Commission on Population and Development

Forty-second Session

4^th Meeting (PM)

Delegates debate effects of reduced fertility as commission on population

and development continues forty-second session

 

In Keynote Address, Speaker Stresses Access

To Contraceptives, Family Planning Information in Least Developed Countries

Delegates to the forty-second session of the Commission on Population and Development today addressed questions arising from increasing or decreasing population rates and discussed measures to deal with such issues as reproductive rights, family planning, maternal and child mortality, and ageing.

While most speakers agreed that reducing fertility rates could contribute to economic growth, some drew attention to the problems generated by negative population growth.  The representative of Croatia said her country had seen a population growth rate of negative 2.4 per cent in 2007.  To increase the number of young people, a birth rate 15 per cent above the mortality rate must be sustained over a long period of time.  Measures taken to raise Croatia’s population growth included maternity allowances, one-time allowances for newborn babies, and more flexible parental leave for fathers.

Bulgaria’s delegate also addressed the negative population trend from which his country had suffered for two decades, saying that strategies to counter its impact included combating illiteracy among the young, reducing infant mortality and preserving the current maternal mortality rate.  Measures to increase fertility included an increase in paid pregnancy and maternity leave, higher child allowances and the introduction of paid paternity leave.  Mortality reduction was also being addressed.

While Indonesia’s representative noted that long-term population development planning in his country had led to significant reductions in birth and mortality rates, which would create a window of opportunity for sustained economic growth.  The dependency ratio would likely increase slowly after 2020 due to the increase in the number of older dependents.  That was why Indonesia had made human capital formation the central issue of its 2005-2025 long-term development plan.

As delegates discussed their national experiences, including the contribution of the Cairo Programme of Action emanating from the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, China’s Minister for National Population and Family Planning said that, in order to address her country’s primary problem ‑‑ excessive population ‑‑ 30 years of national family planning policies had reduced the total fertility rate from 5.8 in 1970 to below replacement level in 1991 to the current stabilized rate of 1.8.  To address the growing number of elderly people, China had sped up the development of a new system for old-age support and was subsidizing the participation of farmers in a new rural cooperative medical care system.  China had achieved the relevant Millennium Development Goal ahead of time, raising average life expectancy from 68 to 73 years, reducing infant and under-5 mortality rates and increasing per capita education.

Speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), South Africa’s delegate drew attention to HIV and AIDS as a particular regional concern.  Their impact must be factored into all development planning and responses must be integrated into all sectoral and multisectoral development programmes.  To that end, SADC members States must continue to strengthen their programmes for sexual and reproductive health and rights, mainly for adolescents, and with the involvement of men.  The promotion of gender equality and equity, including the empowerment of women in decision-making, and economic and spatial mobility was critical, both to the Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

The representative of the United States noted that the new Administration had acted strongly in supporting the International Conference on Population and Development and was committed to ensuring, among other things:  access to safe, effective and affordable methods of voluntary family planning; the range of services needed during pregnancy; and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.  President Barack Obama had rescinded the “Mexico City Policy” and the United States would resume funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).  One other Administration priority was ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Delivering the keynote address ‑‑ on the topic “Impacts of population growth on the least developed countries, with special emphasis on the role of reproductive health” ‑‑ Jean-Pierre Guengant, Director and Resident Representative in Burkina Faso of the Research Institute for Development, noted that 33 of the least developed countries were in sub-Saharan Africa and that their slow transition to development could be explained in part by the slow decline in fertility rates.  Access to contraceptives and family planning information, was important, as was the need to meet unmet demands.  Reducing fertility from six children to two called for raising the proportion of women using contraception from the current level of about 10 per cent to 70 per cent.

The Commission also heard from the Minister for Private Sector Planning and Promotion of Guinea.

Other speakers were the representatives of Peru, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Malaysia, Mauritania, Canada, and the Netherlands (also on behalf of Ethiopia and Burkina Faso).

A senior official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also delivered a statement.

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 1 April, to continue its general discussion.

Background

Following a keynote address this afternoon, the forty-second session of the Commission on Population and Development continued its general debate on national experience in population matters, focusing on the contribution of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development to the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.  For more background information on the session and a summary of reports before the Commission, see Press Release POP/970 of 26 March.

