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
A Newsletter of the UNFPA Task Force on ICPD Implementation
No. 6, Final Issue, May 1997
IN THIS ISSUE
Youth Speak out
News Briefs
ACC Task Force on Basic Social Services for All
Principles of the ICPD
Commission on Population and Development
Taking Stock: UNFPA Publications on Key ICPD Themes
* * *
YOUTH SPEAK OUT ON PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR
Young people around the globe say they need accurate information
about sex, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); they want access to family
planning information and services; and they want to marry and
have children later in life. They also want their parents' help
in all these matters, but they do not want to be pressured or
controlled by them.
Those are some of the views of youth and adolescents that emerged
during a recent international essay contest sponsored by the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on the theme "Promoting
Responsible Reproductive Behaviour: The Youth Perspective." The
contest was held in support of the World Youth Forum of the
United Nations (UN), which took place in Vienna, Austria, 25-29
November 1996. The Forum aims at promoting collaboration between
UN organizations and agencies and youth non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), several of which helped organize the essay
contest.
The Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) highlights the critical need to
address adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues, which
have largely been ignored by existing reproductive health
services: "[I]n particular, information and services should be
made available to adolescents to help them understand their
sexuality and protect them from unwanted pregnancies, sexually
transmitted diseases and subsequent risk of infertility. This
should be combined with the education of young men to respect
women's self-determination and to share responsibility with women
in matters of sexuality and reproduction" (paragraph 7.41).
UNFPA is increasing its attentionto addressing the reproductive
health needs of youth and adolescents through its programming and
information activities. Since theICPD, increased resources have
been devoted to this key area. As Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive
Director, UNFPA, noted in a recent interview, "[Adolescent
reproductive health] is an area where we will have to work in a
very culturally sensitive manner; presenting the problems to the
Government and to policy-makers; giving them the information on
what works and what doesn't work. . . ."
UNFPA's role in promoting adolescent reproductive health was
singled out for mention in the United Nations World Programme of
Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, which was adopted
by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1995.
Recognizing that youth should be actively involved in the
planning, implementation and evaluation of development activities
that have a direct impact on their daily lives, UNFPA organized
the international essay contest to get a clear indication of
their concerns. "We want to listen to young people," said O.J.
Sikes, Chief of UNFPA's Education, Communication and Youth
Branch. "We need to know their dreams, fears and concerns. To be
effective, policies and programmes that seek to meet their needs
must be based on a proper understanding of their attitudes and
behaviour."
Young people from 107 countries participated in the essay
contest. Thousands of entries were receivedat the national level;
520 of the top national essays were entered officially in the
international contest. The 15 winners attended the World Youth
Forum in Vienna, with UNFPA bearing the travel costs.
The essays expressed a number of common concerns, including:
* The need for timely, specific sex education and accurate
information, particularly because of the prevalence of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS and other STDs;
* The important role of parents and families in providing
accurate sex education and information and enabling young people
to understand their responsibilities;
* The need for family planning services for sexually active
youth so that they can exercise responsibility;
* The need for an enabling sociocultural environment that
supports youth who choose to abstain from sexual relations;
* The need for gender equality and equity, particularly in
education and employment; and
* The need for greater male involvement in family affairs,
including family planning.
Other recurring points made by the young essayists include the
following:
* Although parents are the preferred source of information on
sexuality, they are not often equipped to help their children;
programmes should be designed to help parents educate their
children, as a complement to school programmes;
* Community support, including that of religious leaders, is
needed for education programmes on reproductive health for both
in-school and out-of-school youth and adolescents;
* Ignorance is a root cause of irresponsible and risky
behaviour, and alcohol often plays a role in early sexual
experimentation, first intercourse and unplanned pregnancies;
* Accurate information about reproductive health and sexual
education is more difficult to obtain for young people who are
not in school; and
* Early marriage and early child-bearing severely limit young
people's options for life.
In addition, many essayists from Africa opposed harmful
traditional practices such as female genital mutilation.
UNFPA will shortly publish a book containing the full texts of
the prize-winning entries as well as selected excerpts from other
entries. This will serve both as a source of youth views on
reproductive health issues and as an advocacy tool to promote
reproductive health information and services for youth and
adolescents.
* * *
NEW DIRECTIONS AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL
By Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director
United Nations Population Fund
In the two and a half years since the International Conference on
Population and Development, countries have been addressing
population issues in a wide variety of ways. Several countries
reoriented their policies and family planning programmes to adopt
the broader reproductive health approach advocated by the ICPD.
