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: MWI
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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
MALAWI
STATEMENT BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
JUSTIN C. MALEWEZI, VICE STATE PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI
DELIVERED AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT,
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, CAIRO, EGYPT, 09, SEPTEMBER, 1994
PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Leaders of Delegations,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I feel greatly privileged to be among this distinguished gathering of
the International Conference on Population and Development being held
here in this magnificent, historic and beautiful city of Cairo. Allow
me, Mr. President, to extend Malawi's congratulations to you, Your
Excellency, on your being elected to the high office of Conference
President.
My delegation would also like to thank, through you Mr. President, DR
Nafis Sadik, the Conference Secretary General, and the whole Secretariat
for the timely finalisation of the Conference's Draft Programme of
Action as app !approved by the Preparatory Committee for the ICPD at its
Third Session held in New York in April, this year. Mr. P resident,
Malawi's experiences in population and development were ably tabled
during negotiations of PrepCom III.
Malawi's social indicators are among the worst in the world. For
example, the infant mortality rate stands at 135 per 1000 live births,
while the child mortality rate is 240 per 1000 live births. The risk of
Malawian women dying due to pregnancy and related factors i9 1 in 29
followed by a very high maternal mortality ratio of 620 per 100,000 live
births. Similarly, Mr. President, Malawi's life expectancy at birth of
48 years, is among the lowest in the world.
Mr. President, among the major factors contributing to the poor health
status are: poverty, high illiteracy rates, especially among women, too
early, too many, too frequent and too late pregnancies. Additional
reasons include a high annual population growth rate of 3.2 per cent, a
high total fertility rate of 6.7 and a low contraceptive prevalence rate
of 7 per cent.
Aware of these critical issues the new Government has placed poverty
alleviation as its top developmental objective. Within this objective,
population and development issues, the implementation of a comprehensive
reproductive health care programme including family planning and primary
health care are a top priority for my Government. Our aim is to achieve
sustainable population growth rates which are compatible with the
attainment of the country's social and economic development objectives.
Mr. President, strategies for realizing these objectives are well
articulated in several key policy documents. These are mainly in areas
of population, nutrition, gender and development, child survival, family
planning, the environment and poverty.
These policy documents, Mr. President, provide a solid framework within
which to address Malawi's population and development issues
holistically. Their principal aim, within Malawi's social, economic and
cultural development, of which population goals and policies are
integral parts, is to improve levels of living and the quality of life
of Malawian's, especially those in rural and peri-urban areas.
My delegation therefore notes with satisfaction that the ICPD is taking
place at a time when the need for international cooperation for global
problem-solving has never been greater. Such cooperation for development
should be based on the spirit of partnership, mutual trust, interest and
benefits, and genuine interdependence.
Mr. president, Malawi believes that international cooperation cannot
take place in the absence of national independence, sovereignty, and
liberation. Therefore, the first multiparty Government in the history of
Malawi, to which I am privileged to belong, recognizes the dignity of
the individual, his/her self-determination as well as the elimination of
all forms of discrimination in accordance with the Universal Declaration
on Human Rights and the United Nations Charter.
In looking towards the future, Mr. President, the Government of Malawi
realizes that the challenges of today are to ensure that the majority of
Malawians have access to efficient and effective reproductive health
services that take account of the interactions of population, the
environment, resources and development.
Priority will therefore be given to the implementation of the National
Population Policy focusing on improving the poor social indicators
through, among other actions, the implementation of comprehensive
reproductive and sexual health programmes including family planning,
strengthening programme management and integrating gender and
development issues in all population and development programmes.
Mr. President, these efforts will have little impact unless the
underlying factors such as poverty, food insecurity and high
illiteracy, especially among women/girls, are addressed concurrently.
Malawi is therefore full! committed to addressing these problems by
harnessing the efforts of all public, parastatal, non-governmental,
private, inter-governmental and internal ional Organizations. Equally
important is the need to mobilize adequate financial, human and
material; resources at the local, national and international levels
with which to implement our programs.
Therefore, the Programme of Action's thrust in emphasizing efforts to
slow down population growth, to reduce poverty, to achieve economic
progress, to improve environmental protection, and to reduce
unsustainable consumption and production patterns are mutually
reinforcing and therefore deserve my delegation's full support.