Keynote Address

JEAN-PIERRE GUENGANT, Director and Resident Representative in Burkina Faso of the Research Institute for Development, spoke on the topic “Impacts of population growth on the least developed countries, with special emphasis on the role of reproductive health”, noting that 33 of the least developed countries were in sub-Saharan Africa, and that 60 per cent of the 840 million people living in least developed countries inhabited that region.  Demographic growth could be an asset and a handicap to economic growth.  In the 1960s and 1970s, links between demographic and economic growth had not been proven because work at that time had been based on relatively old data.  According to studies then, it seemed that high fertility prevented children from going to school.  Nowadays, studies underscored the positive side for development because of a decrease in the fertility rate.

He said that, according to studies focusing on the lag in sub-Saharan Africa’s development, the causes included low growth in productivity, low quality of governance, difficulties linked to isolation and dependence on natural resources.  The slow transition to development could also be explained by the slow decline in fertility rates.  Such a drop starting elsewhere in the developing world in the 1960s would have started in Africa only in the 1980s.  The result was phenomenal demographic growth, which played a major role in the low income per capita in sub-Saharan Africa.  The number of children needing care, for instance, increased threefold and the increase in the dependency rate meant that adults of working age were less productive because they had to care for a great number of children.  The number of children going to school was also a burden.

The question was whether the transition should be sped up, he said.  At the time of the Cairo International Conference, West and Central Africa had had problems with contraceptive prevalence, which had stood at 10 per cent, while the rates in developing countries outside Africa had been higher, at about 50 per cent access to contraception.  Reducing fertility from six children to two would require the proportion of women using contraception to increase to 70 per cent.  The demand for family planning in developing countries was high, but needs went unmet in Central and West Africa, both in terms of access to contraceptives and information about them.  In West, Eastern and some other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, contraceptives reached only one fourth of women.  Speeding up the transition required well-targeted population policies and family planning programmes.  The demand for contraceptives could be stimulated.  Most campaigns in Africa were directed at young girls, but older women of child-bearing age should also be targeted.

In the ensuing question-and-answer period, the representative of the United States asked whether high fertility rates in Africa resulted from women’s wish to have four or five children, regardless of information campaigns advocating smaller families.

Mr. GUENGANT said family planning was indeed not considered legitimate in many African and Caribbean societies.  In Niger, for example, half of all girls entered into arranged marriages before the age of 15, often becoming the third or fourth wife.  They were likely to conform to the desires of the spouses to have many children.  Women in many parts of Africa were considered to be “baby-making machines” and were no longer thought desirable once out of their child-bearing years.  If women were educated and had the right to speak, the total demand for family planning services in West, Central and East Africa would increase, rather than remain at just 30 per cent.

The representative of Qatar stressed the importance of training and capacity-building so that medical personnel could address family planning needs.

The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said resistance to contraceptive use in Africa was due not only to cultural values, but also religious beliefs.  However, religious views that condemned the use of contraceptives were prevalent worldwide, not only in Africa.

Mr. GUENGANT disagreed, recalling that he had been told in the 1960s that family planning would not succeed in Africa, Latin America or the Caribbean due to religion.  But, in fact, it had, thanks in part to the efforts of civil society organizations.  Religion must be respected, but historically it had not been an obstacle to family planning.  Contraceptive use had risen in Islamic societies and it was up to donors, the United Nations, the private sector and civil society to be involved in the process of advocating contraceptive use and to show that it did not on its own negate family values.

The representative of Italy suggested that the next global conference on population and development be organized in a sub-Saharan African country.

General Debate

LI BIN, Minister for National Population and Family Planning of China, said that her country, holding to the unique Chinese path of comprehensively addressing population issues, adhered to integrated decision-making on population and development while endeavouring to realize long-term balanced population development and holistic, coordinated human development.  China focused on incorporating population and family planning into its overall deployment for improving people’s livelihood.  To enhance scientific and technological innovation in family planning and reproductive health, different localities were encouraged to tailor their service models to their local conditions.

Having already reduced its population of rural poor from 250 million to 40 million, China planned to persevere in reform and in its positive contributions to global poverty eradication, she said.  To address the country’s primary problem -– excessive population -– 30 years of national family planning policies had reduced the total fertility rate of Chinese women from 5.8 in 1970 to below replacement level in 1991 to a current stabilized rate of 1.8.  To address its growing population of elderly people, it had sped up the development of a new system for old-age support.  China was also subsidizing farmers’ participation in a new rural cooperative medical care system.

