UNITED NATIONS POPULATION INFORMATION NETWORK (POPIN) UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

Science Academies urge `Incisive Action' on population

"ICPD 94"

November-December 1993

Number 10



Newsletter of the International Conference on Population and

Development, Cairo, Egypt, 5-13 September 1994





SCIENCE ACADEMIES URGE `INCISIVE ACTION' ON POPULATION 

AND DEVELOPMENT



     "Zero population growth within the lifetime of our children"

should be the goal of national and international policies and

actions if irreversible environmental degradation and continued

poverty for much of the world are to be to prevented. That was the

conclusion of 58 national academies of science from developed and

developing countries, participants in an unprecedented summit on

population held in New Delhi from 24-27 October to provide

scientific input into preparations for ICPD.



     In a joint statement, the academies called upon "Governments

and international decision-makers, especially those at the 1994 UN

International Conference on Population and Development, to take

incisive action now and adopt an integrated policy on population

and sustainable development on a global scale."



     "Humanity is approaching a crisis point with respect to the

interlocking issues of population, environment and development,"

the statement declares. It cites world-wide population growth

scenarios and the recent decline in food production relative to

population growth, and describes threats to the global ecosystem

linked to population size and resource use -- including greenhouse

gas emissions, ozone depletion, acid rain, loss of biodiversity,

deforestation and loss of topsoil, and shortages of water food and

fuel.



     As major recommendations, the statement declares, "We need:



     * equal opportunities for women and men in sexual, social and

economic life so they can make individual choices about family

size;

     * universal access to convenient fami-ly planning and health

services, and a wide variety of safe and affordable contraceptive

options;

     * encouragement of voluntary approaches to family planning,

and elimination of unsafe and coercive practices...."



     Other priorities listed are to meet basic needs, such as clean

water, sanitation, primary health care and education, and to

develop governmental policies that recognize longer-term

environmental responsibilities.



     Natural and social scientists, engineers and health

professionals are called upon to help develop better understanding

of the problems and alternative options and solutions.



     The African Academy of Sciences, one of the summit's

organizers, declined to endorse the joint statement. While agreeing

to many of the recommendations, the Academy's representatives said

the goal of zero population growth is not appropriate for all

African countries. However, national academies from Ghana, Kenya,

Nigeria and Uganda were among the 26 developing country academies

that did endorse the statement.



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