POPULATION, DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE NOT SOLVED WITHOUT WOMEN'S EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, UNITED STATES TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION

2 July 1999

Press Release
GA/9576

POPULATION, DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE NOT SOLVED WITHOUT WOMEN'S EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, UNITED STATES TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION

19990702 Twenty-one Speakers Outline National Efforts To Implement Action Programme of 1994 Population and Development Conference

The population and development challenge would not be solved until women were afforded equal opportunity to education, jobs, health care, legal rights and political participation, Frank E. Loy, Under-Secretary of State for Global Affairs of the United States, told the General Assembly this morning, as it continued its review and appraisal of the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) (Cairo, 1994).

Addressing the twenty-first special session, Mr. Loy said when women could make the decisions that affected their lives, they tended to have smaller, healthier and better-educated families. Priorities to ensure that the Cairo goals become a reality, both at home and abroad, included the empowerment of women and girls.

A total of 21 speakers outlined national efforts to implement Cairo commitments this morning. Most agreed that the Cairo Programme of Action required both a firm commitment on the part of individual countries and collective action at the international level. Many speakers said the Conference had changed the global attitudes towards population issues and given priority to the human factor in development, as well as drawing attention to poverty alleviation, reproductive health and women's equity and equality.

Fred Fono, Minister for National Planning and Development of Solomon Islands, said that following Cairo, reproductive health and family planning services had been integrated into his country's primary health-care services, and efforts had intensified to prevent, control and eliminate the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The Government had adopted national policies on population, women and nutrition, and was engaged in designing a national youth policy.

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

Speaking about cooperation in international health care, France's Minister of Health, Bernard Kouchner, said that the priority on prevention should be combined with the provision of care. The international community could no longer accept the fact that people were sick in the South, while the health care was only available in the North. Also, population and development issues were closely connected with the issue of AIDS, and it was necessary to redouble efforts at prevention, including health and sexual education of adolescents. He stressed that sexual education was not an encouragement to earlier sexuality, but rather protected lives.

Other speakers, while expressing concern about global population growth, noted a recent change in demographic trends. For example, Jiri Rusnok, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, said that as a result of the gradual ageing of the population and changing demographic behaviour, the country's population had been declining since 1994. At the same time, the average life expectancy had been increasing significantly. The current depopulation trend was likely to continue.

Similarly, Earl A. Martin, the Minister of Health and Women's Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, said the country also faced the unusual situation of a declining population, while most countries faced constant increases. That decline was caused not only by reduction of the birth rate, but by migration, as many of its educated and trained nationals left to go abroad. As a result, the country lost many of its trained personnel to developed countries, which forced it to shoulder the high cost of training and retraining nationals.

Also this morning, the Assembly adopted the report of the Credentials Committee.

Statements were also made this morning by Ida Bagus Oka, Minister for Population of Indonesia; Peter Magvasi, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of Slovakia; Hong Sun Huot, Minister of Health of Cambodia; Sodov Sonin, Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Mongolia; Antone Rop, Minister for Work, Family and Social Affairs of Slovenia; Abdul Rahim Al-Sbei'i, Minister of State for Planning Affairs of Syria; Zeljko Reiner, Minister of Health of Croatia; Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, Minister of Health, Family Affairs, Human Services and Gender Affairs of Saint Lucia; Hawa Ahmed Youssouf, Junior Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Djibouti; and Luis Filipe Marques Amado, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal.

The representatives of Turkmenistan, Libya, Algeria, Malawi, Thailand, and the observer for Palestine also spoke.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its review and appraisal of the implementation of the Cairo commitments.

Assembly Work Programme

The twenty-first special session of the General Assembly met this morning to continue its review and appraisal of the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994). (For background of the Session see Press Release GA/9568 issued 29 June.)