Others drafted -- and some have already adopted -- population
policies for the first time, using the ICPD Programme of Action
as a guide. Several countries have established institutions to
safeguard women's rights, and several are emphasizing the
importance of increasing the role and responsibility of men in
family planning and family life. In addition, attention is being
focused increasingly on adolescents' needs for information and
services in reproductive health. Improving the quality of
services has been a widespread concern in many regions.
The common thread in these activities -- an emphasis that can be
traced largely to the ICPD Programme of Action -- is an emphasis
on responding to people's needs. These needs differ from country
to country and so, too, do the responses from Governments and
civil society.
In sub-Saharan Africa, countries are moving ahead with
programmes. Many African countries that never had a population
policy -- including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and
Zimbabwe -- have now adopted or are developing one. Uganda has
undertaken programmes in adolescent reproductive health, women's
empowerment and reproductive rights, and the prevention of
harmful traditional practices, including female genital
mutilation. In the United Republic of Tanzania, parliamentarians
have been active in translating the Cairo recommendations into
reality. A Tanzanian NGO, Elimu ya Malezi ya Ujana -- Responsible
Parenthood Education for Youth -- initiated a youth guidance and
counselling project.
In the Arab States and Europe, countries are examining the
implications of the Programme of Action for their own services
and programmes. For example, the Syrian Arab Republic is
increasing its focus on such concerns as the reproductive health
rights of women and the roles of youth and men in population and
in support for women in their realization of reproductive health
rights. In countries with economies in transition, steps are
being taken to assess the status of reproductive health services
and to identify the training needs of service providers and the
information, education and communication activities to support
reproductive health. Ten Member States of the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO) met in Kazakstan to discuss
implementation of the Programme of Action.
In Asia, several countries have made remarkable progress. In
Bangladesh, where the size of family is down to 3.1, the focus is
on integrating the family planning programme into a broader
reproductive health programme. India responded positively tothe
call to eliminate targets and quotas and has reoriented its
reproductive health and family planning programme to emphasize
the quality of services. Indonesia is integrating family planning
into a broader reproductive health concept. In the Philippines,
the Department of Health is setting up a Task Force on Women's
Reproductive Health to carry out programmes within the context of
the Philippine Family Planning Programme. The Government of Viet
Nam has organized several workshops to address the ICPD
follow-up.
In Latin America, the emphasis has been, inter alia, on
institutional development, as well as an extension of quality
services. Brazil established the National Commission of
Population and Development. In El Salvador and Mexico, new
departments for reproductive health were established in their
respective health ministries. In Panama, the Ministry of Health
created a National Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Other institutions established to safeguard women's rights are
the Directorate for Gender Equity in Colombia, a Ministry for
Women's Affairs and Women's Rights in Haiti and the Women's
Rights Commission in Peru.
In many of these countries, new and more far-reaching
relationships are being forged between Governments and NGOs,
including women's organizations. In South Africa, the Planned
Parenthood Association has launched a project responding to the
urgent needs of young people vulnerable to sexual health risks.
In the Philippines, women's groups are being actively supported
for their advocacy and monitoring role and their service
programmes, which include counselling and care for abortion
complications. These new relationships between Governments and
NGOs, too, stem in part from the emphasis on cooperation with
NGOs and civil society expressed in the ICPD Programme of Action.
Despite the progress made in many of these and other countries,
many problems persist. Moreover, the sensitivity of certain
topics sometimes creates a barrier to progress. For example,
youth are concerned about problems such as sexually transmitted
diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). In many countries, however,
they are denied information. The subject of what kinds of
information and services should be provided to adolescents is
very controversial -- not just in developing countries but within
developed countries as well. Meanwhile, however, an increasing
number of young girls are becoming pregnant in their teens. Some,
before the age of 20, have had two or more children, which
compromises their health and hinders the attainment of their
potential. Above all, we must give a voice to young people
themselves and let them be heard.
To reach the goals set by the ICPD, both countries themselves and
the international community need to commit more resources. Many
developing countries have already increased the share of their
own resources for population. It is essential that the
international community honour its commitments. The 20/20
Initiative would facilitate these processes. This Initiative
calls on countries to allocate 20 per cent of their domestic
resources to the social sector, and it calls on donors to channel
20 per cent of official development assistance to the social
sector. The private and non-governmental sectors also have an
important role to play in mobilizing resources for social
development at the country level.
