UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
|
| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
ISO: TUR
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The electronic preparation of this document has been done by the
Population Information Network(POPIN) of the United Nations Population
Division in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme
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AS WRITTEN
SPEECH DELIVERED BY HER EXCELLENCY ONAY ALPAGO,
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY,
RESPONSIBLE FOR WOMEN AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL SERVICES
6 SEPTEMBER 1994
Mr. Chairman , Distinguished Delegates ,
Ladies and Gentlemen ,
It is an honor and a pleasure for me to be here today in the
ancient and beautiful land of Egypt. Egypt is a country to which the
entire human kind acknowledges a debt. At the dawn of history, this
country was one of the first; cradles of civilization. Over thousands of
years it has inspired every generation with her wisdom and beauty.
This country is therefore the ideal host for a conference on the
future of humanity. I would like to congratulate the Egyptian Government
for hosting this Third International Conference on Population and
Development. I am delighted that Egypt's leading role has already been
recognized by the 1994 UN Population Award to President Hosny MUBARAK
as a Leader.
It is indeed a great pleasure for my delegation to take part in
this important meeting under your chairmanship . we would like to
express our appreciation of the gigantic effort undertaken by the ICPD
Secretary- General Dr.Nafis SADIK and her team to provide us with
distillation of the views and recommendations of the various
preparatory meetings held so far and in which the Turkish Delegation
has actively participated.
We have come from all around the world to address an important
issue for the mankind . During the nine days to follow , we shall be
discussing an issue which is central to the growth and development of
human populations . This is an area which is strongly related to
opulence or indigence of humanity . Population and development are
issues fundamental to prosperity, equity , and most important of all ,
to the dignity of mankind
Having been involved in development planning for thirty years ,
Turkey constitutes one of the good examples for the efforts to
integrate population variables in development planning . Through these
efforts , it has been observed that the concepts of population policy
were broadened beyond the narrow definitions of family planning
Traditional attitudes of Turkish Government to population policy
began to change in 1950s , mainly due to the recognition of health
problems , especially the existence of high maternal mortality rates
caused by high risk pregnancies . Urbanization and unemployment problems
were also factors causing the shift in policy contributing to the new
antinatalist policy . The State Planning Organisation, , the Ministry
of Health and the Turkish Family Planning Association have initiated
the process of policy change .
In your presence may I thank to the devoted efforts of the Turkish
NGO's like the "Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation" which has
also been recognized by the international community and awarded with the
United Nations Population Prize.
Today , rather than continuing on the discussions on the adverse
impacts of rapid population growth, the implementation of policies and
programs aiming to lower the population growth rate have gained
importance in Turkey as they have elsewhere in the world. Population
policies are essential for sustainable development.
Mr.Chairman,
At the same time , in spite of all the improvements that have
taken place in maternal and child care level in Turkey; high risk
pregnancies still are one of the major problems for maternal and child
health and keep a vital importance to population issues.
Let us all remember that the final aim of any policy of any
action plan is the individual itself. We are targeting the individual.
Every citizen of this world has certain rights and freedoms. Everyone
is entitled to all rights and freedoms without any discrimination.
However, we all know the problems that women face.
As the Founder of the Modern Turkish Republic ATATURK once said
"How could the countries develop by neglecting women who constitute
one half of the population ?" In many instances discrimination starts
at very early ages sometimes even before birth. The girl child is
denied full equality with the boy child. I am happy to note that, the
role of women in development is becoming more clear as the people's
overall education awareness and consciousness improve. Women should and
are becoming fully integrated in a society, taking responsibilities at
all aspects of life. All kinds of discrimination against women should
be eliminated.
International Community should also provide all the support
possible for the strengthening of the family. The Universal Declaration
of Human Rights states that the family is the natural and fundamental
group unit of society and is entitled protection by society and state .
In line with this, Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution
considers family as the basic element of the Turkish society. In the
same article, the State is given the task of taking all relevant
measures to protect the peace and well-being of the family, primarily
mothers and their children, and to ensure the education, training and
practice of family planning. In accordance with the current needs and
developments, new institutional arrangements are underway in Turkey.
