A strategy to stabilize world population growth and achieve sustainable development by addressing reproductive health needs, rights and responsibilities of individuals was adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) as it concluded its nine-day meeting at Cairo on 13 September 1994.
The 16-chapter Programme of Action of the Conference emphasizes the imperatives of empowering women and guaranteeing choice in regard to family planning and stresses that advancing gender equality and ensuring women's ability to control their own fertility are "cornerstones of population and development-related programmes". It contains "break-through" language concerning reproductive health and reproductive rights -- a concept based on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so.
The adoption of the Cairo Programme of Action, which was negotiated in the Main Committee of the Conference, was the culmination of five years of preparations, following a decision by the Economic and Social Council to convene the Conference in 1994.
The Preamble of the Programme of Action, Chapter I, provides an overview of the main issues. It states that never before has the world community had so many resources, so much knowledge and such powerful technologies at its disposal which, if suitably redirected, could foster sustained economic growth and sustainable development. There is emerging global consensus on the need for increased international cooperation on population in the context of sustainable development. Much has been achieved in that regard, but more needs to be done.
The world population is currently estimated at 5.6 billion, the Preamble continues. The low, medium and high variants of the United Nations population projections for the coming 20 years range from a low of 7.1 billion people to the medium variant of 7.5 billion and a high of 7.8 billion. Implementation of the goals and objectives of the Programme of Action will result in world population growth, during the next two decades and beyond, at levels below the United Nations medium projection.
The world as a whole has changed in ways that create important new opportunities for addressing population and development issues, the Preamble states. Major shifts in attitude were witnessed on reproductive health, family planning and population growth, resulting in the new comprehensive concept of sexual and reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health, as defined in the Programme of Action. Its objectives and actions will collectively address the critical challenges and interrelationships between population and sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development. In order to do so, adequate mobilization of resources at the national and international level will be required, as well as new and additional resources, to the developing countries from all available funding mechanisms.
The Preamble further states that the two decades ahead are likely to produce a further shift of rural populations to urban areas, as well as continued high levels of migration between countries. Those migrations are an important part of the economic transformations occurring around the world, and they present serious new challenges. Those issues must, therefore, be more emphatically addressed in population and development policies.
The recommendations for action are made in a spirit of consensus and international cooperation, recognizing that the formulation and implementation of population policies is the responsibility of each country and should take into account the economic, social, environmental and cultural diversity of conditions in each country, including religious beliefs and ethical values. Those recommendations include a set of important population and development objectives, including both qualitative and quantitative goals that are mutually supporting and of critical importance, including the goals of education, especially for girls; gender equity and equality; infant, child and maternal mortality reduction; and the provision of universal access to reproductive health services, including family planning and sexual health.
Many of the quantitative and qualitative goals of the Programme clearly require additional resources, some of which could become available from a reordering of priorities at the individual, national and international levels. However, none of the actions required -- nor all of them combined -- is expensive in the context of either current global development or military expenditures. A few would require little or no additional financial resources, in that they involve changes in life-styles, social norms or government policies that can be largely sustained through greater citizen action and political leadership. But to meet the resource needs of those actions that do require increased expenditures over the next two decades, additional commitments will be required on the part of both developing and developed countries.
The Preamble's concludes: "While the International Conference on Population and Development does not create any new international human right, it affirms the application of universally recognized human rights standards to all aspects of population programmes. The Programme of Action will require the establishment of common ground which recognizes and honours the broad diversity of religious and cultural values. The impact of this Conference will be measured by the strength of the specific commitments made here and the consequent actions to fulfil them, as part of a new global partnership among all the world's countries and people, based on a sense of shared but differentiated responsibility for each other and for our planetary home".
Chapter II contains a total of 15 principles addressing issues relevant to population and development matters. The wording of most principles is taken or derived from various international instruments; others are new, including the proposition that "advancing gender equality and equity and the empowerment of women, and the elimination of all kinds of violence against women, and ensuring women's ability to control their own fertility, are cornerstones of population and development-related programmes".