Statements

IDA BAGUS OKA, State Minister of Population and Chairman of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board of Indonesia: One of the issues that Indonesia considers key for reorienting their population policies and strategies into the broader framework of Cairo is the full integration of population concerns into development strategies, planning, decision-making and resource allocation, at all levels and across all regions of the world. In the midst of fundamental changes and reforms, Indonesia has been presented with opportunities to further accelerate people-centred development. In the area of reproductive health, we believe that, rather than concentrating solely on demographic objectives, we should emphasize the importance of human and family development and of the need to change attitudes towards reproduction and client-oriented provisions of high quality family planning information and services.

Indonesia's success in implementing the Cairo commitments has been drastically diverted by the financial crisis. We believe in the need for a comprehensive and enduring solution to the foreign debt problems of those countries most affected by the economic crisis, including debt swaps for population and development programmes. Also, the international community has to provide the necessary funding. Poverty is a major constraint in the path for implementing the Programme of Action and its alleviation is directly correlated to success in population stabilization and in raising the quality of life.

Indonesia is concerned over the tendency in some quarters to use this forum to revisit the functions of the United Nations bodies dealing with population matters, especially the issue of reproductive health. While we recognize the need to revisit this issue for the purposes of strengthening the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other bodies and their leadership role, such a question is beyond the mandate of this session. Lastly, it is important to vigorously pursue capacity-building, the transfer of knowledge and technology, particularly contraceptive production, as well as research and information. In that way, Member States, especially the developing countries, will be able to fully implement their population and development programmes as mandated by Cairo.

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

PETER MAGVASI, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of Slovakia: A national report prepared in June on population and development in Slovakia indicates that the second half of the 1990s can be described as a period of significant stabilization of demographic trends. In the important demographic area of fertility, the rate in Slovakia had its largest decline in 1994 and since then has declined more slowly. The age of a first-time mother has slowly increased to 23.3 years. The abortion rate has dropped significantly, due to sex education and a strong anti-interruption climate in the country.

In Slovakia, population policy is part of family policy, which focuses on support of the family and its development. Parents have the right to determine the number and spacing of children. Demographic behaviour is monitored and measures adopted to preserve the balance in the age structure of the population. The content of the family policy is disseminated in the educational framework of the school, as a component part of preparation for marriage and parenthood. Emphasis is on the care of the family and protection of health, and on preventing pregnancy interruption by disseminating information about natural methods of birth control, as well as about contraceptives.

Implementing the Cairo Programme of Action and incorporating the practical experience learned from it has enabled Slovakia to develop a population policy that is aligned with and supportive of the position of the European Union Member States. Slovakia will continue to monitor the implementation of the State family policy and, when needed, will incorporate measures supportive of the family and its right to decide on reproductive behaviour.

FRED FONO, Minister for National Planning and Development of Solomon Islands: The Cairo Programme of Action required a specific commitment, and global collective action is crucial for further progress. In Cairo, Solomon Islands promised to give high priority to issues affecting its young and fast- growing population. The Cairo Conference has given us a new paradigm of development: improving the quality of life through poverty alleviation; enhancing universal access to education, ensuring equity; and equality and empowerment of women. We in the Pacific Islands also firmly adhere to the central role of family values and the commitment made to the "healthy islands" concepts.

The Solomon Islands accords population issues a high national priority. There has been an increase of 15 per cent and 12 per cent of the total annual budgetary allocation to education and health, respectively. Reproductive health and family planning services have been integrated into the primary health care services, and efforts have intensified to prevent, control and eliminate the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Since Cairo, Solomon

General Assembly Plenary - 4 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

Islands has adopted national policies on population, women, and nutrition. The Government is also engaged in the design of the national youth policy. The national women's policy sets the framework for women in development and their empowerment as partners in nation-building.

Future direction on population and development issues must be drawn from past successes and learned from shortcomings, as we reaffirm our commitment to the Programme of Action. In doing so, Solomon Islands firmly believes that human rights must be respected and promoted with responsibility. Those responsibilities can only be realized through proper information, education and communication made available to the entire population. This must be our commitment to and mandate for the next millennium.