Mr. President and distinguished delegates, my delegation is more than
aware that during negotiations at PrepCom III, there was no consensus on
a number of critical issues. These include safe motherhood, sexual and
reproductive health, sexual and reproductive rights, family planning,
unsafe abortion and fertility regulation. It is my delegation's
considered opinion that these term; should not be compromised because
they are central to our population and development policies and
programes.
Mr President, abortion in Malawi is still illegal, but it is carried
out if in the opinion of a medical doctor, the health of the mother is
endangered. Not withstanding this factor, available statistics in Malawi
show that nearly 35 per cent of all maternal deaths are due to induced
abortions. Thus, clandestine and back-door abortions are taking place at
an increasing rate, hence the need for addressing the health
consequences of abortion.
Noting that a significant proportion of the abortions - carried out are
self-induced or otherwise unsafe, Malawi is one of the many countries in
the world where safe motherhood has been accepted as a strategy to a
reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. My delegation therefore
believes that the Draft Programme of Action - does not in any way
promote or attempt to legalize abortion. Such an interpretation, Mr.
President, is not only incorrect, but also dangerous because we are
talking about the lives of our women who, together with our children,
are the core and fabric of our society.
Thus the provision of comprehensive reproductive health and family
planning information and services i8 unquestionably the most effective
means of preventing unsafe abortions. My delegation would like to urge,
in this context, that all Governments, inter-governmental and non-
governmental organizations should deal openly and forthrightly with
unsafe abortions as a major public concern. They should assess the
health and social impact of unsafe abortions and seek ways in which to
reduce the need for them.
The prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest
priority. It is my Government's resolve that all attempts should be made
to reduce the need for abortion, although abortion should not be
promoted as an alternative to contraception. In all cases, Mr.
President, women should have access to quality- services for the
management of complications arising from unsafe abortions, as well as to
postabortion counseling, education and 'familly planning services.
Related to these issues Mr. President, is the subject of adolescent
sexual and reproductive health. Young people aged 10 - 24 years,
constitute one-third of Malawi's total population. They are faced with
diverse problems including changes in the traditional family structure
and early marriages (with 27.3 per cent of girls aged 15 - 19 already
being mothers of at least one child as of 1992).
There is also a significant rise in the number of wanted and unwanted
pregnancies and the associated high risks of contracting and
transmitting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. These,
Mr. President, are realities of today and we must collectively and
affirmatively address the sexual and reproductive health needs of our
adolescents.
In light of the spread of STDs and HIV/AIDS, Malawi recognizes the
right of every individual of childbearing age and couple to have healthy
and satisfactory relationships, free of any sexual abuse or harassment;
that such relationships should promote the right to freedom of choice
and responsible decision-making on the number and spacing of children;
and that by implication, sexual and reproductive health programmes
should neither be coercive nor discriminatory.
Mr. President, Malawi believes that a clear understanding and a
recognition of the interrelationships between population, sustained
economic growth and sustainable development are of central importance to
the success of this Conference. This understanding will enable us to
take appropriate action in integrating population issues into economic
and development strategies at the rational and international levels. In
the context Malawi, a clear appreciation of these interrelationships
will enhance our ability to address the root causes of poverty and
create a firm basis for ensuring that our developmental initiatives and
actions are sustainable in the long-term.
Mr. President, direct relationships between reducing population growth
rates and reducing poverty levels are well documented. I would, however,
like to add that since women are generally among the most neglected
sections of our society, often resulting from misconceptions of their
role in the family as well as from vestiges of past social and economic
patterns, existing gender inequalities and barriers to their economic
empowerment should be eliminated.
Mr. President, my delegation notes with satisfaction the inclusion of
the goal of universal primary education in all countries before the year
2015, as well as increased access by girls and women to secondary and
higher levels of education. Malawi has just introduced free education at
the primary level. Our aim is to ensure u>~versal access to primary
school by both girls and boys as one of the ways of eradicating
illiteracy, as well as a basis for the permanent empowerment o. women,
beginning with the girl child.
Finally, Mr. President, I wish to emphasize that action at the national
level is of paramount importance and should foster the active
involvement of people at the local and community levels, including their
elected representatives. An equally important area, Mr. President , is
resource mobilization and its judicious allocation and utilization,
without which the Programme of Action cannot be implemented.
Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
thank you; very much.