An introduction to the chapter on principles states that the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Programme of Action is the sovereign right of each country, consistent with national laws and development priorities, with full respect for the various religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of its people, and in conformity with universally recognized international human rights.
Among the 15 principles is one asserting that human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development and are the most important and valuable resource of any nation. The right to development is a universal and inalienable right and an integral part of fundamental human rights. While development facilitates the enjoyment of all human rights, lack of development may not be invoked to justify the abridgement of inter- nationally recognized human rights.
The Conference affirmed that to achieve sustainable development, States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and promote appropriate policies, including demographic policies, in order to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. All States and people should cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world.
Everyone has the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the chapter continues. States should take all appropriate measures to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, universal access to health-care services, including those related to reproductive health care, which includes family planning and sexual health-care programmes. Those programmes must provide the widest range of services without any form of coercion. All couples and individuals have the basic right to decide, freely and responsibly, on the number and spacing of their children, and to have information, education and the means to do so.
The family is the basic unit of society, according to another principle. In different social, cultural and political systems, various forms of the family exist. Marriage must be entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses, and husband and wife should be equal partners. Everyone has the right to education, which shall be directed to the full development of human resources and human dignity and potential, with particular attention to women and girls. The best interests of the child should be the guiding principle of those responsible for his or her education and guidance; that responsibility lies, in the first place, with the parents.
Countries receiving documented migrants should provide proper treatment and adequate social welfare services for them and their families, and should ensure their physical safety and security, the chapter states. Countries should guarantee to all migrants all basic human rights. All States have responsibilities with respect to refugees, as described in the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In considering the population and development needs of indigenous people, States should recognize and support their identity, culture and interests. All countries should recognize their common but differentiated responsibilities, the last principle states. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development, and should continue their efforts to promote sustained growth and to narrow imbalances in a manner that can benefit all countries, particularly the developing countries.
Chapter III addresses the interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development. It notes that macro-economic and sectoral policies rarely pay attention to population considerations. Explicit integration of population into economic and development strategies would both hasten the pace of sustainable development and poverty alleviation and contribute to the achievement of population objectives and an improved quality of life.
Actions recommended include the establishment by Governments of institutional mechanisms to ensure that population factors are addressed by all agencies responsible for environmental, social and economic policies and programmes. Public information and education programmes should receive increased resources through cooperation among Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Eradication of poverty would contribute to slowing population growth and achieving early population stabilization. The text calls for particular attention to be given to the socio- economic improvement of poor women in developed and in developing countries. Eliminating social, cultural, political and economic discrimination against women is a prerequisite for eradicating poverty.
It recommends that job creation in the industrial, agricultural and service sectors should be facilitated by Governments and the private sectors through the establishment of a more favourable climate for expanded trade and investment on an environmentally sound basis, greater investment in human resources development and the development of democratic institutions and good governance.
With respect to population and the environment, it recommends integrating demographic factors into environment impact assessments and other processes aimed at achieving sustainable development. Among measures aimed at the eradication of poverty, special attention should be given to income-generation and employment strategies directed at the rural poor and those living in fragile ecosystems. Policies should address the ecological implications of future increases in population numbers and other demographic changes.
Proposals concerning gender equality, equity and the empowerment of women are dealt with in Chapter IV. It states that actions to improve women's access to secure livelihoods and economic resources are needed, and their enormous responsibilities with regard to housework should be alleviated. Improving the status of women would enhance their decision-making capacity, which is essential to the long-term success of population programmes. Education is critical to empowering women. More than one-third of the world's adults, most of them women, have no access to printed knowledge, to new skills or to technologies that would improve the quality of their lives and help them adapt to change.
Countries should take steps to eliminate inequalities between men and women by establishing mechanisms for women's equal participation and equitable representation at all levels of the political process. Women's ability to earn income beyond traditional occupations should be facilitated through appropriate measures. Countries should act to eliminate violence against women. Discriminatory practices by employers against women, including those based on pregnancy status, should also be eliminated. Measures should be taken to enable women to combine the roles of child-bearing, breast-feeding and child-rearing with participation in the workforce.
