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 NEWS No. 4
A Newsletter of the UNFPA Task Force on ICPD Implementation
JUNE 1996
ECO CONFERENCES FOLLOW UP ICPD RECOMMENDATIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA
Almaty and Islamabad were the sites of two recent conferences
highlighting the special needs of the Central Asian Republics, Azerbaijan
and other members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in
implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD). The Government of Pakistan hosted the
conference "Access to and Quality of Reproductive Health/Family Planning
Services: Expanding Contraceptive Choices," in Islamabad, 13-15 April
1996. The Government of Kazakstan hosted the conference "The
Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the ECO Region," in
Almaty, 18-20 April 1996.
The back-to-back meetings were jointly organized by UNFPA and ECO.
Established in 1985 in Tehran, ECO is composed of 10 member States:
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In
October 1994, UNFPA and ECO had agreed to promote exchanges within the
ECO region concerning population-related matters and, especially, to
promote ICPD recommendations.
Participants at the two conferences identified and adopted strategies to
implement and monitor progress towards meeting ICPD goals, renewing
their commitment, especially in the field of reproductive health (RH).
National capacity-building and human resources development were
important concerns. The conferences included discussion of the
importance of involving men in reproductive health, empowering women,
safeguarding the health of women and children and recognizing the special
sexual health needs of adolescents.
Addressing the Islamabad meeting's closing session, Dr. Nafis Sadik,
Executive Director of UNFPA, noted that the expansion of contraceptive
choices and related training of service providers have made a significant
impact on reducing the incidence of abortion in countries of Central Asia.
At the same session, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, the Prime Minister of
Pakistan's Special Assistant for the Social Sector, stressed that, because
resources are limited, programmes need to be more cost-effective; NGOs,
especially the more established ones, should try their best to self-finance
RH/family planning (FP) schemes.
The President of Kazakstan, H.E. Nursultan Nazarbaev, in his welcoming
address to the Almaty conference, underscored its importance and
relevance in the context of the Government's programme for improving the
health of women and children. In her presentation, Dr. Sadik noted the
progress made by many Governments, international agencies and NGOs in
broadening family planning programmes and adopting the reproductive
health approach. Forging partnerships among Governments, NGOs and the
private sector was a major theme at the inaugural session of the Almaty
conference, which, according to Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad, Secretary-
General of ECO, provided ECO member countries with a golden opportunity
collectively to review national capacities to meet the ICPD Programme of
Action goals.
UNFPA plans to publish the reports of the two conferences and is
exploring with ECO the possibility of holding a regional conference on
male involvement in RH/FP.
* * *
PROVIDING BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL
Nine global conferences have been held over the past six years _ all
directly bearing on social issues. Each of these conferences _ the World
Summit for Children, the World Conference on Education for All, the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the World Conference
on Human Rights, the World Conference on the Sustainable Development of
Small Island States, the International Conference on Population and
Development (ICPD), the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth
World Conference on Women and, in June 1996, the Second United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) _ focused on a particular
substantive issue. Yet, they all amplified a common message, namely, that
development efforts must be people-centred if they are to be successful.
Underlying all these conferences is a consensus that securing human
rights and meeting individuals' basic needs constitute critical first steps
in addressing global problems. Development programmes must expand
people's access to basic social services and sustainable livelihoods and
take into consideration the balance between people, resources and the
environment, reconciling the needs of the present with those of future
generations.
The ICPD Programme of Action emphasizes the interconnectedness of
initiatives in population and those in education, health, environment and
poverty reduction. It affirms that meeting the needs of individuals,
empowering women, promoting gender equality and equity and involving all
parts of civil society are the surest ways of bringing about people-
centreddevelopment. Concentrating on these aims, successful population
programmesare the building blocks for a secure and sustainable future.
The United Nations system is committed to working with countries to
promoteaccess to basic social services. I am pleased that the April
meeting in Oslo onthe 20/20 Initiative endorsed investments in the social
sector. The meetingreaffirmed the importance of investing in a country's
human resources andpromoting access for all to basic social services.