The entire United Nations system will continue to play a key role
in assisting countries in implementing goals of the ICPD and
other United Nations conferences which emphasized the importance
of eradicating poverty and providing basic social services for
all, including safety nets for vulnerable population groups.
Eradicating poverty, which will require sustained economic growth
within the context of sustainable development, will contribute to
achieving early population stabilization and to the ultimate goal
of raising the quality of life for all people.
* * *
AFRICAN YOUTH FORUM
The concerns of youth were the focus of the recent African Youth
Forum on Adolescent Reproductive Health, held at the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
20-24 January 1997. Organized by UNFPA and an international
non-governmental organization (NGO), the Center for Development
and Population Activities (CEDPA), the African Youth Forum was
attended by approximately 500 participants from 48 countries,
representing youth and youth-serving NGOs, research and other
institutions, and donors. Approximately 200of the participants
were young people under the age of 25.
The Forum drew up a comprehensive set of recommendations that are
also relevant to other regions of the world and have wide
applicability as guidance for programme design and
implementation. The recommendations deal with: information,
education and communication activities; reproductive health
services; policy and legislation; religion and culture; gender and
empowerment; parents and communities; training and research;
networking and coalition; implementation of international
resolutions and declarations; and funding and sustainability.
In her closing statement to the Forum, Dr. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA
Executive Director, emphasized that UNFPA stood ready to
implement and present to decision makers the recommendations
adopted at the meeting. She underscored to the participants that
"together, we can become effective advocates for change that
will, at last, ensure thereproductive and sexual healthof all
adolescents everywherein the world."
* * *
NEWS BRIEFS
Expert Group Meets on the Global Programme of Training
UNFPA convened an Expert Group Meeting on the Global Programme of
Training in Population and Development in New York on 3-5
February 1997. The objective was to establish a framework that
would facilitate the translation of ICPD priorities and
recommendations into the global training initiative. Fifteen
experts from the field, including directors and coordinators of
the Global Training Programme, and 20 UNFPA staff members
attended the meeting.
Established in 1986, the Global Training Programme is part of a
comprehensive effort to assist developing countries in
integrating population into development strategies, policies and
programmes. It is being undertaken in conjunction with
host-country Governments and participating institutions. Training
courses of the Global Training Programme have been established in
association with the Cairo Demographic Centre, Cairo, Egypt; the
Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, India; theInstitut
National de Statistique etd'Economie Appliqu=B1e (INSEA), Rabat,
Morocco; the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; and the
University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. The Training
Programme at INSEA in Rabat was originally at the Catholic
University of Louvain in Belgium, and the Training Programme in
Botswana was originally at the Institute of Social Studies in The
Hague, the Netherlands.
The Expert Group Meeting's recommendations addressed curriculum
development, operations and management. In line with the ICPD
priorities, the Expert Group urged that the curriculum give
special attention to the interlinkages between population,
sustained economic growth and sustainable development, with
emphasis on poverty eradication, gender equality and the
situation of vulnerable and underserved groups; reproductive
health; adolescents' concerns; population mobility; and
environmental degradation. The Expert Group also discussed
expanding the range of potential participants and modalities for
ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Global Training
Programme. The Group recommended greater collaboration with
UNFPA-funded training programmes at global, regional, subregional
and national levels and with UNFPA Country Support Teams.
Centres of Excellence for South-South Cooperation
On 1-4 April 1997, representatives from the Centres of Excellence
for South-South cooperation (located in Indonesia, Mexico,
Thailand and Tunisia) met at UNFPA headquarters in New York to
discuss and share experiences of their reproductive health
training programmes, designed within the framework of the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD). They also discussed the institutional
sustainability of the Centres, which are currently supported by
UNFPA for 1996-1999.
The training programmes offered by the Centres are designed for
policy makers, programme managers and service providers. The
training modalities are short-term and emphasize practical
application. Examples include courses and study tours on the
topics of adolescents and mass media in Mexico, community
participation and programme management in Indonesia, population
and development policies in Thailand and gender perspectives and
programme management in Tunisia.
At the April meeting, it was agreed that the Centres will use
selected common materials on reproductive health that reflect the
ICPD approach, improve the participant selection process and
employ a common evaluation strategy.