She pointed out that her country had achieved the relevant Millennium Development Goals ahead of time by raising the average life expectancy from 68 to 73; reducing infant and under-five mortality rates to 14.9 per cent and 24 per cent respectively; increasing per capita education; and raising its human development index ranking from 105 in 1990 to 81 in 2007.  China had also incorporated the women’s development cause into the overall national programme for socio-economic development, as well as population and family planning programmes.  The country was also promoting the orderly movement of migrating populations and providing equal services to migrants.  Through efforts to develop a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society, China was working to respond to global climate change by reducing its population size.

MARGARET J. POLLACK (United States) expressed her country’s renewed commitment to the Programme of Action, noting that the new Administration had acted strongly in supporting the International Conference on Population and Development, understanding that the human rights and freedoms of women must be protected, so that women could make their own health and fertility decisions.  There was a need to prioritize comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, and the cluster of services agreed in the Programme of Action were all essential to saving women’s lives and protecting their reproductive rights.

She said her country was committed to ensuring, among other things, access to safe, effective and affordable methods of voluntary family planning; the range of services needed during pregnancy; and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.  President Barack Obama had rescinded the “Mexico City Policy” and the United States would once again fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The United States, through the President’s emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was a strong supporter of linkages between HIV/AIDS and voluntary family planning programmes, she said.  The Department of State had announced recently that the United States would support the statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” read in the General Assembly.  The Obama Administration had further signalled its re-engagement on the domestic front by creating the White House Council on Women and Girls.  One other Administration priority was ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

MAMADOUBA MAX BANGOURA, Minister for Private Sector Planning and Promotion of Guinea, said his country was working to achieve universal access to reproductive health services and primary education, and to eliminate the gender gap in education.  It had reduced the infant mortality and HIV/AIDS infection rates.  The Government of Guinea had launched initiatives to generate awareness of the importance of family planning.  It had integrated family issues into primary and secondary school curricula and the Centre for Women’s Empowerment.

Guinea’s 2006 national population policy took into account the recommendation of the International Conference on Population and Development and an HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategy had been enacted, he said.  In addition, infant mortality had dropped from 98 per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 91 per 1,000 live births in 2005.  Government initiatives were worthy of the support of multilateral and bilateral institutions.

Focused on promoting gender equality, the Government’s evaluation report, implemented in accordance with the International Conference’s Programme of Action, used social and demographic indicators too take stock of population trends, he said, adding that it showed mixed results.  Guinea’s population was young and urbanization had accelerated since 1984, with many of the best and brightest of rural residents migrating to cities.  There was a lack of gender balance and a prevalence of gender-based violence.  Guinea’s population was growing fast, at 3 per cent annually, and the Government was working to control the population so it could channel resources towards sustainable development.

LUIS ENRIQUE CHÁVEZ ( Peru) said that a decrease in fertility would reduce poverty and hunger, and families with fewer children could invest more in health and education.  Those changes could stimulate economic growth.  There was therefore a need to guarantee access to information and to sexual and reproductive health services.  Because of Peru’s sustained growth, poverty had declined from 51.6 per cent in 2004 to 39.3 per cent in 2007, and extreme poverty from 19.2 per cent to 13.7 per cent in the same period.

Progress had also been achieved in education and the empowerment of women, he said.  The Government gave priority to reducing poverty and child malnutrition.  To deal with the current global uncertainties, including the economic and financial crisis and climate change, a comprehensive multisectoral approach was necessary, with a central role for the United Nations.  There was also a need for political will to implement global agreements, with the understanding that all countries had common but differentiated responsibilities.

MAGED ABDELAZIZ ( Egypt) said his country would host the Fourth International Parliamentarians Conference in October on implementing the Cairo Programme of Action, and hoped the event would lead to the adoption of effective high-level recommendations in order to strengthen the Programme of Action at all levels.  The current global food, energy and financial crises threatened the Millennium Development Goals and placed heavy burdens on developing country budgets for poverty eradication.  Those exceptional circumstances required extraordinary action and the international community must intensify the political will to prevent isolationism and protectionism, which would have a negative impact on developing countries.