As part of a unified follow-up to its global conferences, the United
NationsAdministrative Committee on Coordination established three task
forces - one on Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods, another on the
Enabling Environment for Economic and Social Development and another on
Basic SocialServices for All. The mandate of the Basic Social Services
Task Force, of which I am privileged to serve as the Chair, includes:
population, with special emphasis on reproductive health and family
planning services; basic education; primary health care; drinking water
and sanitation; shelter; and social services in post-crisis situations. The
Task Force, which will concentrate on two sectors - basic education and
primary health care - will issue guidelines on these topics for the
Resident Coordinator System. As Chair, I shall make every effort to ensure
that information about the work of the Task Force is widely disseminated
and its outputs made available to all interested parties.
Nafis Sadik
Executive Director
United Nations Population Fund
* * *
UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA PURSUES ICPD GOALS
Key parts of the ICPD Programme of Action are being promoted in the
United Republic of Tanzania, where both governmental and non-
governmental sectors are working to meet the nation's population and
development challenges by implementing the National Population Policy,
adopted in 1992.
Parliamentarians have been especially active in helping to ensure that the
ideals espoused in Cairo are translated into action both in the country and
in the East Africa region. In March 1996, female Members of Parliament
(MPs) hosted MPs from Uganda in an effort to form an "East African
Network" to jointly promote improvements in women's and girls' status.
The implications of the ICPD Programme of Action for the country itself
were explored at a parliamentarians' seminar on Population and
Development in February 1995. Seminar participants _ government
ministers as well as MPs -- used the Programme of Action as a framework
for spotlighting the nation's most pressing population concerns, among
them rural-urban population movements; poverty alleviation in rural
areas; women's empowerment; and youth, health and development. The
seminar was co-sponsored by the Planning Commission, the Speaker's
Office and UNFPA.
Recently, the Government launched efforts to revamp its population
information, education and communication (IEC) activities to facilitate
the implementation of the National Population Policy. It hosted a national
IEC development workshop, 5-16 February 1996. Following an examination
of existing IEC activities, workshop participants developed strategies to
operationalize the implementation of the National Population Policy,
eliminate duplication of work between various sectors and introduce
grass-roots IEC activities.
As part of "South-South" cooperation, four senior government officials,
one NGO programme director and the UNFPA National Programme Officer
visited Indonesia in 1995 on a study tour of that country's successful
national family planning programme. Under the Partnership Exchange
Programme in Family Planning, a number of missions composed of senior
and mid-level health professionals, planners, economists, statisticians
and others have visited Indonesia, working with their Indonesian
counterparts to address key concerns in the Tanzanian programme, such as
the insufficient number of volunteers; the limited participation of
community leaders; the lack of culturally sensitive IEC materials; and the
need to strengthen the community-level management information system
and the community-based distribution programmes. The various missions
exemplified the kind of technical cooperation among developing countries
advocated by the ICPD Programme of Action.
Responding to the ICPD's call to improve reproductive health services for
young people, a non-governmental organization (NGO) called EMAU (Elimu
ya Malezi ya Ujana _ Responsible Parenthood Education for Youth Project)
launched a youth guidance and counselling programme in February 1995.
EMAU offers group and individual counselling on reproductive health,
responsible parenthood and related issues. Building on EMAU's pilot
activities, a project is now being developed to establish a youth centre in
Dar es Salaam. The centre will offer a range of services, including family
planning counselling and service provision, sexually transmitted disease
counselling, educational and recreational programmes, outreach efforts by
peer educators and education for parents. The project will entail close
collaboration between EMAU and the African Medical and Research
Foundation (AMREF), which operates a similar youth centre in Dar
es Salaam.