Agenda 21 to Be Reviewed
Preparations are now under way for the Special Session of the
General Assembly in June 1997 to assess progress on Agenda 21,
the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The
Commission on Sustainable Development's (CSD) Ad Hoc
Inter-sessional Working Group met in New York on 24 February-7
March 1997 to assist the CSD in these preparations. The CSD met
7-25 April to review proposals in the Working Group's draft
report, entitled Proposed Outcome of the Special Session. The
document, which reflects population and gender considerations,
assesses achievements since the Rio Conference, reviews
implementation and takes account of international institutional
arrangements. Population is included among the areas requiring
urgent attention along with such issues as poverty eradication,
consumption and production patterns, trade and the environment,
health and sustainable human settlements. The report will be
submitted to the General Assembly for further debate.
Rotary International Fellowship on Population and Development
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director, has welcomed the initiative
of the International Fellowship on Population and Development of
Rotary International (a non-governmental organization) to hold a
meeting at UNFPA headquarters in New York, on 9-10 May 1997. The
meeting aims at promoting closer collaboration, at different
levels, between the International Fellowship and UNFPA. About
fifty Rotarians from different parts of the world plan to attend
the meeting. The programme will include presentations by senior
UNFPA staff on various aspects of UNFPA's work including the
implementation of the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). It is expected
that the meeting will produce a set of recommendations on how
best the Rotarians could increase their attention to population
and development. In keeping with the ICPD Programme of Action,
the meeting with the Rotarians is yet another example of UNFPA's
continuing efforts to increase and enhance partnerships with
non-governmental organizations, the private sector and civil
society.
Nicaragua Approves National Population Policy
In June 1996, after 18 months of intensive work following the
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD),
Nicaragua's Social Council of Ministers approved the National
Population Policy. The Policy aims at promoting the social and
institutional conditions that will facilitate responsible
parenthood so that couples can decide on the number and spacing
of their children. It also aims at increasing access to
information related to reproductive health/family planning (RH/FP)
and to quality RH/FP services as basic rights of all couples. The
Policy was formulated as part of the nation's efforts to reduce
poverty and increase access to education and basic health
services by the very poor, especially by women.
To facilitate the implementation of the National Population
Policy, a National Plan of Action is now being formulated with
the wide participation of governmental institutions and civil
society.
* * *
ACC TASK FORCE ON BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL
The ACC Task Force on Basic Social Services for All (BSSA) held
its third meeting at UNFPA headquarters on 11 March 1997. A total
of 31 participants from 16 organizations and agencies attended
the meeting, chaired by Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of
UNFPA. The BSSA Task Force is one of three Task Forces
established, in October 1995, by the Administrative Committee on
Coordination (ACC) to galvanize the United Nations (UN) system
around priority goals emerging from recent UN global conferences
and to strengthen the system's follow-up mechanisms for
delivering, at country and regional levels, coordinated
assistance aimed at meeting the overall goal of the eradication
of poverty.
The other two task forces are on Employment and Sustainable
Livelihoods, chaired by the International Labour Organisation
(ILO), and on an Enabling Environment for Economic and Social
Development, chaired by the World Bank. The BSSA Task Force
maintains close linkages with these task forces, the Inter-Agency
Committee on Women and Gender Equality, and other UN initiatives.
End-products
Steady progress has been made towards completion of the Task
Force's end-products. The Wall Chart on Basic Social Services for
All (see Box) was published recently and is being widely
disseminated to, inter alia, UN Resident Coordinators,
non-governmental organizations and other interested parties. The
wall chart will also be made available electronically, via the
Internet. Eight of the indicators on the BSSA wall chart are the
same as those in the Minimum National Social Data Set (MNSDS) of
fifteen indicators, as endorsed by the Statistical Commission of
the United Nations at its twenty-ninth session in February 1997.
Other end-products of the BSSA Task Force which are nearing
completion are: (1) Guidelines for the UN Resident Coordinator
system on primary health care; reproductive health; basic
education; national capacity-building in tracking child and
maternal mortality; and guidance notes on international migration
and development; (2) a report on lessons learned/best practices
in donor collaboration in assistance to the social sector; (3) an
information card on advocacy for basic social services; and (4) a
compendium of international commitments relevant to poverty and
social integration.
Technical Symposium on International Migration
Under the auspices of the BSSA Working Group on International
Migration, a technical symposium on international migration is
planned for May 1998. The aims of the symposium are to: examine
salient international migration policy issues faced by
Governments such as protecting migrants and preventing their
economic and social marginalization, taking into account gender
concerns; provide fresh insights through in-depth country-level
analyses on a comparative basis using new information, defining
measurable indicators and, where necessary, developing
methodologies; study existing policies, procedures, measures and
mechanisms in the light of their stated or implied goals and
advance ideas on how to increase their effectiveness; and foster
orderly migration flows and suggest ways to counteract the
economic and social marginalization of migrants.