With regard to internal population migration and displacement, Solomon Islands has been able to provide basic health services to the internally displaced population experienced in connection with the current ethnic unrest on Guadacanal. The country has been able to broaden its program in maternal health, activities in the field of child survival, adolescent health and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS awareness programs. Solomon Islands has yet to record a case of AIDS. However, the high prevalence rate of sexually transmitted diseases among the youth is a concern. Education is the main strategy. Participation of civil society, including churches and non-governmental organizations, has been a major thrust towards achieving a reduction of maternal mortality and childhood illnesses.

HONG SUN HUOT, State Minister, Minister of Health of Cambodia: In 1994, Cambodia fully endorsed the Programme of Action of Cairo, even though there was uncertainly among Cambodians, possibly in recalling the recent losses, about all aspects of population issues. Since then, what began as modest capacity-building in the delivery of birth spacing services in certain parts of the country has expanded into a nationwide reproductive health programme, as part of the primary health care service package. The National AIDS Authority was launched earlier this year to combat the disease, which has taken a drastic toll on the population. The Government has also established a ministry with a five-year plan aimed at the empowerment of women in influencing national policies.

However, maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high, AIDS has become an epidemic, domestic violence, including trafficking of women and children, needs to be urgently addressed and school dropout rates are higher for girls than for boys. In the face of these challenges, Cambodia accepts its responsibility towards improving the quality of life for all individuals.

SODOV SONIN, Minister for Health and Social Welfare of Mongolia: The Cairo Conference was a powerful watershed in integrating human rights issues into the overall development process. Mongolia is pursuing simultaneous

General Assembly Plenary - 5 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

transition to democracy and a market-oriented economy. The structural reforms and budget constraints during the transitional period have affected the delivery of essential social services, particularly to the scattered rural population. Almost 57 per cent of the total population of Mongolia is under the age of 25. This underlines the increased need for the provision of quality education and health care, including reproductive health services, education and increasing employment opportunities. Despite a number of difficulties during the transition period, the Government of Mongolia has been keen to implement the Cairo goals.

With help from UNFPA and other United Nations agencies, substantial improvements have been achieved in decreasing maternal and child mortality, strengthening reproductive health services to reach the remote and semi- nomadic population, increasing reproductive health information to youth and promoting gender equality. The challenges in the field of population, however, include the still high maternal and infant mortality rates. Also, domestic violence and alcohol abuse are emerging social problems that demand appropriate actions. Although the country has not experienced the HIV/AIDS epidemic to any significant extent, the incidence of sexually-transmitted disease is on the rise.

The Mongolian Government firmly believes that ensuring the link between economic growth, social sector development, environmental protection and sound governance in developing and implementing policies and strategies is vital for sustainable development. Therefore, besides pursuing sustained economic growth, the Government attaches great importance to poverty alleviation, unemployment reduction and protection of the poor and the vulnerable. Although resources are limited, Mongolia is determined to act in an appropriate and timely manner. Active and mutually supportive collaboration with a multitude of social partners is an important and necessary component of development. Civil participation is being increased and that participation was important during the drafting of the new Family Law.

ANTON ROP, Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs of Slovenia: The Programme of Action is a well-structured framework of objectives but it is important to recognize the diversity of systems, cultural heritage and accepted norms and values in different countries, which undoubtedly presents an obstacle in reaching the objectives. Both cooperation and coordination between United Nations agencies and individual countries in a quest for common solutions is pivotal. With regard to future implementation of the Programme, special attention and greater commitment is required to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to protect mothers in certain regions where maternal mortality is on the rise.

Another demographic challenge, that of an ageing population, will significantly influence the formulation of social security systems. Changing

General Assembly Plenary - 6 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

demographic conditions and their consequences demands coordination between needs, available programmes and capacities. The ageing of the population demands a different social and personal approach to old age. It involves adjusting and enhancing attitudes that value elderly people as an important human resource, integrated into a society's development. Most importantly, both globally and on national levels, access to education and health services must be improved and prevention of poverty must be emphasized.