Gender equality, equity and the empowerment of women _ core concepts of
the ICPD Programme of Action _ are being promoted through a project
implemented by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) of the
University of Dar es Salaam and assisted by UNFPA. This project, launched
in October 1995, is designed to build up the capacity of the Women's
Studies Group of the IDS and to incorporate a women in development
(WID)/gender course into the IDS curriculum. For
sensitizing key personnel in the population and health field on gender
issues, the project is preparing a training manual on WID and gender
concerns.
_ From J. Bill Musoke
UNFPA Representative
United Republic of Tanzania
* * *
ICPD Feature:
FAMILY CARE INTERNATIONAL: REINFORCING CAIRO'S MESSAGES
Women's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a pivotal role
in recent UN global conferences. Beginning with the United Nations
Conference on Environment (UNCED), during the entire International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) process and at the
Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), women's groups highlighted
key issues and worked to ensure that the Conferences' recommendations
addressed these concerns. ICPD News is featuring articles on the vital
role of such organizations. The following article profiles Family Care
International:
Family Care International (FCI), a non-profit organization committed to
improving women's sexual and reproductive health and rights in developing
countries, is helping country partners implement the ICPD Programme of
Action as well as the reproductive health recommendations of the Fourth
World Conference on Women (FWCW). "The International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) spotlighted the fact that women and
girls suffer _ and sometimes die _ because of poor reproductive and
sexual health," declares FCI President Jill Sheffield. "Their fate
demonstrates why reproductive health issues must be addressed
immediately and comprehensively."
FCI, which is based in New York, has always pursued a comprehensive
approach to reproductive health. FCI helped organize the first Safe
Motherhood Conference in Nairobi in 1987 and has since served as the
secretariat for the Safe Motherhood Initiative. Ann Starrs, senior program
associate, states that "since Cairo, awareness of reproductive health has
grown significantly. It is now much easier to deal with reproductive
health directly on its own terms, rather than using Safe Motherhood as an
entry point."
FCI is collaborating with local organizations in Benin, Bolivia, Eritrea,
Ghana and Mexico, among others, on a range of efforts that include policy
reform, research on quality of care, and training to improve the
interpersonal and clinical skills of health workers.
Currently, FCI is encouraging selected countries to form local task forces
composed of representatives from governmental agencies and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs). In Mexico, where such a task force has
been established, FCI found that ministries, women's organizations and
NGOs were initially reluctant "to come to the same table" to discuss
reproductive health issues. Today, however, the task force is addressing a
variety of issues and is reviewing legislation and services to improve
women's reproductive health.
According to Ellen Themmen, FCI programme associate, the task forces are
a way of engaging the local community and generating a consensus on what
should be done. The task forces will conduct situation analyses as a basis
for designing integrated reproductive and sexual health programmes that
address their countries' particular needs.
***
FCI PUBLICATION ADDRESSES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH THEMES
To educate and support policy makers, programme planners and others
concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights, Family Care
International (FCI) has published Commitments to Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights for All: Framework for Action. The publication
translates the commitments emerging from the ICPD, FWCW and other UN
conferences into a clear framework for policy-making, legislation,
research, service provision, training and health education.
Commitments is available in English, French and Spanish. For single copies
contact: FCI, 588 Broadway, Suite 503, New York, NY 10012, USA.
Telephone: 212 941-5300, Fax: 212-941-5563. (Additional copies are $2
for Europe, North America and international organizations; $1 for
developing countries.)
* * *
NEWS BRIEFS
PRSD PREPARATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN. Representatives of Governments,
regional and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the UN met in
Jamaica from 29 February to 1 March to prepare for a Programme Review
and Strategy Development (PRSD) exercise in the English-speaking
Caribbean, as the basis for a UNFPA programme in the subregion for 1997-
2000. The new programme would take into account priorities and
directions of the International Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD). Meeting participants reported on numerous innovations in the
subregion reflecting ICPD goals, including the involvement of men in
reproductive health, adolescent programmes, national legislation on
women's rights and collaboration between Governments and NGOs.