Follow-up
At the meeting on 11 March, Dr. Sadik emphasized the importance
of ensuring that the guidelines are short, clear, and
user-friendly so that they may be easily and readily used by the
Resident Coordinators and field staff in their day-to-day work.
Underscoring the importance of training in the use of the
guidelines, the Task Force agreed that the Turin Training Centre
in Italy would be asked to design and test modules on the
guidelines; also, one day of training focusing on the guidelines
would be added to already scheduled/planned training sessions
organized by the Task Force member-organizations. The guidelines
would also be used as an input in the Common Country Assessment
process. Moreover, the UN Regional Commissions have key role to
play in promoting the use of the BSSA Task Force end-products;
at the same time, these products can serve as valuable inputs to
the work of the Regional Commissions.
Dr. Sadik underscored the importance of having a country-level
focus in implementing the work of the Task Force. Special
attention should be focused on developing partnerships with
NGOs, the private sector and civil society, in assisting
countries in achieving the goals agreed to at the recent UN
global conferences. To ensure feedback from the field, some
months after the issuance of the guidelines, a questionnaire
should be sent out to the UN Resident Coordinators concerning
the usage and usefulness of the guidelines.
The BSSA Task Force agreed that special attention should be
given to establishing a "gender perspective" throughout the UN
system and in all operational activities. It is essential that
the UN system be a leader on this key issue. From the very
outset, the gender perspective has informed the work programme
of the BSSA Task Force and is one of the cross-cutting
dimensions treated in the guidelines and other end-products.
The Chair noted that mobilizing resources is a critical theme in
the work of the BSSA Task Force. Linkages should be made with
the 20/20 Initiative so as to allow the UN Resident Coordinators
to help countries to mobilize additional resources for basic
social services. At the same time, donors should be informed of
what the consequences would be if sufficient resources are not
mobilized.
* * *
WALL CHART ON BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL
The Wall Chart on Basic Social Services for All was recently
published and is being widely distributed. Prepared under the
auspices of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC)
Task Force on Basic Social Services for All (BSSA), chaired by
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the chart shows, for
184 countries and areas, quantitative indicators directly related
to social goals adopted at recent United Nations global
conferences, including the ICPD. The United Nations Population
Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information
and Policy Analysis was the lead organization in preparing the
chart, with inputs from other member organizations of the BSSA
Task Force, including financial support from UNFPA. Shortly, the
wall chart will be made available electronically, via the
Internet.
The chart's 12 indicators are total population size; the
percentages of population with access to health services, to safe
water and to sanitation; contraceptive prevalence rates; maternal
mortality ratio; infant and under-five mortality rates; life
expectancy at birth, by sex; gross enrolment ratios for primary
and secondary schools combined, by sex; adult illiteracy rates,
by sex; and floor area per person (this measures the adequacy of
living space in dwellings). The wall chart also presents maps for
several indicators and summarizes the goals for selected
indicators of basic social services, agreed upon at the recent
United Nations global conferences.
* * *
PRINCIPLES OF THE ICPD
The implementation of the recommendations contained inthe
Programme of Action is the sovereign right of each country,
consistent with national laws and development priorities, with
full respect for the various religiousand ethical values and
cultural backgrounds of its people, and in conformity with
universally recognized international human rights.
International cooperation anduniversal solidarity, guided bythe
principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and in a spirit
of partnership, are crucial in order to improve the quality of
life of the peoples of the world.
In addressing the mandate ofthe International Conference
onPopulation and Development and its overall theme, the
interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth
and sustainable development, and in their deliberations, the
participants were and will continue to be guided by the following
set of principles:
PRINCIPLE 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, without distinction of
any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property,
birth or other status. Everyone has the right to life, liberty
and security of person.
PRINCIPLE 2
Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable
development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life
in harmony with nature. People are the most important and
valuable resource of any nation. Countries should ensure that all
individuals are given the opportunity to make the most of their
potential. They have the right to an adequate standard of living
for themselves and their families, including adequate food,
clothing, housing, water and sanitation.