Slovenia's National Programme to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion is based, in part, on measures already existing in a range of areas, such as employment, housing, health, labour relations, social security, the tax system and education. Both non-governmental organizations and social partners play important roles in both formulating and implementing the national programme.

Development today is closely linked to the standard of living. Quality of life is determined by more than material goods. It is based on a set of simultaneous, interwoven factors, including the potential for self-fulfilment and the ability to live in an ecologically enlightened environment. The goal of human development must go beyond amassing material wealth. Such wealth should be the means towards creating the circumstances in which individuals can live healthy, creative lives.

ABDUL RAHIM AL-SBEI'I, Minister of State for Planning Affairs of Syria: Syria is pursuing a comprehensive and balanced social and economic development strategy, within which population-related issues are given high priority. Education is free at all levels and universal without distinction between males and females. Population education has been introduced as a topic of study in both formal and non-formal education, particularly after the Cairo Conference. The State provides various health services -- including reproductive health, family planning and education on sexually transmitted diseases -- free of charge in both rural and urban areas, in addition to the health services provided by the private sector.

The issue of gender equity and empowerment of women enjoys great attention in Syria. The Central Bureau of Statistics is currently collaborating with the governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in implementing a wide-ranging project on establishing a gender database. There are several prominent manifestations of gender equity and empowerment of women, among them: the important position they enjoy in legislative authorities; and the increase in the rate of female students at all school levels.

It is incumbent on our session to call, once again, for the implementation of United Nations resolutions related to ending the Israeli occupation of the occupied Arab territories and the application of the right

General Assembly Plenary - 7 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

of refugees and evacuees to return to their homes, while emphasizing that occupation is totally in contradiction with development, stability and security.

EARL A. MARTIN, Minister of Health and Women's Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis: The new development model of trade liberalization, with its requisite reforms of our fiscal, trade and administrative policies, does not leave much hope for the growth and development of small island States. The high level of vulnerability of small island States to external influences, such as international financial crisis and natural disasters, which periodically retard economic growth, suggests the need for an internationally agreed upon vulnerability index for application to countries that are seriously affected by external shocks. We would like to see a change in the tendency of international financial institutions to graduate countries from one socio-economic classification to another, based solely on economic indicators.

My country enjoys the unusual situation of a declining population, while most countries face constant increases. This decline is caused not only by reduction of the birth rate, but by migration, as many of our educated and trained nationals leave to go abroad. Therefore, we lose many of our trained personnel to developed countries, which, as a result, forces us on a high cost path of training and retraining nationals.

With regard to the plight of the farmers in the Windward Islands, they were currently having a tremendous weight placed on their shoulders because of the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on the preferential access to the European market for their bananas. No empowerment can be sustained when people lack a stable income. All talk of empowerment rings shallow when small States are forced into a completely untenable situation. The recent WTO decisions run contrary to development and threaten the livelihood of, in some cases, over 85 per cent of the population.

The struggle to maintain the Caribbean's preferential access to a minute segment of the European Market continues. The ongoing negotiations between the United States and the European Union must not sacrifice or destabilize the Caribbean region. We cannot talk about development, on the one hand, and make decisions that create economic insecurity, on the other. My Government urges a just, quick and mutually beneficial outcome of the negotiations over bananas.

ZELJKO REINER, Minister of Health of Croatia: During the last 50 years, there has been rapid global population growth occurring largely in less developed countries. At the same time, more developed countries are facing a trend of lower fertility and mortality rates, due to improved health care and longer life expectancy. The influence of these factors on development is

General Assembly Plenary - 8 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

immense, while interdependency between the economic and social spheres, as well as health and environment, has become crucial. Partnerships are critical for implementing the Cairo programme.

For Croatia, aggression against it in the early 1990s caused a natural decrease of population, a direct loss of human life and a great number of displaced and refugee people. Precise population figures will be available after the 2001 census, but in the meantime international financial assistance to address problems has been sporadic and limited. In 1996, a National Demographic Development Programme was adopted, encompassing a series of measures for fertility rehabilitation and social assistance, in line with the Cairo document. A balanced population growth within an integrated social approach is a priority.