Further, Governments are asked to ensure that women's property rights are equal to those of men. Countries should prohibit degrading practices such as exploitation through prostitution, with special attention to vulnerable groups such as migrant women, women in domestic service and schoolgirls. Countries are urged to condemn the systematic practice of rape and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment of women as a deliberate instrument of war and "ethnic cleansing", and take steps to assure that full assistance is provided to the victims of such abuse for their rehabilitation.
Addressing the issue of the girl child, the Programme of Action notes that in all societies, discrimination based on sex often starts at the earlier stages of life. Practices such as prenatal sex selection and higher mortality rates of girls suggest that "son preference" is curtailing the access of girls to food, education and health care. It calls for special education and public information efforts to promote equal treatment of girls and boys with respect to nutrition, health care, education and social, economic and political activity, as well as equitable inheritance rights.
Beyond the achievement of the goal of universal primary education in all countries before the year 2015, all countries are urged to ensure the widest and earliest possible access by girls and women to secondary and higher levels of education. Governments should strictly enforce laws to ensure that marriage is entered into only with the full and free consent of those concerned. The minimum marriage age should be raised when necessary. Further, Governments are urged to prohibit female genital mutilation wherever it exists. Measures should be taken to prevent infanticide, prenatal sex selection, trafficking in girls and the use of girls in prostitution and pornography.
Concerning men's responsibilities and participation, the Programme stresses that men can play a key role in bringing about gender equality since, in most societies, men exercise power in nearly every sphere of life. Actions recommended include the equal participation of women and men in all areas of family and household responsibilities through such means as family leave for men. Special efforts should be made to emphasize men's shared responsibility and promote their active involvement in responsible parenthood. Governments should enforce child-support laws and should consider changes aimed at ensuring men's financial support for their families. The safety of women in abusive relationships should be protected. Schools should ensure that attitudes respectful of females as equals are instilled in boys. Relevant programmes to reach boys before they are sexually active are urgently needed, it adds.
Chapter V deals with the family: its roles, rights, composition and structure. It states that, while various forms of the family exist in different social, cultural, legal and political systems, the family is the basic unit of society and is entitled to receive comprehensive protection and support. Traditional notions of gender-based division of parental functions do not reflect current realities, as more and more women worldwide are working outside the home. Actions recommended include effective action by Governments to eliminate all forms of coercion and discrimination in policies and practices on matters related to family structure and composition.
In addition, Governments should provide and promote means to facilitate compatibility between working and parental responsibilities, especially for single-parent households. Governments should be able to monitor the impact of their decisions and actions on families, including families' ability to meet the basic needs of their members. Efforts should be made to build family-like ties in especially difficult circumstances, such as those involving street children.
Addressing population growth and structures in Chapter VI, the Programme says that in order to facilitate the demographic transition in countries where there is an imbalance between demographic rates and social, economic and environmental goals, the interrelationships between fertility and mortality levels should be recognized. It stresses the need to ensure that every child is a wanted child.
Countries must enact and strictly enforce laws against economic exploitation, physical and mental abuse or neglect of children. Noting that the "ageing of populations" is both an opportunity and a challenge to all societies, it calls on Governments to seek to enhance the self-reliance of elderly people to facilitate their continued participation in society. It also calls on Governments to respect the cultures of indigenous people and enable them to have tenure and manage their lands.
Chapter VII concerns reproductive rights and reproductive health. It sets the tone for a new approach to family planning in the context of reproductive health care, including sexual health. It defines "reproductive health" as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Implicit in that definition, therefore, is the need for people to have a satisfying and safe sex life and to have the capability of reproducing and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
It goes on to state that "implicit in this last condition are the right of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility which are not against the law, and the right of access to appropriate health-care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and child-birth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant". "Reproductive health care" is defined as the constellation of methods, techniques and services that contribute to reproductive health and well-being through preventing and solving reproductive health problems. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which is the enhancement of life and personal relations, and not merely counselling and care relating to reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases.