NGO ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS. The NGO Advisory Committee held its
second annual meeting at UNFPA headquarters in New York on 16-17 May
1996 to discuss collaboration of Governments and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in the implementation and monitoring of the ICPD
Programme of Action and the matter of NGO sustainability. Thirty-one
participants from national, regional and international NGOs throughout the
world attended the meeting.
TECHNICAL CONSULTATION ON FGM. Following up on recommendations
concerning Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the ICPD Programme of
Action and the Fourth World Conference on Women Platform for Action, a
Technical Consultation on FGM took place in Addis Ababa, 27-29 March.
Representatives from 25 countries where FGM is practised attended the
meeting, along with representatives of non-governmental organizations
and the UN. Participants sought to develop a practical programming
framework for incorporating into reproductive health programmes efforts
to eradicate FGM. Participants discussed the formulation of information
and communication strategies concerning the urgency of eradicating FGM,
the inclusion of this issue in all human rights education components of
Family Life Education programmes, and the importance of legislation.
THREE ACC TASK FORCES. To galvanize the UN system around priority goals
emerging from recent global conferences and to rationalize and strengthen
the system's follow-up mechanisms for delivering coordinated assistance
at country and regional levels, the Administrative Committee on
Coordination (ACC) established three task forces. The Task Force on
Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods, chaired by the International
Labour Organisation, met on 25-26 January 1996 and agreed to conduct a
number of country reviews analysing the situation of employment and
sustainable livelihoods, including the impact of globalization and
technological change. A report will be prepared summarizing lessons
learned and suggesting ways to improve inter-agency collaboration.
The Task Force on Basic Social Services For All (BSSA), chaired by Dr.
Nafis Sadik, Executive Director, UNFPA, met on 23 February 1996 and
agreed on a work programme that includes the preparation of: Guidelines
for UN Resident Coordinators; indicators to measure progress in
implementing recommendations of recent global conferences in the social
sector; a wall-chart with indicators for social services; a Best
Practices/Lessons Learned document; and a pocket-card on advocacy. The
BSSA Task Force is an expansion of the earlier Inter-Agency Task Force on
ICPD Implementation.
The Task Force on an Enabling Environment for Economic and Social
Development, chaired by the World Bank, met on 22 March 1996. The
meeting agreed to produce a synthesis of best practices/lessons learned,
aimed at clarifying the elements of an enabling environment for economic
and social development; establishing mechanisms for improved inter-
agency coordination in support of such an environment; and providing
standardized inter-agency performance indicators of social and economic
progress reflecting the outcomes of major conferences.
All three task forces will maintain linkages with one another and with
other UN initiatives, as they work towards the overall goal of poverty
eradication.
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. On the agenda of the
Commission on Sustainable Development at its fourth session, 18 April-3
May 1996, was the report of the Secretary-General on demographic
dynamics and sustainability (E/CN.17/1996/10 and Corr. 1 and Add. 1).
UNFPA was the Task Manager for this report on Chapter 5 of Agenda 21.
The Commission noted with satisfaction that greater importance is being
attached to population questions and to the need to integrate population
factors into environment and development planning, identifying population
as one of the driving forces in the sustainable management of natural
resources. In addition to reaffirming its 1995 decisions, the Commission
called for research studies on gender-sensitive analysis and linkages
among population, poverty, consumption and production, environment and
natural resources, education and health. The Commission urged the
mainstreaming of a gender perspective in development policies and
programmes.
COMMISSION ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. A special session of the
Commission on Social Development, which has primary responsibility for
the implementation of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for
Social Development, took place at the UN, 21-31 May 1996. The special
session discussed the functioning of the Commission and explored
strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty. Participating in the
panel discussion "Meeting Basic Human Needs for All," Ms. Kerstin Trone,
Deputy Executive Director (Programme), UNFPA, underscored that key
elements in meeting basic human needs included the following: addressing
the needs of marginalized/vulnerable groups; women's empowerment;
reproductive health services and reproductive rights; collaboration among
Governments, international development partners, NGOs, the private
sector and civil society; and advocacy. The Commission also organized a
panel discussion with representatives of Inter-Agency Task Forces on the
follow-up to international conferences.