Noting that the global population had reached almost 7 billon, he said global resources remained limited and were constantly being depleted, making it difficult for developing countries to achieve social and economic development.  It was necessary to provide financial resources in a coherent manner, through bilateral and multilateral channels, so as to implement the Programme of Action.  The increase in funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment was commendable and donor countries should give the same priority to family planning and reproductive health.  Egypt had taken significant steps to implement commitments made at the International Conference and, two weeks ago, a ministry had been established to address family and population issues, as well as coordinate national efforts with civil society organizations.

ZANE DANGOR ( South Africa), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said the regional body’s member States remained particularly concerned about the impact of HIV and AIDS, which must be factored into all development planning.  Responses to HIV and AIDS must be integrated into all sectoral and multisectoral development programmes, and to that end, member States must continue to strengthen their programmes for sexual and reproductive health and rights, mainly for adolescents, and with the involvement of men.

He said the promotion of gender equality and equity, including the empowerment of women in decision-making, and economic and spatial mobility was critical, both to the Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.  Equally, SADC must develop policies to ensure economic empowerment and access to social services for young people, if the region was to reap the demographic dividend that presented itself at the present moment.

Turning to his own country, he said it had achieved near universal primary school enrolment, while secondary school enrolment was slightly above 90 per cent, with a positive gender parity index.  Regarding the involvement of women in public life, South Africa was on the verge of reaching 50-50 parity in Parliament and Cabinet, with some of the major political parties contesting the upcoming elections having committed to those figures.  South Africa had also shown commitment, locally and internationally, in playing its part towards the realization of international agreements, including the Millennium Development Goals.

AIDA ALZMANOVA ( Kazakhstan) said that, after gaining independence in 1991, her country had lost more than 12 per cent of its population due to declining fertility, increasing mortality and migration.  The highly centralized health, education and social services systems inherited from the former Soviet Union had not met the needs of the market economy.  In 1997, Kazakhstan had identified demographic development as a State priority, in accordance with the Cairo Programme of Action.  After 1999, the country had seen a marked increase in birth rates and immigration, and by 2007 the total fertility rate had reached 2.4 births per woman of child-bearing age.

She said her country provided free medical care, including medicine for pregnant women and children under the age of 5 and primary health care, including reproductive health and family planning services, which had led to a reduction in the number of abortions.  Since the Cairo Conference, Kazakhstan had created institutional structures to address demographic development.  They included the Committee on Migration and Demography in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection; the National Commission for Family Affairs, Women and Demographic Policy; and the National Centre for Mother and Child Health.

Kazakhstan had achieved the first three Millennium Development Goals -- poverty reduction, universal primary education and gender equality in education -- she said, cautioning however, that it was unlikely to reach the other targets due to a lack of qualified personnel in medicine, education, environmental affairs and management.  The country suffered from socio-economic gaps, including disparities in urban and rural development.  Poor food quality and the slow rise in life expectancy for male infants were also of concern.

SUGIRI SYARIEF ( Indonesia) said that long-term population development planning in his country had significantly reduced birth and mortality rates, and Indonesia was entering its third phase of demographic transition.  That had resulted in a demographic dividend expected to peak during the 2015-2025 period, creating a window of opportunity for sustained economic growth, if human resources were properly prepared and available.  After 2020, the dependency ratio would likely increase slowly due to the increase in older dependents.  That was why human capital formation had been made the central issue for Indonesia’s 2005-2025 long-term development plan.

He said human capital formation was a comprehensive process involving programmes to address poverty, education, gender equality and women’s empowerment, family planning, nutrition intake, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and the empowerment of young people.  Poverty eradication programmes aimed to provide basic needs and bring improvements in nutrition intake for pregnant mothers, infants and children under the age of 5, in addition to providing compulsory education, health and family planning services.

Indonesia’s gender equality and women’s empowerment programmes involved affirmative action, the building of effective institutional capacity and gender mainstreaming networks, he said.  Officials had revised legislation and policies showing a clear gender bias or discrimination against women.  Family planning services focused on enhancing the quality of services and access for all women, paying special attention to those in rural areas.  The Government also promoted the use of long-term contraceptives and sterilization.  Maternal and child health programmes were being developed, with a focus on cost-effective services.  A national HIV/AIDS action plan focused on high-risk groups and included a gender sensitization programme.

