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) |
|
"ICPD 94"
International Conference on Population and Development
Cairo, Egypt 5-13 September 1994
ICPD Secretariat, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 297-5244 or 5245; fax: (212) 297-5250
Press inquiries: (212) 297-5023, 297-5030 or 297-5279
E-mail: ryanw@unfpa.org
PRESS RELEASE
28 October 1994
UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SET TO REVIEW CAIRO CONFERENCE OUTCOME,
INCLUDING PROGRAMME OF ACTION, IN MID-NOVEMBER
Debate in Plenary to be Followed by Action in Second Committee;
UN Population Fund Reviews Policy Guidelines in Light of ICPD
In mid-November, the UN General Assembly will review the
outcome of the International Conference on Population and
Development (ICPD), including the Programme of Action adopted on
13 September. Preparations for the debate in plenary and
subsequent action by the Assembly's Second Committee are among
ICPD follow-up activities now under way.
The 5-13 September Conference in Cairo endorsed a new
strategy that emphasizes the interdependence of population and
development, the empowerment of women and a broadened approach to
reproductive health including family planning, rather than
demographic targets.
Implementation of the 20-year Programme of Action is being
addressed at several levels, reports the October issue of "ICPD
94", the monthly Conference newsletter.
"Our task now," Dr. Nafis Sadik, ICPD Secretary-General and
Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
told the Fund's Executive Board on 10 October, "is to ensure that
the optimism which has emerged from the ICPD process and which
the Programme of Action reflects is turned into tangible benefits
for people everywhere."
Also covered in the October newsletter (No. 20) are:
+ Remarks by UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali and
others in the General Assembly celebrating UNFPA's 25th
anniversary on 20 October.
+ Government statements hailing the outcome of ICPD, made
during the general debate in the General Assembly's forty-ninth
session.
+ ICPD follow-up efforts by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
* * *
To help build support for the Programme of Action's goals
and recommendations, the ICPD Secretariat has distributed
thousands of copies of the Programme (in its current unofficial,
English form).
When editing of the six official UN language versions is
completed (the expected date is 14 November), the Programme of
Action will be presented to the General Assembly as part of the
final Report of the Conference. This Report will include
reservations expressed by some delegations when the Programme was
adopted by consensus. The Assembly will consider the Report in
two plenary meetings. The Second Committee, in informal session,
will then negotiate a formal resolution on ICPD.
In line with ICPD's call for efforts to win public support
for its goals and actions, there have been meetings in a number
of countries among government departments, NGOs, the media and
others. Dr. Sadik has urged Governments to review and revise
population and development policies, resource allocation, and
programme content in light of ICPD.
Within UNFPA, Dr. Sadik has instructed that policy
guidelines be reviewed to ensure that they fully reflect and
promote the Programme of Action; in particular, family planning
needs to be addressed in the broader context of reproductive
health, as was called for in Cairo.
Other areas under review include: information, education and
communication; gender concerns; adolescents; and NGOs. The Fund
will also increase support for prevention of sexually transmitted
diseases and infertility, reduction of mortality and morbidity,
and advocacy work and programme initiatives to eliminate female
genital mutilation.
In addition, "ICPD 94" reports that both UNFPA and the ICPD
Secretariat are cooperating closely with the Secretariats for
next year's World Summit for Social Development and Fourth World
Conference on Women to ensure that the commitments of ICPD are
carried forward.
* * *
The General Assembly devoted its 20 October morning session
to statements marking the 25th anniversary of UNFPA, and adopted
a resolution praising the Fund for its role in promoting better
understanding of population issues, improving the quality of
life, and helping developing countries address their population
and development needs.
In an address delivered at the session, Secretary-General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali congratulated UNFPA and Dr. Sadik for the
Fund's achievements. UNFPA's emphasis on the empowerment of
women, he said, "has made a major contribution to the cause of
women's rights".
He pointed out that UNFPA played a key role in organizing
ICPD and said the Programme of Action adopted there by
"representatives of many disparate cultures" had "charted a path
that could lead the world away from environmental and social
disasters." He added: "The international community must follow
through on the commitments it has made if it is to reap the
benefits of its deliberations. ... That is why UNFPA's role will
continue to be important, and to be challenging."
* * *
"ICPD 94" will be published through December 1994. It is
available in English, French and Spanish from the ICPD
Secretariat, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA; tel:
(212) 297-5244 or 5245; fax: (212) 297-5250. The newsletter is
also in electronic form on several computer networks (for
information, send e-mail to: ryanw@unfpa.org).
* * * * *