A reform of the health care system is underway in Croatia to decrease costs, through reorganization of the system without penalizing the health care user. A credit line has been approved by the World Bank for the purpose and the first project has been successfully implemented. Adequate financial resources are necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action at the national, as well as international level. Leadership and commitment towards implementation remain key.

BERNARD KOUCHNER, Minister of Health of France: Hope now exists, as a result of the recent resumption in the flow of aide for development. The hope is reinforced by recent measures to alleviate the burden of indebted countries. France is one of the initiators of the new undertakings, which was announced at the recent summit of the group of seven industrialized countries -- Group of 7 -- in Cologne. This policy should enable the developing countries to finance policies to modernize their economies, sustain their growth and preserve or restore the demographic balance.

The growing world population raises the question of how to control the growth and how to live together. France is basing its hope on the dynamic of the process initiated in Cairo. Regarding food, how can the world feed all those millions of people? How can it satisfy the elementary needs of all those individuals? We must guarantee food security and the quality of food. All the measures have to be based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

It is also very important that gender equality be achieved, as it is an important factor in human development. Since the Cairo Conference and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the ideas of women's freedom and improvement of their living conditions have been indispensable. France wants to provide girls the same access to education as boys, put an end to sexual mutilation and ensure that all women have real access to health services.

General Assembly Plenary - 9 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

Population development issues are closely connected with the issue of AIDS. Do we really comprehend what is at stake? We have to redouble efforts at prevention, including health and the sexual education of adolescents. Sexual education is not an encouragement to earlier sexuality, but rather protects lives. A Priority on prevention should be combined with the provision of care. Priority should be given to programmes for prevention and health care for women and children. The first such programme was just launched in Côte d'Ivoire several weeks ago. We can no longer accept the fact that people are sick in the South, while health care is available only in the North.

SARAH FLOOD-BEAUBRUN, Minister of Health, Family Affairs, Human Services and Gender Affairs of Saint Lucia: In 1994, like many other Caribbean countries, St. Lucia was faced with an unacceptably high prevalence of teenage pregnancy, poverty, under-representation of women in decision-making and other problems. Cairo presented a new impetus, a more firm resolve to seek and find solutions to problems. A programme with a multifaceted approach was adopted to focus on such programs as incorporating reproductive health teaching into the educational curriculum, expanding reproductive health counselling and increasing the opportunities for vocational skills training.

As a result of the multifaceted programme, a measure of success was achieved in certain areas, such as achieving a steady decline in the rate of teenage pregnancies. However, constraints on progress continue, which include an increase in the incidents of HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, family disintegration and a disenchanted youthful population side by side with an ageing population. External constraints include the prospect of low banana prices, due to withdrawal of preferential access to the European market, dwindling development assistance, stringent conditions on multilateral loan funding and increasing competition in the international market.

St. Lucia was addressing the challenges, including through development of new responsive policies and fostering strategic partnerships. But, as a result of the special session, there should be a rapid increase in the transfer of communication technologies, an increase in information sharing, an allocation of financial and other resources to address such problems as high teenage fertility, and a greater promotion of horizontal cooperation among developing countries.

HAWA AHMED YOUSSOUF, Junior Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, responsible for the Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs of Djibouti: Djibouti has established a number of strategies and national programmes to address population and development. In the area of strategy and policy, the Government has a National Policy for Family Balance, which provides quality services for the health and well-being of the family. While it has only been partially carried out, it has allowed for the

General Assembly Plenary - 10 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

establishment of a considerable network of health and family service centres. Vaccination campaigns and programmes addressing HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease has also been carried out.

The result of the various programmes has been a considerable drop in infant, juvenile and maternal mortality rates. The results would have been better if it were not for the presence of internal conflict in Djibouti, which has placed additional burdens on an already precarious socio-economic situation. The Government is finalizing the draft family code, establishing the rights of spouses and children. It has also launched programmes that specifically offer small loans to women.