The chapter goes on to state that "reproductive rights" is a concept that embraces certain already recognized human rights. "These rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. It also includes the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence as expressed in human rights documents".
Among actions called for are efforts by countries to make accessible, through the primary health-care system, reproductive health to all individuals of appropriate ages as soon as possible, and no later than the year 2015. The international community should give consideration to the training, technical assistance, short- term contraceptive supply needs and the needs of the countries in transition from centrally managed to market economies, where reproductive and sexual health is poor. At the same time, those countries must urgently address their current reliance on abortion for fertility regulation by meeting the needs of women for better information and more choices.
The principle of informed free choice is essential to the long-term success of programmes on family planning, the Programme says. Coercion of any kind is inadmissible. All countries should take steps to meet the family-planning needs of their populations as soon as possible and should, by the year 2015, seek to provide universal access to a full range of safe and reliable family- planning methods and to related reproductive health services which are not against the law. The aim should be to assist couples and individuals to achieve their reproductive goals and give them the full opportunity to exercise the right to have children by choice.
Governments should "take appropriate steps to help women avoid abortion, which, in no case, should be promoted as a method of family planning and, in all cases, provide for the humane treatment and counselling of women who have had recourse to abortion".
Regarding sexually transmitted diseases and HIV prevention, the Programme states that the social and economic disadvantages that women face make them especially vulnerable to those diseases. The promotion and the reliable supply and distribution of high- quality condoms should become integral components of reproductive health-care services. Addressing human sexuality and gender relations, the chapter states that support should be given to sexual education and services for young people, with the support and guidance of their parents. The responsibility of males for their own sexual health and fertility should be stressed. Governments should base national policies on a better understanding of the need for responsible human sexuality and the realities of current sexual behaviour.
Adolescents should have access to information and services that help them to understand their sexuality. That should be combined with the education of young men to respect women's self- determination and to share responsibility with women in matters of sexuality and reproduction. Countries are called upon to ensure that the programmes and attitudes of health-care providers do not restrict the access of adolescents to appropriate services and the information they need, including information on sexually transmitted diseases and sexual abuse. Services for them must safeguard their rights to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent, respecting cultural values and religious beliefs.
Chapter VIII concerns health, morbidity and mortality. Countries are called upon to make access to basic health care and health promotion the central strategies for reducing mortality and morbidity. They should seek to make primary health care, including reproductive health care, universally available by the end of the current decade. The role of women as primary custodians of family health should be recognized and supported. Governments should seek to make basic health-care services more sustainable financially, while ensuring equitable access. That could be ensured by integrating sexual and reproductive health services, including maternal and child-health and family-planning services, and by making appropriate use of community-based services, social marketing and cost-recovery schemes, with a view to increasing the range and quality of services available.
The mortality of children under five years of age exhibits significant variations between and within regions and countries, it says. Child survival is closely linked to the timing, spacing and number of births, and to the reproductive health of mothers. Where infant mortality remains high, couples often have more children than they otherwise would to ensure that a desired number survive.
For infants and children to receive the best nutrition and for specific protection against a range of diseases, breast-feeding should be protected, promoted and supported. Safe motherhood has been accepted in many countries as a strategy to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. In a footnote, the expression "safe motherhood" is explained as follows: it aims at attaining optimum maternal and newborn health; implies reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity and enhancement of the health of newborn infants through equitable access to primary health care. Currently, the chapter states, approximately 90 per cent of the countries of the world, representing 96 per cent of the world population, have policies that permit abortion, under varying legal conditions, to save the life of a woman. However, a significant proportion of the abortions carried out are self-induced or otherwise unsafe, leading to a large number of maternal deaths or to permanent injury to the women involved.