MORTEN WETLAND ( Norway) said the Cairo Conference marked a watershed as it had underlined that reproductive health was essential for development.  However, it had not been clear on reproductive rights and on sexual health and rights.  The needs of young people must be addressed, bearing in mind that lack of education and services did not deter adolescents from sexual activity.  Lack of reproductive health services made it more risky for both sexes, but particularly for women.  It was imperative to ensure that abortions, which were in fact already taking place, were carried out safely, with decriminalization as a first step.  Funding for family planning must keep pace with increasing demand if reproductive health for all was to be achieved by 2015.  Norway was taking on a special responsibility regarding Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

The first progress report on the Global Campaign for Health, launched by Norway and others, demonstrated that increased investments in health, with a doubling since 2000, brought results, he said.  More than 2 million people were now receiving AIDS treatment and the number of newly infected people had declined.  Malaria programmes were leading to a dramatic reduction in child mortality and vaccines were reaching more children than ever before.  The report called for urgent international action to accelerate progress towards reducing maternal and child mortality by 2015.  In the midst of the most serious economic crisis for many years, it was important that policies to address the crisis prioritize the protection of the most vulnerable, especially women, female youth and children.

OLIVIER BELLE ( Belgium) said the Cairo Programme of Action was broader than the questions covered by the Millennium Development Goals.  The links between population and development should be addressed in a comprehensive way, covering migration as well.  Committed to the Programme of Action, Belgium organized an annual national conference on population and development, and emphasized sex education.  Access to contraception was practically free to young people, resulting in low abortion and unwanted pregnancy rates.  Belgium’s health system, considered one of the best in Europe, also included reproductive health services.

He said his country also had an excellent school system, in which education was compulsory up to the age of 18.  Schools provided sex education and taught a holistic approach to reproductive rights.  Belgium’s contributions to UNFPA were moving from earmark to core financing.  In its development cooperation, the country used the Millennium Development Goals as a framework, with emphasis on the three health-related targets.  In spite of the current crises, Belgium would remain committed to attaining the 0.7 per cent ODA target.  There was a need to focus on the situation of women, who were often victims of violence and discrimination.  Without their contribution, development would remain an illusion.

ADAM FRONCZAK ( Poland) emphasized his country’s substantial demographic potential in the face of intensive demographic transformations, which included changing family formation patterns and reproductive attitudes and behaviours, expanding life spans, declining fertility and accelerated ageing.  The equal status of women and men was guaranteed in article 32 of the Constitution, and it was commonly accepted and understood that women should be accorded equal rights with men.  Dynamic economic growth had followed the implementation of non-discriminatory legislation, leading to increasing employment and household income levels and lowering the relative poverty rate by 3 per cent.  A pro-family allowance had been introduced in 2007.  The Act on Aid for Persons Entitled to Alimony had entered into force in 2008 and was expected to improve the situation of one-parent families.

A system of housing allowances was helping the poorest families, he said, adding that there had been an increase in the number of students pursuing higher and tertiary education.  Scholarship aid programmes and financial support for children and youth from poorer backgrounds had been initiated with a particular focus on equalizing educational chances in urban and rural areas.  The Government also aimed to reduce maternal mortality rates by three quarters.  Prenatal mortality had been reduced by half since 1994, with infant and under-five rates remaining relatively low.  Life expectancy had increased, although the premature mortality rates of men remained considerably higher than those in Western European countries.  Free services were provided during pregnancy and birth.  The availability of birth control methods was growing and the number of teenage mothers was declining.  While prenatal care covered all women, abortion “on request” was illegal.  Poland had a relatively stable epidemiological situation with respect to HIV/AIDS, and women and men had equal access to antiretroviral treatment.

VESNA VUKOVIC ( Croatia) said her country was concerned about its low rate of population growth, which had been negative 2.4 per cent in 2007.  Population policy had therefore been directed towards recovery of population numbers and, to that end, the National Council for Population Policy had been established.  To increase the number of young people, a birth rate 15 per cent above the mortality rate was needed for a long period of time.  Among the measures taken was raising the lowest maternity allowances to 50 per cent of the basic budget rate.  The one-time allowance for newborn babies had been increased to 70 per cent of the basic budget rate, while fathers could use a more flexible parental leave.