Regarding civil society, Djibouti encourages community and association activities and always includes non-governmental organizations in meetings and projects. Non-governmental organizations are playing an increasing role in the implementation of programmes. Hindering the full implementation of some programmes is the lack of demographic data and insufficient resources. All programmes require considerable means, generally beyond our reach, and the reach of many African countries. Therefore, we call on the United Nations system, the international financial institutions and other development partners to increase their support, which will be adapted to the specific needs of each country.

JURI RUSNOK, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic: The Czech Republic aligns itself with the statement presented on behalf of the European Union. The Czech Republic is still undergoing structural changes in connection with transforming the political system and introducing a socially and environmentally-sensitive market economy. Despite the difficulties, the country now includes itself among those with a deep respect for the human, social and cultural rights of all citizens. Total expenditures on education and social protection, including health care, represent nearly 30 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Gender equality is regarded as a natural and basic principle in the country. Equal rights for men and women are guaranteed by the Constitution and reflected in the gender-neutral wording of all legal acts. The equal status and high economic activity of women are also attributable to equal education opportunities. The average level of education of women is higher than that of men. Supporting families with children is a long-standing tradition in the Czech Republic and is based on social laws, family law and labour law. Parents caring for children with disabilities receive additional support.

In the 1990s, the demographic picture of the country has markedly changed. As a result of the gradual ageing of the population and changing demographic behaviour, the country's population has been declining since 1994.

General Assembly Plenary - 11 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

At the same time, the average life expectancy has been increasing significantly. The current depopulation trend is likely to continue in the future. One of the top priorities of the national health programme, launched in 1992, is women's health care. Many of its projects focus on specific groups of women and their occupational health. Great attention is paid to reproductive health.

Prenatal and post-natal care have a long-standing tradition in the Czech Republic and are manifested by a continuously declining infant mortality rate, as well as the one of the lowest maternal mortality rates worldwide. The campaign and knowledge of the benefits of breast-feeding have been rapidly expanding. The HIV/AIDS morbidity rate trend is not too alarming for the country. The National Commission for HIV/AIDS-Related Issues and a network of counselling and testing points -- cost-free and anonymous -- have been established.

LUIS FILIPE MARQUES AMADO, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of Portugal: Portugal has placed great importance on the outcome of Cairo as part of a global strategy for the promotion of sustainable development, recognizing the connections among population, environmental protection and economic and social development. The country is currently experiencing growing life expectancy rates, due to the progress made in the health sector. A national commission has been established to deal with issues relating to the elderly and improving their quality of life.

The issue of migration is also important to the Government of Portugal. All migrants, irrespective of their legal status, should be treated with regard for their human rights. Portugal also places importance on women's rights and empowerment. The last revision of the Constitution included instruments that promoted equality in the exercise of civic and political rights. A parliamentary commission has also been established to deal with equality and family issues. In addition, a national four-year health plan addresses matters relating to reproductive health and a new document has been published with guidelines for family planning, maternal health, and sex and reproduction education for adolescents.

Portugal recognizes that many of the developing countries need international cooperation to complement their efforts to improve the quality of life for their people. Therefore, several cooperation programmes have been developed with some African countries in the areas of population data and analysis, and reproductive health. Without a better coordination system, however, involving the United Nations, World Bank and major state donors, among others, all efforts of the international community towards sustainable development will be jeopardized.

General Assembly Plenary - 12 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

FRANK E. LOY, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs of the United States: Priorities to ensure that the Cairo goals become a reality, both at home and abroad, include the empowerment of women and girls. Women's empowerment is a cornerstone of Cairo. The population and development challenge will not be solved until women are afforded equal opportunity in education, jobs, health care, legal rights and political participation. When women can make the decisions that affect their lives, they tend to have smaller, healthier and better-educated families. Committed to ensuring gender equity and equality, a priority of the United States is to close the gender gap in education.