Calling on countries to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality to levels where they no longer constitute a public health problem, the Programme of Action states that in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. Governments are urged to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public health concern, and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family-planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority, and all attempts should be made to eliminate the need for abortion. In circumstances in which abortion is not against the law, such abortion should be safe. A footnote in the text contains the definition by the World Health Organization (WHO) of unsafe abortion, according to which it is a procedure for terminating an unwanted pregnancy, either by persons lacking necessary skills, or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards, or both.
To deal with HIV/AIDS, Chapter VIII calls for multisectoral plans and strategies to be integrated into population and development strategies. Donor and research communities should support and strengthen current efforts to find a vaccine and to develop women-controlled methods, such as vaginal microbicide, to prevent HIV infection. Governments should develop policies and guidelines to protect the individual rights of persons infected with HIV. Responsible sexual behaviour, including sexual abstinence, for the prevention of HIV infection should be promoted and included in education and information programmes.
Chapter IX concerns population distribution, urbanization and internal migration. In order to reduce urban bias and isolated rural development, Governments should examine the feasibility of providing incentives to encourage the redistribution and relocation of industries and businesses from urban to rural areas, as well as the establishment of income-generating projects in the rural areas.
Countries are urged to recognize that the lands of indigenous people and their communities should be protected from activities that are environmentally unsound or that are considered by them to be socially and culturally inappropriate. The terms "lands", it adds, is understood to include the environment of the areas which the people concerned traditionally occupy. In order to improve the plight of the urban poor, many of whom work in the informal sector, Governments should promote the integration of migrants from rural into urban areas and the improvement of their income-earning capability, by facilitating their access to employment, credit, basic education, health services and transportation.
The objectives of the measures proposed regarding internally displaced persons are to offer adequate protection and assistance to persons displaced within their own country, particularly women, children and the elderly, and to put an end to all forms of forced migration, including "ethnic cleansing". Measures should be taken at the national level with international cooperation to find lasting solutions to questions relating to internally displaced persons, including their right to voluntary and safe return to their home of origin.
Chapter X, on international migration, proposes measures aimed at addressing the root causes of migration, especially those relating to poverty; to encourage more cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and countries of destination, in order to increase the likelihood that migration has positive consequences for the development of both sending and receiving countries; and to facilitate the reintegration process of returning migrants. Regarding documented migrants, among the actions proposed are recognition by Governments of receiving countries of the vital importance of family reunification and its integration into national legislation, in order to ensure the protection of the unity of the families of documented migrants. Governments of receiving countries must also ensure the protection of migrants and their families.
Proposals for action concerning refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons include a call to Governments to address the root causes of those movements by taking appropriate measures, particularly with respect to conflict resolution; the promotion of peace and reconciliation; respect for human rights, including those of persons belonging to minorities; respect for independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of States.
Chapter XI concerns population, development and education. It stresses that education is a key factor in sustainable development as it is a component of well-being; and a factor in the development of well-being, through its links with demographic as well as economic and social factors. It is essential to promote a harmonious development of educational systems and economic and social systems conducive to sustainable development. The chapter states that more education is needed in all societies on the implications of population-environment relationships, in order to influence behavioural change and consumer life-styles and to promote sustainable management of natural resources. The media should be a major instrument for expanding knowledge and motivation.
The chapter on technology research and development, Chapter XII, calls for strengthening national capacity to carry out sustained and comprehensive programmes of collection, analysis, dissemination and utilization of population and development programmes. All data collection and analysis activities should give due consideration to gender-disaggregation and enhancing knowledge on the position and role of gender in social and demographic processes.
Also called for is increased support for basic and applied science research to strengthen reproductive health services, including the improvement of fertility regulation methods that are acceptable, easy to use and safe. Since unsafe abortion is a major threat to the health and lives of women, research to understand and better address the determinants and consequences of induced abortion, including its effects on subsequent fertility, reproductive and mental health and contraceptive practice, should be promoted, as well as research on the treatment of complications of abortion and post-abortion. Also called for is high priority to be given to the development of fertility regulation methods for men.