PRINCIPLE 3
The right to development is a universal and inalienable right and
an integral part of fundamental human rights, and the human
person is the central subject of development. While development
facilitates the enjoyment of all human rights, the lack of
development may not be invoked to justify the abridgement of
internationally recognized human rights. The right to development
must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet the population,
development and environment needs of present and future
generations.
PRINCIPLE 4
Advancing gender equality and equity and the empowerment of
women, and the elimination of all kinds of violence against
women, and ensuring women's ability to control their own
fertility, are cornerstones ofpopulation and development-related
programmes. The human rights of women and the girl child are an
inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human
rights.The full and equal participation ofwomen in civil,
cultural, economic, political and social life, at the national,
regional and international levels, and the eradication of all
forms of discrimination on grounds of sex, are priority
objectives of the internation-al community.
PRINCIPLE 5
Population-related goals and policies are integral parts of
cultural, economic and social development, the principal aim of
which is to improve the quality of life of all people.
PRINCIPLE 6
Sustainable development as a means to ensure human well-being,
equitably shared by all people today and in the future, requires
that the interrelationships between population, resources, the
environment and development should be fully recognized, properly
managed and brought into harmonious, dynamic balance. To achieve
sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all
people, States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns
of production and consumption and promote appropriate policies,
including population-related policies, in order to meet the needs
of current generations without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
PRINCIPLE 7
All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task
of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for
sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in
standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of
the people of the world. The special situation and needs of
developing countries, particularly the least developed, shall be
given special priority. Countries with economies in transition,
as well as all other countries, need to be fully integrated into
the world economy.
PRINCIPLE 8
Everyone has the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health. States should take all
appropriate measures to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and
women, universal access to health-care services, including those
related to reproductive health care, which includes family
planning and sexual health. Reproductive health-care programmes
should provide the widest range of services without any formof
coercion. All couples and individuals have the basic right to
decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their
children and to have the information, education and means to do
so.
PRINCIPLE 9
The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be
strengthened. It is entitled to receive comprehensive protection
and support. Indifferent cultural, political and social systems,
various forms of the family exist. Marriage must be entered into
with the free consent of the intending spouses, and husband and
wife should be equal partners.
PRINCIPLE 10
Everyone has the right to education, which shall be directed to
the full development of human resources, and human dignity and
potential, with particular attention to women and the girl child.
Education should be designed to strengthen respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms, including those relating to
population and development. The best interests of the child shall
be the guiding principle of those responsible for his or her
education and guidance; that responsibility lies in the first
place with the parents.
PRINCIPLE 11
All States and families should give the highest possible priority
to children. The child has the right tostandards of living
adequate for its well-being and the right to the highest
attainable standards of health,and the right to education. The
child has the right to be cared for, guided and supported by
parents, families and society and to be protected by appropriate
legislative, administrative, social and educational measures from
all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse,
neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation,
including sale, trafficking, sexual abuse, and trafficking in its
organs.
PRINCIPLE 12
Countries receiving documented migrants should provide
propertreatment and adequate social welfare services for them and
their families, and should ensure their physical safety and
security, bearing in mind the special circumstancesand needs of
countries, in particular developing countries, attempting to meet
these objectives or requirements with regard to undocumented
migrants, in conformity with the provisions of relevant
conventions and international instruments and documents. Countries
should guarantee to all migrants all basic human rights as
included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
PRINCIPLE 13
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries
asylum from persecution. States have responsibilities with
respect to refugees as set forth in the Geneva Convention on the
Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
PRINCIPLE 14
In considering the population and development needs of indigenous
people, States should recognize and support their identity,
culture and interests, and enable them to participate fully in
the economic, political and social life of the country,
particularly where their health, education and well-being are
affected.
PRINCIPLE 15
Sustained economic growth, in the context of sustainable
development, and social progress require that growth be broadly
based, offering equal opportunities to all people. All countries
should recognize theircommon but differentiated responsibilities.
The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they
bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development, and
should continue to improve their efforts to promote sustained
economic growth and to narrowimbalances in a manner that
canbenefit all countries, particularly the developing countries.
