UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
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| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
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This document is being made available by the Population Information
Network (POPIN) Gopher of the United Nations Population Division, Department
for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, in collaboration
with the United Nations Population Fund Emergency Relief Operations.
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AS WRITTEN
Statement by
Dr. Christian Voumard
Senior Health Adviser
UNICEF Geneva
to the
Inter-Agency Symposium on Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations
Geneva, 28-30 June 1995
On behalf of UNICEF's Executive Director, Ms. Carol Bellamy, it is a
great pleasure for me to say a few words at the opening of this
important Symposium, and an opportunity to reaffirm UNICEF's commitment
to the protection, health and development of populations in
emergencies, refugees and internally displaced persons.
Since the World Summit for Children in 1990, a series of UN sponsored
global conferences have elevated social development and change,
particularly the needs and rights of the most vulnerable populations
in societies, to the forefront of international concerns. The Conference
on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993, the Cairo International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, the Copenhagen
Social Summit in 1995, and the Beijing 4th World Conference on
Women later this year, have all contributed to build the consensus
that only the advancement in women's political and economic status
and their full and equal participation in all spheres of life will
permit the achievement of peace and development objectives.
Participants to the Regional Conference on Women and Peace held in
Kampala, in November 1993, emphasized that women bear a disproportionate
burden of the consequences of conflicts. Women and children
form the vast majority of refugee and displaced populations and a
great proportion of household are headed by women. It is thus not
surprising that the destruction of social and family networks and
that of basic social services primarily affect the health of women
and children. While the needs for shelter, nutrition, water supply,
measles immunization and epidemics control are and should be given
priority attention at the onset of a crisis, one is forced to recognize
that in practice the reproductive health needs of refugee populations
including safe motherhood and the prevention and management of sexually
transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS have been largely and often tragically
neglected. The increasingly reported cases and complications of
gender-based violence require also far more consideration.
UNICEF regards reproductive health care services as an essential
component of relief and humanitarian assistance; the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, now ratified by 176 state parties, the Convention
on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against women and the
recommendations of the Cairo conference regarding women and violence
represent the cornerstones for UNICEF advocacy and commitment to the
protection of children and women in emergencies.
At country-level, UNICEF activities promoting and protecting sexual and
reproductive health have increased through many field level initiatives.
Building on the experience in Rwanda, the organization is
placing increased emphasis on health in emergencies. In Burundi, Sudan
and Somalia, UNICEF has directly addressed the needs of women affected
by armed conflicts; in Liberia, a UNICEF supported project to counsel
traumatized women has been reported as a model for replication in other
countries of the region. In former Yugoslavia, as well as in Rwanda,
women victims of sexual violence were given priority attention, especially
young women and adolescents and assistance was focused on the
psychosocial and medical needs of unaccompanied children. Such efforts
are also seeking to further involve women's organizations in promoting
information, safe motherhood and family planning services.
Following our experience in Georgia, equipment and supplies for essential
obstetric care at health center level will be included in the
material provided in emergency situations. Special "kits" or "packages"
to meet the basic needs of women in emergencies and for TBAs and
midwifes are being prepared. Another critical need is to incorporate
more effectively the reproductive health component in the training of
staff involved in planning and implementing emergency programmes. Some
elements addressing the reproductive health needs of adolescents and
women were already included in a recent training course for "rapid
response teams"; in the future, UNICEF is looking forward to make good
use of the field manual on reproductive health in emergency situations
which will be reviewed during this Symposium.
During the phase of country rehabilitation, UNICEF programming strategy
is to move progressively from relief to development, providing women,
girls and children with protection, empowerment and education, psychosocial
assistance, health and nutrition according to the mandate of the
organization and in collaboration with other partners; indeed, UNICEF
remains totally committed to a full collaborative approach in emergencies,
particularly with sister UN agencies and non-governmental organizations.
At country level, the primary focus of UNICEF on development,
its ability to work closely with communities, the multi-sectoral
programming process with government's partners and an emphasis on
capacity building and empowerment offer excellent opportunities to
ensure participation, continuity and sustainability for relief,
rehabilitation and development.
This Symposium cosponsored by UNHCR and UNFPA is drawing timely attention
on a neglected area of humanitarian aid. UNICEF's collaboration to
its organization is an integral part of UNICEF's commitment to the
survival and development of children in difficult circumstances and to
the empowerment of girls and women. Together with our UN partners and
all NG0s playing a major role in relief assistance, we want to seize
this opportunity to contribute for a more effective response to special
health needs of refugees and other people affected by emergencies.