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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ECOSOC reaffirms support for 1994 Conference On 2 July 1992, the Economic Committee of ECOSOC reaffirmed its support for the International Conference on Population and Development and discussed on-going preparations for the 1994 event. Dr. Nafis Sadik, Conference Secretary-General, presented a report on the status of preparations for the Conference (document El1992/60), which provided the basis for discussions in the Committee. In introductory remarks, Dr. Sadik told the Committee that the significant results of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) must be built upon during preparations for the 1994 Conference. Any attempt to alleviate poverty or improve environmental conditions, she said, must take population factors into account. Successful population programmes help to protect the environment, reduce poverty and secure sustainable development. She went on to stress the importance of investments in education, health and family planning, improvements in women's status and other measures which would slow population growth. Ten delegations participated in the debate. Many of them welcomed the emphasis on population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development for the 1994 Conference. Without tackling the population problem and integrating appropriate population policies into development programmes, the international community will be unable to halt the cycle of population growth, economic stagnation, poverty and environmental degradation, the representative of Japan told the Committee. Speaking on behalf of the Nordic countries, the representative of Sweden said women who were better educated, more independent economically and more equal socially generally chose to bear fewer children. One of the most effective measures to bring about a healthier balance between resources and population growth was to ensure that both sexes were educated equally at all levels. The representative of Egypt, referring to his country's long-standing commitment to population issues reconfirmed Egypt's offer to host the 1994 Conference The representative of Turkey, which had also offered to host the Conference, expressed his willingness to discuss the issue of venue with other delegations, including Egypt, to reach a consensus on the matter. Statements were also made by the representatives of Austria, China, Mexico, Poland, Russian Federation and United Kingdom (speaking on behalf of the 12 member States of the European Community). On 20 July 1992, the Economic Committee concluded its discussion. The Chairman, Mr. Juan 0. Somavia of Chile, announced that Turkey had withdrawn its offer to host the Conference in favour of Egypt, and that the Committee would submit a draft resolution accepting Egypt's offer to host the Conference from 5 to 13 September 1994 in Cairo. Taking part in the discussions on 20 July were the representatives of Pakistan (speaking of behalf of the Group of 77), Benin, Bangladesh, Algeria, United States, Australia, Iran and Canada. Canada announced a cash grant of $Can 400,000 and said it would also assign a Junior professional officer to the Conference Secretariat. Responding to the Committee, Dr. Sadik expressed her appreciation to the delegations for their uniform support of the Conference and welcomed the information on the venue and dates. She was pleased to note that several countries had already set up interdepartmental committees to coordinate Conference activities on the national level. Dr. Sadik indicated that the reports and recommendations from the expert group meetings would be made available to Governments as soon as possible. Contributions to the Conference Trust Funds would have to increase, she said; the original financial estimates were modest in view of the heightened interest in the Conference. Non-governmental organizations were participating fully in the preparatory process, through the expert group meetings and regional population conferences, Dr. Sadik reported. An NGO Palnning Committee had already been constituted and an NGO Consultation would probably be organized in 1993. The Second Preparatory Committee in August 1993 would further discuss NGO participation in the 1994 Conference. Dr. Sadik said that informal consultations on a number of substantive issues would take place during the up-coming General Assembly and in the coming year.