Chapter XIII, on national policies and plans of action, calls on countries to formulate and implement human resources development programmes in a manner that explicitly addresses the needs of population and development strategies, policies, plans and programmes. The chapter calls for giving special consideration to the basic education, training and employment of women at all levels, especially at decision-making and managerial levels, and to the incorporation of user and gender perspectives throughout the training programmes.
It contains estimates of the implementation of the Programme of Action in the developing countries and countries with economies in transition in the period 2000-2015 in the following areas: family-planning services; reproductive health services; prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; and population data collection, analysis and dissemination, policy formulation and research. The implementation of programmes in those three areas will cost US$17 billion in 2000, $18.5 billion in 2005, $20.5 billion in 2010 and $21.7 billion in 2015. It estimates tentatively that up to two-thirds of the costs will continue to be met by the countries themselves and in the order of one-third from external sources. Domestic resource mobilization is one of the highest priority areas for focused attention to ensure the timely action to meet the objectives of the Conference's Programme of Action.
In Chapter XIV, on international cooperation, the Programme urges the international community to adopt favourable macro- economic policies for promoting sustained economic growth and sustainable development in developing countries. Given the magnitude of the financial resource needs for national population and development programmes, the need for complementary resource flows from donor countries would be in the order of US$5.7 billion in 2000; $6.1 billion in 2005; $6.8 billion in 2010; and $7.2 billion in 2015.
Chapter XV concerns partnership with the non-governmental sector. It calls on non-governmental organizations to strengthen their interaction with their constituencies, ensure the transparency of their activities, mobilize public opinion, participate in the implementation of population and development programmes and actively contribute to the national, regional and international debate on population and development issues.
Regarding the private sector, it states that the profit- oriented sector plays an important role in social and economic development, including production and delivery of sexual and reproductive health commodities and services. Private sector involvement may assist or supplement but must not mitigate the responsibility of Governments to provide full, safe and accessible reproductive health services to all people.
Chapter XVI, on follow-up to the Conference, addressing national level activities, calls on all countries to assess regularly their progress towards achieving the objectives and goals of the Programme of Action, on a periodic basis. In the preparation of those assessments and reports, Governments should outline successes achieved, as well as problems and obstacles encountered. Where possible, such national reports should be compatible with the national sustainable development plans that countries will prepare in the context of the implementation of "Agenda 21" -- the programme of action of the "Earth Summit". The General Assembly should organize a regular review of the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action.
The General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council should review the roles, responsibilities, mandates and comparative advantages of both the intergovernmental bodies and the organs of the United Nations system addressing population and development, with a view to ensuring clear recognition of the interrelationships among policy guidance, research, standard setting and operational activities for population and development, as well as the division of labour between the bodies concerned. As part of that review, the Council should consider the respective roles of the relevant United Nations organs dealing with population and development, including UNFPA and the Population Division, regarding the follow-up of the Programme of Action. The Assembly is invited to consider establishing a separate executive board for UNFPA.
Following the adoption of the Programme of Action, Dr. Nafis Sadik, in her capacity as Secretary-General of ICPD, stated that the Conference has been an outstanding success. It was attended by 180 countries and addressed by 249 speakers. Altogether, 10,757 people took part, which does not include the additional participation of non-governmental organizations. Mentioning that controversies had served to clarify the main issues and had been discussed to the point of exhaustion, she stated: "You have crafted a Programme of Action for the next 20 years which starts from the reality of the world we live in, and shows us the path to a better reality. . . . it has the potential to change the world".
Without resources, however, the Programme will remain a paper promise, she said. "We need a commitment from all countries -- both developed and developing countries -- that they will take their full responsibility in this regard". Compared with any earlier document on population and development, this Programme is "detailed in its analysis; specific in its objectives; precise in its recommendations; and transparent in its methodology. It represents a quantum leap to a higher state of energy. I remain committed to building the future by building the power to choose".
For further information on this material please contact: loftus.unescap@un.org