The United States will continue to work to expand access to, and quality of, family planning and other reproductive health services. Vital to this objective is ensuring that women and men have the widest possible choice of modern contraceptive methods available to them. It will also continue to support safe motherhood initiatives and other community-based efforts to address such needs as prenatal care, maternal nutrition and training for midwives. At home, we will work to close the gap in maternal mortality rates between Black and Caucasian women.

The United States remains the largest bilateral donor of reproductive health assistance, but we are woefully aware that we have not met our financial commitments. In our efforts to mobilize resources, we will continue to work to strengthen the involvement and commitment from private businesses and foundations. Essential to Cairo's implementation are partnerships, and of utmost priority for the United States is to continue building and strengthening these partnerships.

AKSOLTAN ATAEVA (Turkmenistan): My Government pays great attention to the issue of gender equality. Transition to the market economy has had a favourable influence on the population's activity, including women's activity in private business and in joint ventures. In order to strengthen women's roles at every level of public life, the Government, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), opened the Women's Bureau of Turkmenistan. This organization serves to advance the coordination and distribution of gender related information among State agencies, international organizations, donors, non-governmental and public organizations. Also, education is free at all levels, and the level of literacy among women almost equals that of men.

Strengthening health care is one of the high priorities of the State Programme of Socio-Economic Development. The State Health Programme aims at the reconstruction of health administration in all aspects -- financing, preliminary medical service, hospital service, pharmaceutical service, human resources, and medical research, including reproductive health care and family planning.

General Assembly Plenary - 13 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

To address reproductive health problems, the Reproductive Health Protection Service was established. It aims at reducing maternal morbidity and maternal and child mortality rates. Further, it provides services to families to prevent unwanted pregnancies, advises about birth intervals and about optimal timing for childbirth, based on the age of the parents. Among the difficulties Turkmenistan faces in implementing its Cairo commitments is the need for establishing a coordinating body for population issues and improving its demographic statistics.

ABDUSSALAM O. IBRAHIM (Libya): One of the ways of dealing with the population issue is to look at population growth as an obstacle to the process of development. In Libya, family remains the nucleus of society, which is based on religion, nationalism and ethics. We have opted for total family planning to guide the Libyan economy in the right direction, and social equity remains one of our main goals. There are a number of indicators that show the extent of the Government's public services: life expectancy has increased; the infant mortality rate continues to decrease; there has been a drop in malnutrition; the number of children suffering from anaemia has dropped; vaccinations have increased; breast feeding is quite widespread and covers about 91 per cent of births; and maternal mortality has dropped.

The level of school enrolment has increased, particularly for girls and there has been a drop in illiteracy. Also, the number of Libyan families living in stable housing has increased. The programme of social development is based on human factors. The Government was able to counter the negative effects of the sanctions imposed against Libya in 1992, which obstructed the development process. Birth control is the choice of the parents, and all means of family planning are allowed except abortion. It is important to respect the laws, ethics and religious values of all societies, in conformity with human rights, in the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria): The Cairo Conference has been a turning point as far as population issues are concerned. It provided a vision highlighting the dialectic relationship between population and development. A series of coherent and ambitious actions -- with respect for social, religious and other values -- should be undertaken in connection with its Programme of Action. The world can congratulate itself for some progress, although, in some aspects, the progress has been less pronounced because of modest resources. In Cairo, we committed ourselves to certain global issues, which necessitated political will and collective efforts. In that respect, the difficulties should be overcome in the field of poverty and debt alleviation, environmental protection, and trade.

Will it be possible to bring down the rates of demographic growth and achieve sustainable economic growth? Economic, social and demographic policies demand collective action. Unchecked globalization bears heavily on

General Assembly Plenary - 14 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

the situation in certain countries, but the developing world has shouldered its responsibility. The problem of mobilizing financial resources at the international level for the implementation of the Cairo agenda stands before the international community. Countries should not shirk their responsibility. International financial aid should be increased to overcome significant problems.