* * *
COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEWS ICPD FOLLOW-UP
The 1997 theme for the Commission on Population and Development
(CPD), which met on 24-28 February 1997 at United Nations
Headquarters in New York, was "International Migration, with
special emphasis on the linkages between migration and
development, and on gender issues and the family." At this, its
30th session, the CPD considered, inter alia, five reports on the
implementation of the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
The Report of the Secretary General on world population
monitoring, 1997: international migration and development
summarizes recent information on selected aspects of
international migration. It covers such topics as the
international migration agenda from the World Population
Conference in Bucharest (1974) to the ICPD in Cairo (1994) and
beyond; migration dynamics; international migration policies;
documented and undocumented migrants; refugees and asylum-seekers;
labour migration; gender issues; and relationships between
migration and development. The report observes that the numerous
and complex linkages between international migration and
development -- in the size, type and direction of migration
movements and in national policies -- are a function of
political, economic and social contexts. The report notes that
discussions of migration are generally characterized by: a lack
of migration data, the absence of a comprehensive theory to
explain international migration and a limited understanding of
the intricate interrelationships between migration and
development.
The Report of the Secretary General on the monitoring of
population programmes reviews progress with respect to policies,
programmes and other activities in international migration that
Governments undertook at the national level following the ICPD.
It focuses on efforts to promote cooperation and dialogue between
sending and receiving countries and on policies and programmes to
facilitate family reunification, promote social and economic
integration, facilitate short-term and project-related labour
migration, assist refugees, protect migrants against
discrimination, prevent international trafficking in migrants and
monitor migratory flows. The report also underscores concerns
raised by Governments in matters pertaining to policy formulation
and programme implementation in international migration.
The Report of the ACC Task Force on Basic Social Services for All
presents an overview of the activities of the Task Force on Basic
Social Services for All (BSSA), highlighting the efforts of the
Task Force's Working Group on International Migration in
considering dimensions of international migration and development.
In line with the ICPD Programme of Action, the report stresses
the need for United Nations (UN) bodies to collaborate on
assisting countries in addressing the causes of migration,
increasing partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
and civil society, advancing the human rights of migrants,
enhancing resource mobilization and strengthening international
cooperation in this field. Based on information received from
BSSA Task Force members, the report identifies elements that have
contributed to successful cooperation and collaboration among UN
bodies. It also notes some of the difficulties encountered. The
report concludes that the UN system is uniquely positioned to
facilitate cooperation in international migration and development
through regular dialogue and communication; the sharing of
relevant information and data; joint programmes; advocacy; and
the promotion of increased understanding among sending and
receiving countries.
The Report of the Secretary General on activities of
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in the area
of international migration summarizes information gathered through
correspondence and questionnaires sent to intergovernmental
organizations and NGOs to assess their progress towards achieving
the objectives of the ICPD Programme of Action. The report
includes a summary of activities undertaken by the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in
collaboration with NGOs, in the search for solutions to problems
of refugees.
The Report of the Secretary General on the flow of financial
resources for assisting in the implementation of the Programme of
Action notes the evidence of an increasing flow of resources in
the form of external assistance for the implementation of the
Programme of Action in 1994 and again in 1995. The report
describes domestic resource flows in developing countries based
on provisional data and indicates how information on both
international and domestic flows will be systematized in the
future through a cooperative agreement between UNFPA and an
international non-governmental research institution. The report
concludes that, although the trend of increased resource flows
documented for the 1994-1995 period is encouraging, successful
implementation of the Programme of Action is still dependent on
higher levels of resource mobilization and greater efficiency in
resource utilization. It also emphasizes that additional
resources are urgently required to identify and respond to unmet
needs in the field of population and development. Sub-Saharan
Africa, parts of Asia and least developed countries everywhere
will need a much larger share of resources from the international
community. In addition, all countries should redouble efforts to
increase their own resources for population and reproductive
health.
* * *
TAKING STOCK:UNFPA PUBLICATIONS ON KEY ICPD THEMES
The more than two years since the International Conference for
Population and Development (ICPD) have been full ones, both for
UNFPA and for the countries it serves. In line with the
recommendations of the ICPD Programme of Action, UNFPA
reorganized its programming efforts to make reproductive health,
including family planning and sexual health, population and
development strategies and advocacy the focus of its activities.
This article highlights some of the UNFPA publications dealing
with key themes addressed in the ICPD Programme of Action:
United Nations agencies and organizations have joined in an
effort to follow up the ICPD and other global conferences of the
past decade and to translate their various recommendations into
reality. A forthcoming UNFPA publication entitled Gender,
Population and Development Themes in United Nations Conferences,
1985-1995, reviews eight international conferences dealing with
human rights and social concerns.