She said some 60 per cent of Croatians resided in urban areas and almost one quarter of the population lived in the capital, while many other areas were sparsely populated, mostly by elderly inhabitants.  By using support for smaller urban settlements, the rate of natural growth there was higher than that in urban centres.  Local authorities were encouraged to implement short-term measures such as financial support for new-born babies and providing a sufficient number of child-care centres.  Priorities in the area of reproductive health care through the primary health care system had not changed in the last decade.  They included reducing the prenatal mortality rate, diagnosing risky pregnancies and promoting breast feeding.

AMINAH ABDUL RAHMAN ( Malaysia) said her country had achieved most of the goals set out in the Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals in the areas of poverty reduction, universal education, reduced maternal and child mortality, gender equality and environmental sustainability.  However, Malaysia’s challenge was to maintain the momentum in dealing decisively with the remainder of the Millennium Goals, especially reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to identify the next set of priorities that would keep it moving towards its ultimate objective of becoming a fully developed nation.

She said poverty eradication had already been her country’s primary concern in 1970 when half the households had lived in poverty.  By early 2000, just five per cent were poor; the current goal being to reduce the incidence of overall poverty to 2.8 per cent and to completely eliminate the incidence of hard-core poverty by 2010.  Malaysia had achieved universal primary education in 1990 and gender parity in education by 2005.  In 2007, females had accounted for 56.2 per cent of total enrolment in institutions of higher learning, and the current literacy rate of 15 to 24 year olds stood at 98 per cent.  Maternal and child mortality levels were now comparable to those of many developed countries, but although contraceptive prevalence had increased from 5.3 per cent in 1966 to 51.9 per cent in 2004, unmet needs remained relatively high, especially among poor and marginalized groups.

Similarly, despite overall improvement in the population’s health status, new challenges had arisen, she said.  Communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS were on the increase and the country’s commitment was to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes through the implementation of the National Strategic Plan by 2010.  Despite Malaysia’s achievements, other challenges remained.  The global economic recession affected the quality of life, and in order to alleviate its effects, the Government had announced a fiscal stimulus package of approximately $16 billion in March 2009 -- in addition to the first package introduced in November 2008 -- with the aim of creating and saving jobs, easing the burden on citizens, assisting the private sector and building capacity for the future.

ABDERRAHIM OULD HADRAMI ( Mauritania) said the financial crisis had led to great suffering, particularly in developing countries.  It was the international community’s duty to help the world’s weakest economies by increasing assistance to help them achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  More funding was needed to improve health systems in the poorest countries so they could ensure basic services for all.  It was also important to mobilize resources from national, bilateral and multilateral sources.

Mauritania had integrated the strategies of the International Conference into national population plans, he said, noting that women represented more than half the global population and were the core of most families, responsible for most family-related duties in least developed countries.  Government policies must focus on helping women and reducing infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and malaria.  Women must be at the centre of strategies and programmes to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  Their empowerment was important for building the capacity of State institutions.

The number of women in decision-making posts had increased from 4 per cent in 2005 to 18 per cent today, he continued.  Women now held positions as ambassadors, heads of regional governments and companies.  The Government was focusing on girls’ education, as well as combating infant mortality, harmful traditional practices, HIV/AIDS and malaria.  Fighting poverty was another national priority and UNFPA was helping the country implement the National Plan to Combat Poverty.  Mauritanian authorities were working to develop national capacity, with a focus on reproductive health, women, migration and humanitarian issues.

JOHN MCNEE ( Canada) said the Commission’s 2009 theme offered a timely opportunity to review progress towards achieving the commitments of the Cairo Programme of Action.  But while its recognition of the importance of individual needs and rights had led to measurable improvements in the lives of men, women and children across the globe, recent progress was threatened by the world financial crisis.  Efforts to meet internationally agreed development goals should be redoubled to ensure long-term, sustainable development.  Indeed, the Millennium Development Goals relating to gender equality, maternal health and child mortality would not be met without continued commitment at the global, regional, national and community levels to sexual and reproductive health, education and women’s empowerment, as outlined in Cairo.  Canada would continue to be a strong advocate for those issues.