* * *
PHILIPPINES RESPONDS TO THE ICPD
The Government of the Philippines is systematically promoting the agenda
of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in
the field of reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP). Two recent
roundtable discussions _ the first, on 29 February 1996, for programme
managers of the Department of Health, and the second, on 18 March 1996,
for the main government agencies involved in FP/RH _ led to agreement on
several basic concepts:
* Adoption of the ICPD definition of reproductive health;
* Determination of areas for improving and coordinating the delivery
of health services responsive to an RH approach to FP; and
* Identification and prioritization of nine key elements of RH, viz.,
family planning (fertility regulation), obstetric care, prevention and
appropriate treatment of infertility and sexual health disorders,
prevention of abortion, prevention and treatment of reproductive tract
infections (RTIs), breast cancer and cancers of the reproductive system,
counselling and education on sexuality, prevention of violence against
women, and nutrition.
The national FP/RH Programme, which consists of three major components
or "tracks," is now making significant progress in operationalizing the
ICPD Programme of Action.
* Under the Department of Health Track, efforts are under way to
develop RH indicators for monitoring and evaluation, since the existing
system is basically FP-oriented;
* Under the Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Track, two women's
NGOs are moving towards providing the full range of RH services using
gender-sensitive approaches. Linangan ng Kababaihan (LIKHAAN) and the
Women's Health Care Foundation (WHCF) are operating UNFPA-assisted
clinics that serve as models for RH service delivery;
* Another NGO, Population Services Pilipinas Inc. (PSPI), has
established a male reproductive health centre and is experimenting with
approaches to attract and involve men in RH; and
* Under the Local Government Units (LGUs) Track, a baseline survey for
the 18 provinces to be covered has already incorporated selected RH
indicators.
A national workshop to identify key RH messages was held on 28-29
March 1996. After being further refined, the IEC messages generated by
the workshop will serve as the basis for producing new and dynamic IEC
materials on RH.
Adolescent fertility and youth development are receiving focused
attention as a result of the ICPD Programme of Action. Both government
and non-government agencies are now using the results of a national
survey on sexuality-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of
adolescents for advocacy and awareness-creation as well as for the
development of programmes and projects for youth. Key survey findings
were used, inter alia, as the basis for revision of the population education
programme curriculum at all levels, from pre-school to the tertiary level,
including non-formal education and teacher training.
During the Board of Commissioners' Meeting of the Commission on
Population (POPCOM), held on 22 February 1996, 10 secretaries of major
government departments pledged their departments to the integration of
population concerns into their respective programmes.
The Government's commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action was
underscored by an Executive Order signed on 28 February 1996 by
President Fidel V. Ramos. The Executive Order, inter alia, requires local
government officials to promote the Philippine Family Planning Program
(PFPP) as a priority programme through advocacy activities and vigorous
and sustained participation in programme management.
_From Satish Mehra
UNFPA Representative
Philippines
* * *
ICPD NEWS
ICPD News, a quarterly newsletter of the UNFPA Task Force on ICPD
Implementation, is designed to keep the international commu- nity,
government representatives, donors, non-governmental organizations and
others informed about follow-up activities to the International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, Egypt, 5-
13 September 1994.
For additional copies, please contact:
UNFPA Task Force on ICPD Implementation
United Nations Population Fund
220 East 42nd St., 22nd floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Fax: 212-297- 5250
Editor-in-Chief:
Catherine S. Pierce
Contributing Editors:
Ranjana Dikhit, Arthur Erken
Editorial Consultant:
Barbara Ryan
Please let us know if you have information, ideas for articles or
suggestions for this newsletter. Material from ICPD News may be freely
reproduced if credit is given and tear sheets are provided to the editor.
* *** *