Shortly before I came to Cairo, we have launched the efforts for the
establishment of a High Council for Family Development. We expect that
these efforts will result in establishment of a body with a power of
sanction in tackling problems related to family. I hope that this
mechanism will promote more efficient intersectoral cooperation.
Many women throughout the world await relief from their anguish
through the policies and programs to be derived from the recommendations
of this Conference. Women, all over the world suffer from reproductive
and sexual health problems. Utilization of reproductive and sexual
health services should be promoted in order to achieve physical, mental
and social well-being. Deciding freely and responsibly on the number and
spacing of children and implementing the decisions is a basic and human
right as certified in UN documents as early as 1948 Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and many other documents which followed
thereafter like 1979 CEDAW. Failure to respect such rights constitute a
strong barrier to enhancing the status of women. At this point let me
emphasize one thing. We do not support abortion as a method of family
planning. However, we recognize the women's right to safe motherhood. We
oppose to coercion in any form that it may exist.
Another important aspect of population and development is their
implications for the establishment, development and maintenance of
democracy. Two factors are important in population and democracy nexus.
The first is the level of integration of women in the democratic
decision making process. The second factor is the overall perspective of
population in a society. In other words, enjoyment of democratic rights
partially depends upon demographic factors.
Mr.Chairman, Distinguished Delegates,
In view of high infant and maternal mortality rates, as well as
regional differences in the health level of entire population, the
Turkish health care system puts special emphasis ot the four A's of
health services, namely , accessibility availability, acceptability and
affordability.
As a result of socio-economic development and improvement in the
provision of Primary Health Care during the planned period, fertility
rate in general and infant mortality rate in particular first decreased
slowly and then showed sharp decline. It has been estimated that in 1994
total fertility rate is 2.7 and infant mortality rate is 46.8 per
thousand. By the year 2000 AIDS is expected to contribute more than 3
per cent to the “global burden of disease". In that respect, fight
against sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS have gained importance in
Turkey.
In Turkey, the urban population doubled during the last two
decades. Due to inadequate infrastructure and services, environmental
problems have intensified in large cities. Starting in the 1970's,
Turkey has seen the need to address environmental issues in their
interrelationship with other economic and social issues, population
being on the forefront. The Government of Turkey has adopted sustainable
development as one of the main objectives of its overall policy.
As we have emphasized during the Population Education conference
Istanbul, today we are living in an "age of information” Utilizing the
technical developments at international standards and providing reliable
information are international standards and providing reliable
information are important for the determination of development policies
by the decision-makers
Each country should begin by strengthening its own national
capacity to collect and use population data. May I also add that the
importance of women statistics is fully recognized in Turkey. Turkish
State Intitute of Statistics has already taken a leading role in
collecting and dissiminating “women statistics". We can share
experiences and technology between countries, we should seek equitable
ways to assist the transfer of technology among us.
Mr.Chairman,
I would like to point that international migration is another
important component of population issues that confront us today. Lately,
Turkey has received a substantial number of immigrants. This was due to
the political developments in her area. International community and
governments should promote the welfare of migrants and their families
with particular emphasis on the protection of their rights and family
re-unification. Priority should be given to the programs and strategies
that combat intolerance and xenophobia as proposed in the draft
document.
Mr.Chairman, Distinguished Participants,
ICPD's long run preparations produced a document with a number of
brackets., I have a strong belief that during the , discussions here in
Cairo, we shall reach consensue and present a useful document to the
people of world who await solutions for their problems.
I wish this Conference every success. The future of this planet
will depend on its decisions and their implementation. We need a better
world. We need a high quality of life and peace.
Summing up, I would like to reiterate the support of the Republic
of Turkey to the humanitarian efforts of the United Nations and the
Conference.
In this line, I would like to invite you to the last UN
Conference of this century, United Nations Conference on Human
Settlement, i.e. HABITAT-II; which will be held in Istanbul in 1996 to
share our contemporary experiences on the humanitarian issues.
I would once again like to express my whole hearted thanks and
appreciation to H.E. Boutros GHALI Secretary General of the UN and to
Dr.Nafis SADIK Secretary General of the conference and the Executive
Director of UNFPA, for their inexhaustible energy and dedication in
organizing this conference.