme of work before the Commission or what changes in priorities had been taken in accordance with the Cairo Conference. In addition, were government policy responses being monitored in regard to Cairo? he asked. Had questions to governments been revised? Which sections of the Population Division were no longer viable as sections and which section had the lead responsibility for reproductive health? What work had been abandoned or set aside in order for the Division to focus on the Cairo Conference?

PETER LILIUS (Canada) said the studies listed in the programme of work, which appeared to be new initiatives, including a study on measurement of international migration and its causes and emerging trends, seemed to be ambitious undertakings in light of fiscal constraints on the Population Division. The language of the document also made migration seem like an add- on, not a major activity. In addition, future efforts should be concentrated on developing countries, where data had not been available.

AAGJE PAPINEAU SALM (Netherlands) said her delegation would like to have information on the priorities and choices concerning projects to be undertaken during the biennium. More emphasis should be placed on reproductive health. She also endorsed the comments by the representative of the United Kingdom.

EASTON WILLIAMS (Jamaica) said a study on international migration would be a difficult exercise to undertake, considering the definition of international migration in the Cairo Programme of Action.

Responding, Ms. BUCHT, Assistant Director of the Population Division, said migration would continue to receive a major emphasis in the work of the Division. On the other hand, the Division did not deal with the medical aspects of reproductive health, which was an area covered by World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, there was no duplication of work between the agencies. The Director of the Division had referred to many of the representatives' comments in his statement at the morning meeting, including

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the restructuring of the Division and the renaming of the section concerning reproductive health.

Mr. HOBCRAFT (United Kingdom) said it had not been made clear that there had been a coherent plan for restructuring the Population Division and to what extent the work plan was specifically related to the goals of the Cairo Conference, as mandated in the resolution from last year.

Mr. CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, said that in order to be most efficient, each section chief had presented work for the current biennium, as well as the proposed biennium, at the same time, as he had indicated in his opening statement. Regarding work programme restructuring, it would be presumptuous to address the matter while the restructuring was still in progress. However, it could be assumed that the Division would have the same structures and number of staff.

The Division had realigned its work programme so there were now three structures of priority, he said. Those structures were: servicing the Commission on Population and Development and furthering monitoring and preparation of reports relating to the implementation of the Cairo Conference; performing basic research on population and development issues; and preparing estimates and projections for all countries of the world on a biennial basis. In realigning its priorities, the Division did take into account avoiding duplication with other organizations and the Cairo Programme of Action. The prepared work programme had benefitted from the inter-sessional meeting of the bureau, and the Division would continue to tailor it to meet the needs of all members of the Commission, as well as all Member States.

Mr. CHATURVEDI (India) asked if the programme of work been completed under the optimistic assumption that the amount of resources available this year would also be available in upcoming years. The Commission should think in terms of priorities and between the years 1998 and 2000 it could not anticipate large rounds of data sets becoming available. Most census information would become available in the years 2000 or 2001. Therefore, given possible fiscal restraints, some reports could be put under a second order of priority, without belittling the subject of those reports. There were certain areas where the Population Division did not have a natural competitive advantage, and one of those areas was studies dealing with the linkages between population and economic development. If resources were not available, perhaps that undertaking should be put on hold.

Mr. HOBCRAFT (United Kingdom) said the phraseology of parts of the programme of work caused concern, especially where the Cairo Conference seemed like an addition. It would benefit all concerned parties if that process was clarified in the work programme.

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Mr. CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, said that in the 1994- 1995 budget there were cuts and some work was cut. Namely, the estimates and projections for age and sex distribution for rural and urban areas were not completed. Subsequently, because of current budget constraints, the Division was still unable to prepare that report. Regarding priorities, there could be no consensus among Commission members because every delegation had a different set of priorities. However, if the Division had to choose between providing documentation following up on Cairo Conference documents and completing a study of nuptuality, the Cairo Conference would be the choice.

The wording of the programme of work did not fully reflect the priorities set out by the Division, he said. The language in the programme of work was based on a model standard for documentation. He said he would try to reformulate the document to more clearly reflect the priorities of the Population Division.

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