UNFPA's annual publication, "The State of World Population", in
1995 dealt with "Decisions for Development: Women, Empowerment
and Reproductive Health", which examines the scope of
reproductive health and family planning and the needs in various
countries. The 1996 issue was entitled Changing Places:
Population, Development and the Urban Future and was published in
the same year as the Habitat II conference. It examines
conditions of life in urban areas and strategies for improving
cities. The 1997 issue, to be released in May, is entitled
Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health.
Three months after the ICPD, in December 1994, UNFPA held a
consultation to review the concepts and principles underlying the
operationalizing of reproductive health programmes. The report of
this meeting, Expert Consultation on Reproductive Health and
Family Planning: Directions for UNFPA Assistance, reflects the
new thinking about what reproductive health includes and about
priorities in reproductive health programmes. The meeting was a
major input for the post-Cairo development of UNFPA guidelines in
the field of reproductive health.
The ICPD Programme of Action emphasized the importance of male
responsibility in family planning. In 1996, UNFPA published Male
Involvement in Reproductive Health, Including Family Planning and
Sexual Health as part of its Technical Report series. The report
examines a range of programmes and services for men and reviews
the special information, education and communication approaches
used to reach men concerning their reproductive health concerns.
Examples are provided of efforts in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt,
Ghana, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Territory of Hong
Kong, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A special publication, Report of the Technical Consultation on
Female Genital Mutilation, summarizes the discussions at a
UNFPA-sponsored meeting in Addis Ababa in March 1996. There were
58 participants, representing 25 countries. Working groups at the
meeting examined the types of training, research and services
that would help eradicate the practice of female genital
mutilation, the population and development strategies that could
be employed and the advocacy and educational efforts that would
be required. Presentations were made by participants from Burkina
Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, the Sudan and Uganda.
Maternal mortality is one of the overrriding concerns in the
Programme of Action. The UNFPA Office of Oversight and Evaluation
undertook a technical evaluation of programmes for training
traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in Bolivia, Ghana, the
Islamic Republic of Iran, Malawi, Nepal, the Syrian Arab Republic
and Uganda. Recently published, this report, Support to
Traditional Birth Attendants, identifies the strengths and any
needed improvements in these seven national TBA training
programmes.
UNFPA's Technical Reports series includes the publication
Framework of Selected Indicators for Evaluating the Impact of
Population Education Programmes, which presents a series of
indicators and questionnaires to help programme managers and
others assess student knowledge and attitudes towards population
dynamics, reproductive health and family planning, family life,
gender issues and other issues in the curricula of formal
population education programmes.
The ICPD Programme of Action stresses the need for improved data
collection and research. The Technical Report series includes two
publications (in press) dealing with the potential and scope for
using rapid assessment procedures in reproductive health and
family planning programmes.
A pocket version of the ICPD Programme of Action is now
available. Measuring 3.75 by 6 inches, the pocket version is a
convenient resource for those who refer regularly to the
Programme of Action.
A forthcoming publication, Food Security, Gender and Population,
written by Professor Pan A. Yotopoulos of Stanford University's
Food Research Institute, analyses the complex factors involved in
chronic undernutrition, which afflicts some 800 million people.
It looks at sociocultural and gender biases as well as land use
and economic factors as elements in food security.The report also
examines several indices used as indicators of food security and
develops a complementary indicator that can help planners devise
an early-warning system concerning countries at risk of food
shortages.
Under the Global Initiative on Contraceptive Requirements and
Logistics Management Needs, in-depth studies have been carried
out in Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan,
the Philippines, Turkey, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. Technical reports
have been published on each of these in-depth studies. Similar
reports are forthcoming on studies undertaken in Haiti, the
Dominican Republic and Morocco. UNFPA also published two related
technical reports, Contraceptive Use and Commodity Costs in
Developing Countries, 1994-2005 and The Global Initiative on
Contraceptive Requirements and Logistics Management Needs: Lessons
and Methodologies.
* * *
ICPD NEWS
ICPD News, a quarterly newsletter of the UNFPA Task Force on ICPD
Implementation, is designed to keep the international community,
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
World Wide Web: http://www.unfpa.org
Editor-in-Chief:
Catherine S. Pierce
Contributing Editor:
Ranjana Dikhit
Editorial Consultant:
Barbara Ryan
This is the final issue in this series of ICPD News. Readers are
referred to Dispatches for news from UNFPA, including ICPD
follow-up activities. Dispatches, a monthly bulletin, is
available free of charge from UNFPA offices worldwide. For
further infor-mation, contact the Information and External
Relations Division, UNFPA, at the above address.
* * * * *