Population data should be disaggregated to ensure inclusive development policies, he said, adding that their impact on persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and minority groups should also be taken into account.  Although little progress had been made in reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health since the Millennium Summit in 2000, Canada was actively engaging strong civil society partners in support of programmes to change that.  At the 2006 Group of Eight (G-8) Summit, Canada had announced funding of up to $450 million over 10 years for the Africa Health Systems Initiative, which supported country-led efforts to improve national health systems.  To reduce maternal mortality and improve overall health outcomes, gender-based violence also required attention.  Access to education remained critical since educated girls and women were more empowered to use their knowledge and contribute to their own social and economic well-being and that of their communities.

MARION VAN SCHAIK (Netherlands), speaking also on behalf of Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, said access to reproductive health products and to sexual and reproductive health information was a basic human right and young people’s need for it had never been greater, since the HIV/AIDS pandemic had heightened awareness of services and information that could help them protect themselves.  In many places, however, adequate services for youth were not available, while elsewhere, their use was very low due to cost, disapproval by providers and the community, logistical constraints, fears about lack of confidentiality, embarrassment, or lack of awareness of the existence of such services.  In addition, stigma kept many young people living with HIV from receiving treatment.  Youth-friendly services were needed to overcome such obstacles.

Family planning was also about people being able to choose how many children they wanted and when to have them, he said.  Recent demographic health surveys showed that the demographic transition in sub-Saharan Africa had stalled and even reversed in some countries.  Environmental, agricultural, health and education gains over the last decade would be erased if populations tripled in the next 40 years.  The Netherlands called on other Member States to step up efforts to reduce unwanted pregnancies and increase access to reproductive information, supplies and services.  The world had made a commitment to reproductive health for all, but increasing demand for reproductive health services and shrinking donor support made it difficult to fulfil that pledge.  Each $1 million funding shortfall led to an estimated 360,000 more unintended pregnancies, 150,000 more induced abortions, 800,000 more maternal deaths and 11,000 more infant deaths.

RAYKO RAYTCHEV ( Bulgaria) said his country had experienced negative population trends for more than two decades.  In 2006, Bulgaria had developed the National Demographic Strategy 2006-2020, the goals of which included combating illiteracy among the young, especially girls and young women; reducing infant mortality; preserving maternal mortality below 12 per 100,000; and achieving 90 per cent health-care coverage of pregnant women by 2015.  Measures to increase fertility included an increase in paid pregnancy and maternity leave until the child reached one year of age; an increase in the single allowances for childbirth and monthly child allowances until completion of secondary education; and the introduction of paid paternity leave.

He said efforts to reduce mortality were aimed at improving preventive health care services; opening female and child health-care centres; screening for cervical cancer; providing mobile medical assistance in remote regions; and directing HIV/AIDS prevention and education campaigns at young people, drug users and other at-risk groups.  Bulgaria’s HIV/AIDS prevention and education programmes included the establishment of a peer education network called Youth Peer Education Network Bulgaria ( Y-PEER Bulgaria).  As an emerging donor country, Bulgaria’s development cooperation policy aimed at promoting health services, training specialists in cultural diversity and tolerance, and socio-economic reforms as priority areas in its contribution to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

JIMMY KOLKER, Associate Director of Programmes, HIV and AIDS Section, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that, in 2006, the mortality rate for children under age 5 had fallen below 10 million for the first time in history and had since continued to fall.  The number of women who died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth was still alarmingly high and the discrepancies between rich and poor countries were striking.  Women in least developed countries were 300 times more likely to die during childbirth or related complications than those in industrialized nations.  UNICEF’s 2009 State of the World’s Children focused on maternal health, arguing that strengthening health systems was essential to improving outcomes for women and children.

He said that integrating prenatal care, care for maternal malnutrition and anaemia, skilled attendance at childbirth, access to emergency obstetric care and community-level integration of essential services, such as exclusive breastfeeding, immunization, insecticide-treated bed nets and vitamin supplements, could save the lives of thousands of women and children under 5 who died every day.  Estimates from demographic and health surveys, as well as multiple indicator cluster surveys indicated a huge unmet need for contraception and family planning among women of reproductive age.  Only 29 per cent of child-bearing women in least developed countries or in committed relationships used contraception, a figure that fell to only 17 per cent in West and Central Africa.  Preventing unintended pregnancy was central to preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.  There was a need for enhanced efforts to prevent HIV infection in women generally and to integrate family planning into HIV programmes.

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