Our national policy is based on the improvement of health services, access to education, protection of families and increased awareness of demographic issues. The population policies are carried out on the basis of a multi-sectoral approach. Since the 1980s, there has been a trend of decreasing fertility and population growth rates. Rapid progress in that area has been possible due to the efforts of the State. Mother and child care are among the priorities in the country. Those issues are promoted through prevention, advancement of safe motherhood, voluntary participation and informed choice.

DAVID RUBADIRI (Malawi): Malawi adopted a comprehensive National Population Policy in 1994, prior to the Cairo Conference, but consistent with the Programme of Action. Modifications were incorporated into an action plan for implementing the Policy, which together with the action plan is the linchpin of Malawi's population programme. That programme aims to promote an integrated reproductive health culture, emphasize gender concerns in development and enhance advocacy efforts to ensure widespread support for the Policy. Population issues are emphasized in all major policy programme documents and they figure prominently in the Poverty Alleviation Programme begun in 1994.

Implementing Malawi's Population programme, however, has been constrained by a lack of trained personnel, a weak institutional framework and inadequate financial resources for the implementing institutions. There are no institutional structures to coordinate implementation of population activities at the district or local levels, for example. Malawi will, however, soon hold local elections for district assemblies, which will hopefully provide political leadership at the local level for effective participation in such activities. In addition, the inadequacy of data should be alleviated by a census conducted last year.

In short, Malawi has a clear idea of what it needs to do in the next five years and it has the political will to address all aspects of its population and development concerns. It has made many gains in the area of reproductive health, despite the fact that the concept is not well understood by its health workers. Advocacy activities and awareness campaigns have already made an impact. The special session, after all the hours of arduous work, should send the strong political and moral message that the Assembly is ready to address resolutely, as one, the population and development issues of

General Assembly Plenary - 15 - Press Release GA/9576 Twenty-first Special Session 2 July 1999 7th Meeting (AM)

the time and that it has, five years after Cairo, made the Programme of Action stronger.

VORAVEE WIRASAMBAN (Thailand): Thailand's population constitutes about 1 per cent of the world's population and it expects to experience a population growth of about 1 per cent annually. Currently, the proportion of the older population is increasing and the proportion of the younger population is decreasing, although that trend is not expected to last much longer, due to precautionary measures presently in place. Thailand's Constitution, passed by Parliament last year, provides for greater access to education, information, gender equality and equity, among other services.

A current national five-year plan, consistent with the Cairo Programme of Action, also places emphasis on environment, population and development issues. The Government of Thailand also attaches high priority to reproductive health, but still faces challenges, particularly in the cross- border illegal migratory flow. Many diseases are transmitted along the border and the Government is deeply concerned that the reproductive health problems among illegal migrant workers might soon become uncontrollable.

Thailand believes that, through the creation of the South-South initiative, developing countries can achieve great success in reducing maternal and infant mortality, improving adolescent reproductive health, preventing and controlling the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, among other requirements of the Cairo Programme of Action.

HASSAN ABU LIBDEH, observer for Palestine: The situation of the 3.5 million Palestine refugees has deteriorated in recent years. Almost 16 per cent now reside in refugee camps and continue to face severe socio- economic hardships -- high unemployment, decline in household income, deplorable living conditions, among others. The Government has undertaken several measures in the area of population and development. The Central Bureau of Statistics was established to monitor demographic changes within the Palestinian population, to conduct censuses and to monitor progress in implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action.

Special attention has been given to health care, particularly reproductive health. An official population policy has not yet been formulated. However, the health plan -- being developed in accordance with the Cairo Programme of Action -- aims to promote reproductive and women's health, including by, among others: reducing maternal mortality by 50 per cent; integrate family planning services and counselling at the primary and secondary health care level; increasing contraceptive prevalence by 25 per cent; and increasing awareness of reproductive health issues through use of mass media. A separate Gender Planning Unit was also established in the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.

* *** *